Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has pledged to clamp down on office-to-residential conversions to protect workspace for small businesses.
Khan made the announcement following the publication of City Hall figures which showed that since 2013 more than 15.8m sq ft of office space could already have been converted to residential using the government’s permitted development rights policy.
The new measures Khan plans to put in place include:
- Amending the London Plan so there is stronger protection for small businesses and start-up workspace
- Delivering new spaces for small businesses, the creative industries, artists and the fashion industry within new residential and mixed-use developments
- Promoting schemes to provide linked affordable housing and business space in new housing developments
- Working with government on changes to permitted development rights
Khan said: “These new figures lay bare the impact that the government’s misguided policies are having on space for business in London.
“Of course we need new homes, but this does not need to be at the expense of the space we need for the businesses that provide our jobs and drive our prosperity.”
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