Skyscrapers planned for London rise by more than a third with 119 new tall buildings added to planning pipeline
(Source: Visualhouse/Dan Lowe)
The number of tall buildings planned for London's ever expanding skyline has grown by moe than a third, with more than 100 new skyscrapers added to the pipeline over the last year.
There are now 436 skyscrapers either planned or under construction in the capital, up from 317 a year earlier, according to fresh research from New London Architecture and GL Hearn.
Some 233 buildings with 20 or more storeys have been approved for planning but are not yet under construction, while 114 are at planning or pre-application stage. Just 89 are actually in the process of being built, barely inching up from the 70 under construction last year.
Read more: How the capital would look if every skyscraper were approved
While in the last year there were 19 new skyscrapers completed, compared to just six in the previous year, the report indicates the number being delivered is still relatively small.
"The 436 tall buildings in the pipeline is a significant number. However, with the much publicised softening of the housing market, it remains to be seen how quickly they are delivered,” said New London Architecture chairman Peter Murray.
GL Hearn planning director James Cook echoed this sentiment. "The trend is that whilst the overall numbers increase, the level of construction activity remains relatively flat," he said. "We attribute this to the significant development and investment risk required to commit to construct tall buildings."
Tower Hamlets is home to the greatest number of proposed developments (93), followed by Greenwich, which experienced a surge as a result of the regeneration around the Peninsula area. The number grew from eight schemes in 2014 to 67 in 2015.
(Source: Visualhouse/Dan Lowe)
Demand for new homes in the capital means the large majority – 73 per cent – are residential buildings. And while the rising London horizon has caused some concern among critics, the majority of the tall developments are grouped together in these residential clusters such as Greenwich Peninsula, according to London's deputy mayor for planning, Sir Edward Lister.
“Tall buildings are positioned in the right areas of London in planned clusters which work well together and ensure they make a positive contribution in delivering much-needed homes, affordable housing and jobs,” he said. From planning to fruition the Greenwich scheme is expected to take 20 years, for example, while the City's Leadenhall building took 14 years from design to completion.
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