NLA looks to London suburbs for future development

  Development in London needs to focus more on the suburbs to create a “polycentric” city, according to the chairman of the New London Architecture centre.   The NLA has just launched an exhibition, called London’s Towns, which focuses on development plans for London’s outer boroughs and considers how they will be affected by the policies of London mayor Boris Johnson.     Peter Murray, chairman of the NLA, said: “This exhibition is timely because Boris Johnson has been talking about handing power back to the boroughs, and certainly seems more interested in their development than Ken Livingstone was.   “We need to be creative with our outer boroughs – each of them has different attractions and many of them are already well established as alternatives to central London in terms of retail centres or homes.”   In a statement opening the exhibition, Johnson said: “London beyond the centre is home to a rich and diverse mix of towns, neighbourhoods and communities that help make our city the exciting place that it is.   “That is why I have flagged planning for outer London as a major priority, which will be backed by a Mayoral Commission later in the year.”   The exhibition was opened last night by Murray and Cllr Merrick Cockell, chairman of London Councils, who said that the “world changed” when Boris came to power, giving the outer boroughs and suburbs the “confidence to identify themselves”.   The 19 outer boroughs are predicted to grow by 11% over the next 20 years, and are already home to 60% of the capital’s population and 42% of London jobs.   Boroughs examined by the exhibition include Croydon, Stratford, Hammersmith and Greenwich.   helen.roxburgh@egi.co.uk