Commercial landlords are growing increasingly alarmed at the number of offices being converted to residential housing. Many have attacked the government’s policy on housing in Central London, which appears to be at odds with the need for more rather than less office space in the capital.

Apparently large areas of central London are being turned over to the housing sector as property prices continue to soar and residential property becomes more lucrative for developers.

Westminster for example has lost a total of 4.4 million sq ft of commercial office space in recent years. Commercial landlords fear that the lack of office space could put a lid on economic growth in the capital with businesses forced to look outside central areas for available space.

If the mass conversion of offices into residential property continues, it is almost certain to put the government on a collision course with business groups while in the longer term it will do little to solve the housing shortage in the capital.

The UK population and that of London continues to rise and this will only put further pressure on the availability of land for development. There are calls for central London to be treated differently to the rest of the country when it comes to planning to ensure that the correct balance is struck between commercial and residential buildings.