Hungary govt bans skyscrapers in Budapest

The government has discussed a ban on skyscrapers to preserve the traditional profile of Budapest, Gergely Gulyas, who heads the Prime Minister's Office, said at a regular press briefing on Tuesday. There would be an outright ban on buildings over 90 metres, and decisions would be taken by authorities on a case-by-case basis for buildings between 65 and 90 metres, he said. The ban will not affect the construction of a 120-metre headquarters in the south of the capital for oil and gas company MOL, as the building was cleared before the ban, he said. Informal talks were earlier held with MOL, OTP Bank and Richter - Hungarian companies with high international profiles - on the possible construction of skyscrapers to serve as their headquarters, and only MOL wanted to avail of the opportunity, he added.