INTRODUCTION

Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils

Connected to all parts of the UK, Europe and the globe, London has a great deal to offer the world. With a long history alive with dynamism, London thrives because of its exceptionally diverse, dynamic and growing population.

Always looking forward, London offers unparalleled opportunities to those who live, work and invest in the capital.

There are so many opportunities across the capital we have set them all out in these pages borough by borough.

London’s 32 borough councils and the City of London play a key part in representing communities and places that encompass vibrant, high-density innercity areas, large-scale industrial estates and open green spaces. While the Mayor of London outlines an overall strategy, London’s councils are responsible for taking most of the planning decisions in the capital. As such we are key partners for anyone seeking to invest in London. London’s councils have an appetite to do more – to build more, to create more opportunities and to attract new investors. On each page of this guide you’ll notice a key contact who knows their borough and can help you be part of London’s exciting future. Get in touch with them to find out how.

We want to work with you.

London’s rapidly growing population means that we have to keep moving – and fast – to keep up with demand for more homes, jobs and opportunities. And recent changes to government financial rules mean that many of the London boroughs are able to finally ramp up their plans to build affordable housing.

London’s councils have an appetite to do more – to build more, to create more opportunities and to attract new investors. On each page of this guide you’ll notice a key contact who knows their borough and can help you be part of London’s exciting future. Get in touch with them to find out how.

Darren Rodwell, executive member for housing and planning

darren.rodwell@lbbd.gov.uk

Catherine McGuinness, City of London

The City of London Corporation is delighted to support, once again, the London Councils Guide to Development in a City of Opportunity. This guide describes the opportunities for development across the City of London and each of the 32 boroughs of London, each of which has its own distinctive character.

What unites us in the capital is the determination to work together to ensure London remains one of the greatest cities in the world.

London is a global business hub, home to world-leading clusters of expertise in financial and related professional services, the creative industries and tech. One-anda-half per cent of the total UK workforce, over half a million people, is employed in the Square Mile. As well as the City, hundreds of thousands work in Canary Wharf and the West End and are an integral part of London’s growth and success.

London is a leading cultural centre. This is one of the key attributes that makes London such a great city to live, work and visit. Creative industries and culture thrive across all 32 boroughs.

In the City the Culture Mile initiative hopes to bring in more people to its great cultural institutions with more and more new buildings publicly accessible to visitors. Next door, the West End continues to be home to some of the world’s best theatres.

Plans are afoot for the co-location of our three wholesale markets – Billingsgate, New Spitalfields and Smithfield – to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The project aims to bring all three markets together on a single site to create a worldclass new wholesale food location for London and the UK. This would provide market tenants with more modern facilities in a location offering room for growth. London is developing all the time. Transport infrastructure and connectivity in London is being revolutionised by the new Elizabeth line. For the City, this has the potential to bring in an additional 1.5 million people and drastically reduce journey times to airports. Across London as a whole, it will be the biggest expansion in railway capacity since 1945 and open up new direct routes between the east and west of the capital. High Speed Two will improve London’s transport connections with the rest of the country, a vital issue, while a new runway at Heathrow will boost the capacity of the world’s busiest airport network.

London is developing all the time. Transport infrastructure and connectivity in London is being revolutionised by the new Elizabeth line. For the City, this has the potential to bring in an additional 1.5 million people and drastically reduce journey times to airports. Across London as a whole, it will be the biggest expansion in railway capacity since 1945 and open up new direct routes between the east and west of the capital. High Speed Two will improve London’s transport connections with the rest of the country, a vital issue, while a new runway at Heathrow will boost the capacity of the world’s busiest airport network.

London is and always will be a city of opportunity. This is what this guide is about.

Catherine McGuinness, policy chair, City of London Corporation

catherine.mcguinness@thecity.gov.uk