Central London could be taken over with skyscrapers over the next few years. According to a report from New London Architecture (NLA), an urban development thinktank, London has 583 skyscrapers ‘queuing up in the pipeline’. The report declared that London could become ‘Manhattan-on-Thames’.
This army of towers is waiting in the wings to be built over the next decade, with nearly 600 structures of more than 20 storeys due to be added to the skyline. This amount of towers also far exceeds the 270 skyscrapers that were built in the last 10 years.
‘Tall buildings have changed the face of London substantially over the past 20 years and will continue to do so,’ NLA co-founder Peter Murray told the Evening Standard. ‘The pipeline that NLA has tracked means there is at least 10 years’ supply that has already been defined.’
The NLA’s 10th annual tall buildings report, ‘London’s Growing Up: A Decade of Building Tall’, said the rapid change to the capital’s once predominantly low-rise skyline has been ‘fuelled by burgeoning demand for office and residential space, overseas investment and a supportive planning environment’.
Murray added that more tall buildings were going to be necessary with the London population expected to reach 10 million by 2030.
Skyscrapers already announced for London include 11 new towers in the City, One Undershaft, 55 Bishopsgate, and the controversial Slab. Plus, Gordon Ramsey is opening the UK’s highest restaurant in London.
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