London is getting a record-breaking number of new tall buildings

London is on the up – and this time we’re talking literally. There are now 541 tall buildings planned for the capital, more than at any point in history. New London Architecture (NLA)’s latest London Tall Buildings Survey, which revealed the record-breaking figure, counts anything with 20 storeys or more as ‘tall’ – and there are plenty of blocks that size underway. Here are the numbers you need to know…

83

…is the number of tall buildings in the pipeline for Tower Hamlets: the highest number of any London borough. Greenwich is second and Southwark third, while Brent, Croydon, Hackney and Hammersmith & Fulham will see their current number of tall buildings more than double.

1,001 feet

…is the maximum height allowed for City towers due to flight paths – and the height of The Tulip, the tallest tower in the pipeline. Neighbouring 1 Undershaft was also designed to hit the height limit, but a layer of extra tarmac on the runway of London City Airport has since lifted the threshold slightly, letting The Tulip nudge ahead by one foot.

110,000

…is the approximate number of new homes that could be provided if all the new tall buildings are finished. London needs 66,000 new homes a year.

50%

…is the number of tall buildings supposed to be completed in 2018 that actually got finished that year. NLA says that development projects have been hit by rising costs, potential changes to regulations and worries about market saturation as well as economic uncertainty. Did someone say ‘Brexit’?

Love London? Sign up here to get Time Out tips in your inbox every week.