Tom Sleigh appointed as new Planning & Transportation Committee Chairman 

The City of London Corporation’s Planning & Transportation Committee yesterday elected Tom Sleigh as its Chairman, replacing Shravan Joshi MBE who has now been appointed Vice Chairman. 

Tom has represented the Bishopsgate ward for over 12 years and previously chaired the City Corporation’s Investment Committee alongside serving as Chair of the Barbican Arts Centre until April 2024. He was recently appointed Co-Chair of the Mayor of London’s Cultural Leadership Board, which will see him help steer the delivery of the Mayor’s cultural strategy. Read more on Tom’s appointment here and CPA Chief Executive Charles Begley’s statement on the appointment here.

Tom will be the keynote speaker at the exclusive preview of our forthcoming Delivering Destination City report on Wednesday 18 June. Taking place at Brookfield Properties' 1 Leadenhall, the seminar will consider how the City Corporation can forge a path to success for its Destination City vision by positioning public realm as a driver for change.  

Date: Wednesday 18 June 

Time: 8:00am – 10:00am 

Location: 1 Leadenhall, EC3V 4QT 

Events

Chris Hayward, the City of London Corporation’s Policy Chairman, will deliver the keynote speech at our annual evening reception at the Malmaison, held in partnership with the Institute of Directors (IoD) Property & Built Environment Group and the Sheffield Property Association.

The reception will mark the publication of our forthcoming report, Social Value in the Built Environment, which seeks to address the lack of consensus over how we define, measure and communicate the significant array of social benefits new development can bring.  

Register below to secure your place as numbers are strictly limited.

Date: Wednesday 21 May

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Malmaison Leeds, 1 Swinegate, Leeds, LS1 4AG

CPA update

Business priorities set for 2025/26

At our AGM Evening Reception last week, CPA Chair Ross Sayers (Head of Development Management, Landsec) updated members and guests on his business priorities for the year ahead. These include:

1. A Place to Work and Thrive: Support the City of London’s economic growth and its role as a global destination for business and investment, underpinned by world-class workspaces.
2. A Place to Play and Relax: Champion the City of London Corporation’s Destination City vision, highlighting the importance of public realm improvements and a strong cultural, retail and leisure offer.
3. A Place for the Future: Continue to promote best practice environmental sustainability, working with the City Corporation on policies to deliver a Net Zero City.
4. A Place Founded in Fairness: Advocate for social sustainability, including diversity in the industry and the social value of development.

Taking place at Nuveen and M&G’s 40 Leadenhall, attendees also heard from Shravan Joshi MBE who reflected on his three-year tenure as Chairman of the City Corporation’s Planning & Transportation Committee during which he helped steer the Square Mile through post-pandemic uncertainty towards its current resurgence. Read more on the reception here.

New CPA Vice Chair elected

The AGM marked the appointment of Nikki Dibley (Senior Development Executive, Helical) as Vice Chair of the Association. Nikki has replaced Karen Cook (Co-Founder, SPICE Design) who will remain on the CPA Board as Treasurer. The AGM also saw Matthew Secker (Head of Development - Broadgate and Paddington Campuses, British Land) join the Board, replacing Immediate CPA Past Chair Gareth Roberts (Head of Development - Innovation & Life Science, British Land) who retired from the Board after six years.

CPA Annual Report 2024/2025

To coincide with the AGM, we have released a report detailing our key activities between May 2024 and April 2025, one of our busiest years as an association. The report covers the three core focuses of the CPA’s work: research and advocacy, political engagement and membership activities. 

City of London news

City of London's GDP surpasses £100bn for the first time

The City's GDP rose by 11.5% from 2022-23, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics. The Square Mile has the largest GDP of any local authority in the UK, highlighting the City of London's position as the powerhouse of the UK economy. You can read more here.

BlackRock CEO voices frustration over lack of City office space

Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of the world’s largest investor, has ruled out a move to Canary Wharf despite struggling to find a building in the Square Mile large enough to accommodate his 3,000 London-based employees. Read more here (£).

City of London sees record number of office lettings in 2024

New data from Cushman & Wakefield has identified a record 339 office leasing deals, exceeding the previous high of 331 deals in 2023. The Square Mile accounted for 64% of the overall transaction volume in central London with notable recent lettings including Knight Frank relocating its London headquarters from the West End to the City and Squarepoint agreeing to a major pre-let at 65 Gresham Street. You can read more on Cushman & Wakefield’s data here.

Planning & policy news

City Plan 2040 hearings recap

CPA was represented at last week’s Examination in Public (EiP) hearings by CPA Board planning advisor Jeremy Randall (Partner, Newmark) and the Newmark team, who presented on the findings of our Cycling & the City report. The final EiP hearings will take place from 10-12 June and will include the much-anticipated session on heritage and tall buildings. You can read more about the hearings here.

Policy & Resources Committee elections taking place this week
The Committee will meet on Thursday to elect a new Chairman, Vice Chairman and two Deputies. Current Policy Chairman Chris Hayward, who has held the role since 2022, is expected to run uncontested, with Shravan Joshi MBE and James Thomson CBE seeking to be elected as Vice Chairman.

Have your say on the City of London Corporation’s Cultural Strategy

The Strategy will set out a bold vision for culture in the Square Mile, highlighting the role of arts and heritage in shaping a world-class destination. You can read more about the Strategy and complete the survey here.

Montcalm at The Brewery expansion unanimously approved

The City Corporation's Planning & Transportation Committee concluded that the Whitbread scheme would make an important contribution to the Destination City vision alongside being impressed by its sustainability credentials and the accessibility of the design. Read more on the proposals here.

City voice

In a recent CityAM article, Chris Hayward (Policy Chairman, City of London Corporation) discusses how the Square Mile is continuing to be a resilient, thriving economic hub with strong growth prospects, cultural appeal and strategic plans to enhance its future role in the UK economy.

“We are carefully curating the Square Mile for decades to come. Our planning policy is centred around creating an inclusive, accessible City, which enables workers and the wider public to proudly celebrate its history and heritage, while re-shaping parts of the City with potential for growth and regeneration.”

Read the full article here.

Partner events 

Sustainability SPD planning briefing

The City of London Corporation and Buro Happold are holding a briefing for developers, consultants, project managers and architects to explore how the new Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will impact the Square Mile. Register here.

Date: Thursday 15 May

Time: 8:30am – 10:30am

Location: Buro Happold, The Featherstone Building, 66 City Road

Upcoming LandAid fundraisers

Join the Race for LandAid and/or the LandAid Trek 2025 to raise vital funds for young people experiencing homelessness across the UK.  Register for the race here and the trek here.

Race for LandAid 2025

What: A 5k, 10k or 10-mikle run or walk

Date: Thursday 19 June

Location: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

LandAid Trek 2025

What: A trek across the Edale Skyline

Date: Friday 19 September

Location: Peak District

LREF 2025

This annual event at Guildhall brings together industry leaders, policy makers and trailblazers to share the latest thinking and help drive equitable and sustainable investment and development across the capital. The focus for 2025 is partnership, exploring what true, productive collaboration in real estate looks like in delivering the best outcomes. 

As a key partner to LREF we are able to offer CPA members £100 off ticket prices using the code: NLAREF. Buy your ticket here.

Date: Wednesday 17 September

Location: Guildhall, 71 Basinghall St, EC2V 7HH

ICYMI

• The 'super-prime' offices designed to lure WFH staff back in (£)
• Why London stays on the map for global real estate investment
• ‘London is back and buzzing’: Knight Frank’s head of London offices on the City’s comeback
• Work on the Greyfriars Square project has started
• Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund sues new City skyscape over right to light
• Capgemini’s City office hits the market at £100m+ (£)
• Building Design’s interview with CPA Board member Deborah Saunt interview (£)  

Member resources

Diversifying Real Estate series

In the latest interview of our Empowering Women in Real Estate series, we spoke to LPA DEI Committee Co-Chair Katy Ghahremani (Make Architects) about her experience in the sector and the importance of a diverse workforce in helping to drive positive change within the built environment. You can read the interview with Katy here.  

For more information on how to make central London’s real estate sector more accessible and inclusive for women, read our guidebook on gender here. 

More resources