This week the London Assembly heard from planning representatives on the potential impact of government plans to allow offices to be converted to residential use without planning permission. This planned action is an obvious attempt to simultaneously ease housing pressures, while increasing urban densities, regenerate failing areas, and converting under-used space. However, the scheme has been criticised with Richard Pestell of the RTPI warning of the "huge unintended consequences" of the changes.
It is estimated that around 4 million square metres of office space will be at risk from changes in central London alone, accounting for nearly a quarter of that area's total office space. The buildings typically likely to be affected will be older, cheaper, and often not in prime commercial location. Not only have such spaces traditionally been home to the burgeoning and creative industries, but by reducing commercial space the effect will be to push up rents, leading to potential job loses.
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