A record 455 skyscrapers are set to be added to London's skyline, according to the fourth annual London Tall Buildings Survey published on Friday.
The London skyline already saw a marked change in 2016, when, despite uncertainty over Brexit, construction started on one new tall building a week, a 68% increase on the previous year.
According to the survey, carried out by New London Architecture (NLA) and property consultants GL Hearn, the 455 new towers in the pipeline have the potential to deliver 100,000 homes – 420 are marked for residential use and 7 are purpose-built student accommodation. A total of 152 new skyscrapers with 20 storeys or more will have been built by 2019, 27 of them with fifty floors or above.
‘At NLA we remain of the view that in a growing city, well designed tall buildings in the right place are appropriate,’ said Peter Murray, NLA chairman. ‘This is part of the changing face of London now, and there has been no Brexit downturn as yet.’
Faster completion rate
The rate of completion has accelerated, with 26 towers being finished last year compared to 10 in 2015 and an average of six a year in the last decade. The London boroughs that are seeing the biggest changes in their skyline are Tower Hamlets, with 77 tall buildings in the pipeline, and Greenwich with 68. The majority of the new towers are being built in the fast-growing areas of Canary Wharf and Docklands.
‘The picture this survey presents is a wholly positive one given recent market disruption,’ said James Cook, head of residential planning at GL Hearn. ‘The time it takes to bring forward tall buildings however means that any impact on planned investments may not be seen immediately and the markets’ response during the course of this year will be fascinating.’
Despite this positive picture, there is some evidence of uncertainty in the market: the report identifies 31 towers that were given planning permission five or more years ago but as work has not even started they may not be built at all.
Murray said that in future a more coordinated approach across boroughs should be taken and that London mayor Sadiq Khan should provide more direction. ‘To a certain extent, the shape of the city is being formed by developers,’ he said. ‘This works pretty well when you have developers who own large chunks of land, as in King’s Cross. But when you have multiple landowners, they need more direction as to how their building should fit in with the one next door.’
The mayor is due to publish his new London Plan, detailing his strategy for the Greater London area. ‘The mayor is the guardian of London’s skyline and is committed to ensuring new developments are of the highest possible design standard,’ his spokesman said. ‘Without doubt, tall buildings have a role to play in London but they should only be built in suitable areas and contribute positively to the skyline.’
