Stanhope chief executive Stuart Lipton has called for a central body for London to replace “the current mess” of planning authorities and advisory bodies. “London should be set up and managed like a large, successful corporation,” he added, speaking at a forum on the City’s future. “We’ve really got to put some guts into it. The real focus has to come from government, whether it’s a mayor, a Royal Commission or a minister.”
But other forum speakers warned of the dangers of more bureaucracy. Olympia & York director Peter Dale claimed: “The best strategies come from individuals; the vision comes right from the top.”
Meanwhile, Bridget Rosewell, joint managing director of Business Strategies, said that London compared favourably with New York and Tokyo — the only two cities in the world of a similar size and with similar problems. Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt, she said, were all cities on a different scale.
