LONDON, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of high-rise buildings in the pipeline for London has exceeded more than 500 for the first time, a new survey revealed Wednesday.
The tall buildings annual survey by New London Architecture (NLA) and real estate consultants, GL Hearn, now in its fifth year, shows appetite for tall buildings in the British capital remains strong.
The survey provides the only comprehensive analysis of all tall buildings, over 20 storeys, which are proposed, in planning or under construction in London, giving an indication of London's changing skyline.
The findings show London has 510 towers in the pipeline and a record number of 115 schemes are under construction, compared to 455 and 91 respectively, in 2016. Since the first report in 2014, 122 tall buildings have been completed and a further 96 are expected to be completed over the next two years.
Analysis suggests living in tall buildings is becoming increasingly accepted as a key part of London's housing mix. Over 90 percent, or 458, of the tall buildings coming forward are residential with the potential to deliver 106,000 new homes in the capital. The rest are mainly commercial developments such as offices and student accommodation.
Almost a third of the buildings in the pipeline are in three outer London zones, mainly around transport connections which are considered suitable locations for tall buildings. This includes places like Croydon where the world's tallest modular tower is coming forward.
Bromley and Waltham Forest have tall buildings in the pipeline for the first time. This leaves just seven London boroughs without any towers -- Bexley, Enfield, Havering, Hillingdon, Merton, Kensington and Chelsea, and Richmond. But this is expected to change, says the study.
Peter Murray, Chairman of New London Architecture said: "We continue to see a steady increase in the number of tall buildings coming forward and with London's population continuing to increase and the demand for new homes only getting higher, our view remains that well designed tall buildings, in the right place, are part of the solution."
Stuart Baillie of GL Hearn said: "It is clear that tall buildings make a substantial contribution towards realising London's housing targets and in those boroughs where there are multiple tall buildings in the pipeline, this is a significant contribution towards housing need."
