By almost every meaningful measure London is the world’s greatest city, ranking at or near the top of global league tables for places to visit, live, learn and invest in. 

But for much of the past decade, London has repeatedly been branded unsafe, uncompetitive or past its peak. A negative narrative has taken hold. 

Perception matters because cities, like markets, run on confidence. When London is constantly talked down the consequences are real. Investment is deferred. Growth slows. Opportunity narrows. 

We are, however, backing London. As our name, London Square, suggests, I built the business to honour the capital’s architectural heritage and green spaces. Sixteen years later we’re delivering new homes and places in over half the city’s boroughs. Across 2026 we will have 25 live construction sites delivering more than 5,600 new homes for sale and rent, alongside about 40 per cent affordable housing. 

To enable this, we have brought £2 billion of investment into London in the past two years and expect to attract over £1 billion this year. 

Our confidence rests on London’s enduring strengths. Knowing that in a short-term world, this city has the resilience to succeed. 

Beneath the noise, London continues to attract global capital, talent and exert influence at a scale few cities can match.  

Far from the post-Brexit hollowing out many predicted, London’s economic base is also widening in ways that matter. Powered by world-leading universities and venture capital, London hosts the largest ecosystem of AI companies outside San Francisco, signalling where the next generation of global businesses, and jobs, will be created. 

Beyond the economy, London’s cultural reach remains extraordinary. Music, fashion, art and sport produced here set global trends. Twenty million visitors flock to London every year. And while no global city is risk-free, by international standards London is a safe place to live, work and raise a family and one where the picture is improving. 

Busting myths, a 2026 YouGov survey showed that while just 30 per cent of Britons thought London was safe, over double that figure (63 per cent) of people living in London believed it was safe. An even higher percentage, 81 per cent, of Londoners said their local area was safe. 

None of this leadership is sustainable without housing. Readily available, quality and affordable homes are not by-products of a successful global city, they are prerequisites for one. 

Worryingly, however, London Square is one of the few property companies committed to a pipeline of new homes. 

Housebuilders large and small have shifted to the commuter belt or quit London entirely, driven away by a tidal wave of regulatory, financial and political pressures. In 2025 private home construction in London slumped to 5,547 compared with a target of 88,000 and estimates suggest that, in two years’ time, the market will deliver just 8 per cent of the homes needed. 

With about 50 per cent of affordable homes delivered by the private sector and 20 per cent of the UK’s construction work focused on London, this collapse has wide-ranging consequences that reach beyond the capital. 

While the past 12 months have been some of the hardest in my career, 2026 offers the prospect of recovery for both developers and would-be homeowners. The government and mayor are talking up the removal of unnecessary barriers and costs to building and, as interest rates ease, buying power will quietly improve. 

None of this is guaranteed. London needs momentum to make good on the promise of 2026. In this context, confidence is not a “nice to have”; it is a vital economic asset that must be nurtured. 

Political narrative must be followed up with practical actions with long-term impact: planning certainty, the removal of red tape, incentives for those that deliver on their promises, and a focus on growth and inflation reduction that empower people to invest in their future. 

The facts are already on London’s side. Imagine what could be achieved if confidence, and policies that genuinely sustain it, were too.