The Economist:
The grip tightens
30 April 2016
There is enough green-belt land in Greater London to build 1.6m houses at average densities, says Paul Cheshire of the London School of Economics (LSE) - about 30 times the number of new houses London needs a year. But opposition from homeowners is strong - especially from those near the green belt, who do not much like the thought of newcomers bringing down property prices. ... A plethora of other regulations also block development. By one count there are ten protected views of St Paul's Cathedral, including one from a specific oak tree on Hampstead Heath. This imposes severe restrictions on building height across the city. Population density in central London is about half New York's. According to Mr Cheshire and Christian Hilber, also of the LSE, restrictive planning policies inflate the price of office space in the West End by about 800%. A square foot there is twice as expensive as in midtown Manhattan.
This article was published by The Economist on April 30, 2016
Link to article here
Related links
Paul Cheshire webpage
Christian Hilber webpage
Urban Programme webpage
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