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We hope you’re a fan of skyscrapers, because London’s going to be full of them soon.

With the Gherkin, the Walkie-Talkie and the Shard, the city’s skyline is already dominated by massive glass high-rises.

But if you live in the capital, you may have noticed that we’re suddenly surrounded by endless construction sites.

So much construction (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

BBC Newsnight analysed the 250 or so skyscrapers that have either been planned or are currently in progress, and mapped them out over the city.


And according to their projections, this is will be London’s new landscape.

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The view from Greenwich Observatory

The view from Blackfriars

The view from Lambeth Bridge

Prof Peter Rees, the former chief planning officer for the City of London, told the programme: ‘They’re not making land anymore, it’s a scarce resource. London doesn’t have enough land to provide the homes people need.

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‘So it would be fine if you were building office towers that people were going to be working in, that boost the economy.

‘But I take great exception to them building towers of safety deposit boxes simply for rich Russians and Chinese to stash their cash.’

Barbara Weiss, architect and founder of the Skyline Campaign, added: ‘Much as people think these towers deliver housing and contribute to making the housing shortage less severe, in actual fact they are only flats for the incredibly wealthy one per cent.

‘Your average Londoner will never be in a position to be able to afford to buy or rent in them.’