Big rise in new London office space despite pandemic

Britain’s offices are ‘very much alive’, with new starts on central London construction projects jumping in six months despite the pandemic. 

The amount of new office space which began to be developed shot up by a fifth between October and March, compared with the previous six months, to 3.1million square feet, according to Deloitte’s London Office Crane Survey. 

‘Very much alive’: The amount of new office space which began to be developed shot up by a fifth between October and March

In total, 32 schemes broke ground – exceeding the long-term average for the third survey in a row. 

The signs of office life come despite the shift towards flexible working during the pandemic. 

Deloitte’s survey showed much of the development work was upgrading old offices, to make them more Covid-proof and environmentally friendly. 

But Mike Cracknell, director in real estate at Deloitte, said: ‘With 57 per cent of developers looking to increase construction pipelines in the next six months, central London office construction is very much alive.’