Nelson's Column The Nelson Monument Trafalgar Square London WC2N 5DU Data via plota.co.uk

Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.

Registered parks and gardens, battlefields, world heritage sites and protected wrecks are designated heritage assets: harm needs clear and convincing justification.

The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.

An Article 4 direction withdraws particular permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application needs one here. Not every council has published its directions.

The London Plan (policy HC4) designates strategic views, and the Mayor's London View Management Framework (March 2012) gives 13 of them a protected vista toward St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster or the Tower of London. A vista has a threshold height that rises or falls with the line of sight. In the landmark viewing corridor, a building above it would harm the view and should be refused. In the wider setting consultation area around the corridor, a building above it is referred for consultation and its effect on the view is judged. The threshold changes along each view and is set out in the framework. A revised framework is out for consultation until 4 December 2026 and is not yet in force.

The council or Historic England considers archaeology likely here. A desk-based assessment, and sometimes trial trenching, can be asked for with the application.

Schemes that add traffic, parking or combustion plant are assessed against the area's action plan and may need an air quality assessment.

Nationally significant infrastructure projects (power stations, electricity lines, pipelines, major roads and railways, harbours, airports and reservoirs) are consented by a Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008, after an examination by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than by the council. The boundary is the one the Inspectorate consults on and can change as the scheme does. Projects are shown within 2 km of the site.

Shops, services and active frontages are protected in centres, and main town centre uses are steered here first.

Offices, culture and the other strategic functions of the centre take priority over new housing here.