Fear of heights

Yes, we should judiciously relax restrictions on taller buildings - but there are other ways to achieve the compact urban growth we sorely need

‘Planning must be evidence-based to be sustainable’

We have all heard the old saying, ‘never discuss politics or religion in polite company’. I sometimes wonder if planning should come with the same health warning, such is its ability to elicit impassioned comment.

The recent publication by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government of Draft Guidelines on Urban Development and Building Heights was a case in point, with the immediate voices on our airwaves decrying the prospect that planning ...