City of London Future Skyline Showcases Strong Investor Confidence and Growth Momentum

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04 March 2026

The City of London Corporation has revealed a new ‘City Skyline CGI’ showcasing what the Square Mile’s tall buildings cluster will look like in around six years’ time.

Created by Didier Madoc-Jones of GMJ, the computer-generated images show what the City of London’s financial district will look like from above, once all of the buildings that have either been granted planning permission, or are already under construction, are completed. The CGI offers a new perspective over the City from the east and reflects a record year of planning approvals in 2025.

The City Corporation’s Planning & Transportation Chairman showcased the new footage at his annual dinner, recently hosted at Mansion House. With it, he hailed the busiest start to the year for 7 years, in terms of planning application submissions and decisions, with an 84% increase in planning applications decided by the City of London Corporation in January, compared to the same month last year.

The images and time lapse video have been shared publicly. Led by the Policy Chairman, Chris Hayward, and the new City Business and Investment Unit (CBIU) launched last year, their objective is to demonstrate to global investors and developers that Britain and its capital city remain one of the world’s most attractive locations for development and investment.  

CBIU engagement with prospective investors and developers is key to fully realising the Square Mile’s growth potential and, where required, unlocking capital to deliver these planning approvals and de-risking delivery through forward funding, pre-let support, and strategic alignment with office occupier demand.

The City of London Corporation is seeking to accommodate rapidly rising demand for new, sustainable, Grade A office space. According to JLL, vacancy rates in the City Core stood at just 4.4% in Q4, while the new build vacancy was just 0.1% in Q4, with the Square Mile’s largest office building, 22 Bishopsgate, fully occupied and seeing record high rents. The vacancy rates suggest that the growth in planning applications is not speculative but driven by real occupier demand and long-term economic fundamentals, including London’s concentration of talent, global connectivity, legal certainty and deep capital markets, which continue to set it apart from competing global business centres.

Despite industry headwinds, over half a million square metres of office space was granted planning permission in the City in 2025, equivalent to more than ten ‘Gherkins’ with around half of this amount already under construction. It means the Square Mile will remain a hive of building activity in the years ahead, with significant projects such as 1 Undershaft already underway, and with 85 and 60 Gracechurch Street starting imminently, altogether contributing over 200,000 square metres of commercial space, alone.

With 30 major commercial schemes currently under construction and demand for high quality workspace continuing to outstrip supply, the City is entering the next phase of growth from a position of strength. New development activity is reflecting both long term confidence in London’s role as a global financial and professional services centre, and growing demand for sustainable, Grade A office space from international occupiers.

Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said: “Record demand for high‑quality, amenity‑rich office space is reinforcing the City’s position as one of the world’s most resilient and attractive business districts, with vacancy in the City Core continuing to fall, prime supply remaining exceptionally tight, and leasing activity reaching its strongest annual performance since 2019. As global capital becomes increasingly selective, the City of London is a place able to deliver complex schemes at scale while adapting to changing patterns of work and occupier expectations."

Hayward continued: “We have a positive outlook and a clear message that London is competitive and full of opportunity, undergoing a renaissance – driven by confidence. With strong fundamentals, rising rental values, and a significant development pipeline, with much of it already under offer, we are seeking further investment from global investors and developers who recognise the long‑term strength and potential of this great city.”

Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Tom Sleigh, said: “Commercial development in the Square Mile is all systems go. We’ve just had our strongest January for planning in seven years, both in applications submitted and decisions made, reflecting the outstanding work of our planning team who are delivering decisions at pace and with high standards."

Sleigh continued: "We’ve already approved four major schemes in the first few weeks of the year alone and that tells you everything about investor confidence in the City. Demand for sustainable Grade A space is real, it’s rising, and we are responding decisively. Our message to global investors is clear: The City of London is open, confident and building at scale, offering the certainty and long term vision that international capital looks for.”

View the full timelapse here.

Picture: An image extracted from the CGI created by Didier Madoc-Jones.  

Article written by Dave Mapps | Published 04 March 2026

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