City Plan consultation launched

The City of London Corporation has launched its City Plan 2040 consultation, setting out its policies and strategic priorities that will guide the growth of the Square Mile until 2040.

Key objectives include delivering over 1.2m sq ft of office space to help support a competitive economy, transforming the Square Mile into a 7-day-a-week cultural and leisure destination, and ensuring a net zero City by 2040.

Speaking at the launch of the plan Policy Chairman Chris Hayward talked of being ‘unashamedly pro-growth for the City’. His summary of the launch can be found on LinkedIn here.

We will be reviewing the proposals in detail and responding on behalf of our members, but we encourage all of our members to have their say on policies that will shape the future of the City over the next 15 years. The consultation runs until 31 May and can be found here.

If you have any comments or suggestions for the Association’s response please contact team@cwpa.org.uk. The City Corporation will also be hosting a public consultation session on Monday 29 April, focusing on the impact of the plan on economic growth.

Date: Monday 29 April

Time: 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Location: Storey Club - Broadgate, 100 Broadgate, EC2M 2AU

Register to secure your place here.

Events

CPA lunch speaker announced

Renowned presenter, journalist and author Amol Rajan will be the keynote speaker at this year’s sell-out Annual Lunch, hosted at the Guildhall’s historic Great Hall.

The Radio 4 Today and University Challenge presenter is renowned for his thought-provoking interviews, connecting with his viewers and listeners in a unique style. This is reflected in his BBC series Amol Rajan Interviews, featuring ‘era-defining pioneers, leaders and maverick thinkers who are shaping our rapidly changing 21-centrury world’.

He is a champion of diversity and immensely proud of his Indian and working-class roots. His 2022 documentary ‘How to Crack the Glass Ceiling’ won widespread acclaim. As the previous media editor at the BBC, and a former editor of The Independent, he has scaled the top of his profession.

Find out more about this year’s lunch here.

City Corporation updates

Artist's impression of Finsbury Circus Gardens

Committee decision on London Wall West

The City of London Corporation's Planning Applications Sub-Committee has voted to grant permission for the redevelopment of 140 London Wall and 150 London Wall. The decision followed an intervention by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to issue an Article 31 holding direction, preventing the approval of the scheme while he considers whether to call in the application. Read more here.

New corporate plan launched

The five-year plan contains six outcomes to guide the Corporation’s leadership at local, London-wide, national and international levels. These include flourishing public spaces, dynamic economic growth, and diverse and engaged communities. It is expected to come into effect from April. Read more here.

Toolkit for City’s heritage buildings published

The City Corporation's Heritage Building Retrofit Toolkit provides guidance for owners, occupiers, and caretakers of historic and listed buildings to help reduce carbon and build climate resilience in heritage properties. Read more here.

Architects sought for Guildhall Yard East

A collaborative initiative to overhaul four floors of office space in the Guildhall Yard East building has been launched by the City Corporation and City of London Police. They are looking for architects to modernise the site. Read more here.

Work starts on London’s oldest park

The transformation of Finsbury Circus Gardens began this week to provide improved seating, pathways and new areas of planting around the central lawn. Read more here.

Consultations

City seeking views on sustainability guidance

The City Corporation’s Planning for Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is open for consultation until 17 May. The document contains key elements of advice for developers on retrofit and re-use, whole life carbon emissions and circular economy principles. Submit your thoughts here.

Consultation on Liverpool Street section renaming

An application has been lodged by the City Corporation to rename part of the Liverpool Street area to Sir Nicholas Winton Square in honour of the significant role he played in the Kindertransport in the late 1930s. A formal consultation on the renaming ends on 24 April, email your thoughts to snn@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Other news and updates

22 Bishopsgate

London businesses come together for Ukraine

CPA was proud to support a recent event hosted by UA in the UK, an organisation that helps Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion. Alongside Alderman Alison Gowman representing the City of London Corporation, CPA Chief Executive Charles Begley spoke at the Strength in Unity conference at Studio Smithfield, a new creative hub in Smithfield Market supported by the City Corporation, GLA and Paul Smith Foundation. Read more on the studios here.

22 Bishopsgate reaches 95% occupancy

The City’s tallest building hit the milestone after two recent signings totalling 35,495 sq ft. These bring the total amount of let space in the tower to 1.2 million sq ft, with only 70,000 sq ft remaining. Read more here.

Major pre-let for Broadgate tower

British Land and GIC have secured a 250,000 sq ft pre-let for their 2 Finsbury Avenue scheme. Investment management company Citadel has agreed to take the space, representing around a third of the tower, with options to take an additional 130,000 sq ft. Read more here(£).

NextGen insights

Chair of the CPA NextGen Committee Leila Gray (Associate, Sheppard Robson) has published a blog outlining her priorities for the group during her time as Chair. These include furthering diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry, championing sustainability and promoting culture and leisure to support the City Corporation’s Destination City initiative. Read more here.

City voice

The new City Plan will be pivotal in moving London forward

In a recent Evening Standard article Chris Hayward (the City Corporation's Policy & Resources Chairman) discusses the Corporation’s City Plan 2040 and its approach to economic growth, the climate crisis and creating a 'Destination City'. Read more here.

In case you missed it

One City

Co-founded by CPA and the City of London Corporation and delivered in partnership with NLA, our One City platform has grown to be London's largest place-based social media platform with over 100,000 Instagram followers.

Explore One City's guide to the Square Mile to find out more about the best pop ups, new openings and gigs in the City of London over the Christmas period. Find out more here or visit One City on Instagram here.

Member resources

Planning news

Both CPA and WPA members have access to our comprehensive database of all major decisions from central London's major planning committees. These can be viewed on our Planning News page.

VISIT PLANING NEWS PAGE

CPA quarterly insight

Research

LPA-Global-Cities-Survey-Cover - February 2024 copy

Diversity Guidebooks

For more details on all of the property news stories in the central London boroughs over the last seven days please visit the news section of the London Planning website.