Boomerang London will bounce back a greener, safer place
Mayor Sadiq on aim to revitalise city
THE pandemic may help to solve London’s housing crisis, the capital’s Mayor Sadiq Khan says.
As working from home becomes a permanent fixture for many, developers are keen to get their hands on the offices they leave behind.
And while those in Mayfair, the City of London or Canary Wharf may be snapped up for luxury apartments, the Mayor says builders must agree to provide affordable housing elsewhere.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror, he said: “This could be the way to meet much of the need.”
In a bounce-back initiative he refers to as “boomerang London”, Mr Khan is first keen to reboot the city’s tourism – starting with Brits who have been getting stir-crazy at home.
He has been leading the way for other cities too, staying in touch with the mayors of Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol.
Mr Khan said: “There will never be a better summer for Sunday Mirror readers to come to London.
“You won’t have to compete with foreign tourists for tickets to the theatre, bookings in restaurants or going to museums.
“This is the opportunity to jump the queue – and it’s really important to us.”
Mr Khan is spending £7million on an ad campaign to attract visitors.
He aims to lure them with innovations such as an open-air cinema in Trafalgar Square, screening favourites including Star Wars, Skyfall, Bend It Like Beckham, Paddington Bear and Emily Blunt’s Mary Poppins.
With Covid costing the capital £11billion in lost revenue, including £7.5bn from tourism, Mr Khan said: “We have to make the experience of going out better than ever.”
He also aims to make London the greenest capital city in the world to woo overseas trippers, with analysis suggesting international tourism will not be back on track before 2024. He said: “Once that opens up, London is the springboard to the Lake District, or Scotland or Manchester or Bristol. London is the gateway.”
His £1billion climate change plan is to plant 350,000 trees, create 250km of cycle lanes and electrify London’s buses.
And he is determined to stay ahead of the seismic shift brought about by the pandemic.
He said: “The last 16 months have left people thinking about their work-life balance.
“Many Londoners who worked in hospitality and culture returned to mum and dad in Yorkshire or Lancashire or Manchester or Newcastle. Some of them will return when the jobs come back.”
But while London remains desperate for new homes, Mr Khan warns converting offices to residential use should only be done with caution.
He said: “We shouldn’t base permanent change on temporary behaviour.”
People are thinking about their work-life balance SadIq Khan ON HOW LONDON HAS CHANGED