Fraser Campbell-Wilson, Director – Central London Markets, JLL

"The City will remain the epicentre for tall office building development, with consented schemes poised to transform London's skyline. Recent barriers, including viability challenges, construction cost inflation, and funding constraints, have limited development, with notable exceptions like 50 Fenchurch Street and 2 Finsbury Avenue. However, recent site acquisitions, rebased entry pricing, and positive rental growth are likely to overcome previous viability issues and unlock multiple developments needed to satisfy London's healthy occupational demand.” 

James O’Donnell, London Property Business Leader, Arup

"Demand for high quality space, strategically located, is continuing to drive the speculation of tall buildings within increasingly challenging city locations. The challenges are providing exciting opportunities to deliver creative solutions. Getting out of the ground is key to reducing program, and ground risk. We are seeing more schemes looking to maximise foundation re-use and minimise the number of basements. This can have a big impact on the viability of tall tower schemes. Increasing availability of data from buildings in-operation is also helping to shape and optimise future building designs.”

Sandra Jones, Managing Director, PriceHubble

"The distinctive tower skyline underscores London’s status as a thriving global city. The fact that almost all the new planning applications submitted in 2025 were for predominantly residential use (91% of the total, including some mixed use elements) and only 9% for office use, is a stark reminder of how the balance of activity has shifted.” 

Callum Tuckett, Director, Multiplex

"This year’s data clearly highlights the growing gap between planning activity and delivery. While the pipeline remains strong on paper, viability pressures, funding constraints, regulatory change and construction cost inflation continue to challenge progress on site. The findings reinforce the need for greater certainty earlier in the process, combining realistic design, robust technical assurance and collaborative delivery models, if we are to unlock schemes and manage risk more effectively.”