London rooftops can add up to 41,000 new houses to the city
By Chandralekha Mukerji
A recent research report from real estate consultant, Knight Frank revealed that up to 41,000 new houses could be built on London rooftops without altering the city’s skyline. Considering the housing crisis this could make huge impact to the rental market.
The research used an innovative technology called Skylark that can identify development opportunities particularly in areas where availability of land is becoming increasingly rare. The report identified 23,000 buildings that are suitable for rooftop development in Zones 1 and 2 alone. “The volume of the unused plots across the same area is equivalent to eight Burj Khalifa towers, "crucially without the corresponding impact on London’s skyline," said the report.
The findings of the research report are especially interesting as some recent news reports suggest that Chancellor Philip Hammond, in the Budget that will be announced next week on 22nd of November, is planning to let home-owners extend height of property without having to secure a ‘planning permission’. The Telegraph wrote: “Philip Hammond is weighing up proposals to relax planning laws to enable houses and blocks of flats to be raised to the height of the tallest building or tree in the same area without the cost or delay of seeking council approval. The "build up not out" plan, which is backed by several former ministers, together with David Cameron's ex policy chief, is being pushed by MPs as a way to help solve the housing crisis without building on greenfield land.”
If the permission is granted, according to the Knight Frank report, rooftop homes have the potential to add 28 m sq ft of residential floor area, with a potential value of £51bn.
