Construction began on a record number of skyscrapers in the capital last year with 455 more in the pipeline for the next year.
Despite uncertainty caused by Brexit, construction started on 48 tall buildings in 2016, an increase of 68% on the 29 that were started in 2015.
The figures come from the London Tall Buildings Survey, which charts the number of towers of 20 storeys or more completed, proposed or currently in planning across the capital’s 33 boroughs in 2016.
The survey is a collaboration between New London Architecture (NLA) and its research partner GL Hearn, with data provided by EG London Residential Research.
According to the survey, there are now 455 towers in the pipeline, of which 420 are marked out for residential use and a further seven of which will be student accommodation. This means there is potential for an additional 100,000 homes, according to the report.
While the majority of the proposed buildings will have 30 floors or fewer, 27 will have 50 floors and above.
There are currently close to 100 tall buildings under construction, many of which are at late stages of construction – 28 are expected to complete in 2017 and 40 in 2018. Since the survey began four years ago 60 tall buildings have been completed.
The report points to several hives of activity, with 77 towers in the works in Tower Hamlets, 68 in Greenwich, 37 in Southwark and 33 in Hammersmith and Fulham.
In terms of built schemes, Tower Hamlets again outstrips all other London boroughs, seeing the completion of eight high-rise blocks in 2016.
“The picture that this survey presents is a wholly positive one given recent market disruption,” said GL Hearn planning director James Cook.
“The time it takes to bring forward tall buildings, however, means that any impacts on planned investments may not be seen immediately and the markets’ response during the course of this year will be fascinating.”
