A protected view is the legal requirement by the Urban Planning system of some countries to preserve the view of a specific historic site. The effect of a protected site is to limit the height of new buildings between or adjacent to the view site to preserve the ability to see the landscape as the focus of the view. The protection may also cover the area behind the building or location concerned.

Examples of protected views:

Protected views are not unique to the UK, they also exist in places such as the city of San Francisco "San Francisco (California)"), in California, which has some of the strictest limits in the world;[1]​ Portland, Oregon where the size of tower blocks is kept low to allow views of Mount Hood from the western hills and the city of Vancouver which has protected view cones.