Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area Planning Framework

222 Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area Planning FrameworkTA 3.1 TopographyThe OA is a largely flat expanse of land lyingon the south bank of the River Thames.Figure TA3.1 shows that the entire OA is onor below the 5m land contour. This map doesnot consider site specific height or landformissues but demonstrates the relatively flatnature of the site as a whole. The onlyexception to this is the Nine Elms road bridgethat crosses the Victoria railway line andgives elevated views of the wider area.The area’s topography influences the viewsinto and out of the area, clearly its positionon the floodplain of the Thames gives longviews upstream from central London, whichform the basis of the strategic views, whilstthe ridges to the south and west providelocal views back into London.The generally flat topography and locationof the OA within the London context allowsfor long distance views from Hyde Park tothe north and east and west along the RiverThames. The relationship of the OA to theWestminster World Heritage site from longdistance views along the river is a particularlysensitive issue, which is considered further inthe following section.There are also long distance river views fromthe west along Chelsea Embankment andLots Road. To the more immediate north,there are limited views from within Pimlico,where the dense network of residentialstreets precludes long distance views of theOA with the exception of Grosvenor Roadalong the riverfront itself.15NorthVauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity AreaContour linesBorough boundariesFigure TA3.1 Topography0 1 km2 kms© Crown copyright. All rights reserved (LA100032379) (2009)