Responding to the 2018 Autumn Budget, Nicolas Bosetti, Research Manager at Centre for London, said:

“Our high streets are evolving and the Chancellor is right to recognise the need for greater flexibility.

“London, like cities and towns across the country, are full of unused spaces that could be used for temporary housing, workspaces, parks, community gardens and retail, but are not.

“Alongside the promise of more funding, government’s proposal for a lighter planning regulation, a register of empty shops and a brokerage scheme – all three recommended in Centre for London’s recent report –  will help councils and communities to make the most of the empty shops, offices and sites which are waiting to be developed.”

Centre for London’s recent report Meanwhile, in London: Making use of London’s empty spaces found that London’s empty spaces aren’t being used to their full potential:

• 24,400 commercial properties in London are currently empty, and 22,500 have been empty for at least six months.
• 2,700 hectares of land – the equivalent of the London Borough of Lambeth – has planning permission to develop, but construction has yet to start.