The City of London Corporation has revealed a new skyline CGI showcasing what the Square Mile’s tall buildings cluster will look like in around six years’ time.

The computer-generated images show what the City of London’s financial district will look like from above, once all of the buildings that have either been granted planning permission, or are already under construction are completed following a record year of planning approvals in 2025.

The Corporation said 2026 had seen the busiest start to the year for seven years, in terms of planning application submissions and decisions as demand for new, sustainable, Grade A office space increases.

Over half a million square metres of office space was granted planning permission in the City in 2025, equivalent to more than ten ‘Gherkins’ with around half of this amount already under construction.

It means the Square Mile will remain a hive of building activity in the years ahead, with significant projects such as 1 Undershaft already underway, and with 85 and 60 Gracechurch Street starting imminently, altogether contributing over 200,000 square metres of commercial space, alone.

How the skyline looks now

Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said: “Record demand for high‑quality, amenity‑rich office space is reinforcing the City’s position as one of the world’s most resilient and attractive business districts, with vacancy in the City Core continuing to fall, prime supply remaining exceptionally tight, and leasing activity reaching its strongest annual performance since 2019. As global capital becomes increasingly selective, the City of London is a place able to deliver complex schemes at scale while adapting to changing patterns of work and occupier expectations.

Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Tom Sleigh, added: “Commercial development in the Square Mile is all systems go. We’ve just had our strongest January for planning in seven years, both in applications submitted and decisions made, reflecting the outstanding work of our planning team who are delivering decisions at pace and with high standards.

“We’ve already approved four major schemes in the first few weeks of the year alone and that tells you everything about investor confidence in the City. Demand for sustainable Grade A space is real, it’s rising, and we are responding decisively.”