COMMENT One of the most poignant cartoons published on the morning of Friday, 9 September showed a picture of Her Majesty the Queen on board an Elizabeth Line train to the shining light of heaven.
It was fitting the Queen was able to open the Elizabeth Line in May this year, which brings state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure to the next generation of Londoners. It provides quicker, better access to the wealth of experiences and cultures that we are lucky to have on our doorstep. It opens up more possibilities to more people and brings us all closer together.
We have already seen early success. To date, more than 1.1m people come to Canary Wharf each week, and many of our shops, bars, restaurants, services and other amenities are doing better than in 2019. The next chapter is the line’s opening to Heathrow, which will be a further game-changer for our residents, office workers and visitors. Upon opening, people will be able to get from Canary Wharf to Heathrow in just 40 minutes.
But as we think about the travel and infrastructure that is now in place, our industry must continue to raise its game to provide a better environment for communities.
Great expectations
People today, quite rightly, expect more from the environment where they work, particularly as businesses are navigating a difficult economic period and a tight labour force. Now more than ever they want to bring their people together and ensure the work environment promotes productivity and culture for everyone. It is our job to provide that – and we continue to push ourselves to provide more.
None of us are homogeneous. Everyone wants different things from where they work and it is the industry’s responsibility to build for the diverse community.
While people’s experiences may be different, the central theme of our environment is the same – a community where it is easy to access activities, shops, restaurants, a comfortable and easy commute, a quiet bench to sit with a coffee among the trees and birds, a busy place to have a meal and a glass of wine with colleagues, time to paddleboard, swim, or visit the doctor, dry cleaner or farmer’s market at lunch, a sense of security walking home from an evening out. These all play into supporting our mental health and wellbeing and feeling happy at work and relaxed at home.
It is also about the type of building we want to work in. One that helps collaboration, that provides space for creativity and for us to meet all together. And, of course, puts sustainability first and safeguards the future. Building sustainably is building green. But real sustainable development is building something that works for the community for the long term.
There has never been a better time for us to meet these challenges head on. We must work in partnership, whether that is with global leaders such as the Eden Project to create a greener environment or world-class engineers and architects to create sustainable building design. We look forward to bringing the best of the future as we continue to collaborate and put our communities first as we provide an extraordinary environment for the generations to come and build a fitting legacy for all.
Katie Oliphant is managing director of offices at Canary Wharf Group
