The Mayor of London has been warned that current cycle storage requirements for offices could undermine the viability of new developments.
The City Property Association (CPA) has calculated that under the current London Plan, published in 2021, the City of London’s target to deliver 1.2 million square metres of new office space by 2040 would require 25,000 additional cycle parking spaces spanning about 42,500 square metres.
But the association said its own research showed that just 14% of cycle spaces would be used, arguing that London Plan requirements have become ‘increasingly misaligned’ with current and future forecast cycle use.
CPA chair Ross Sayers said: ‘We urgently need more flexible policies better suited to actual cycle use, particularly as virtually all excess cycle capacity would require the construction of additional basement space, the most expensive, high risk and carbon intensive part of development.’
‘The costs are so high that the financial and environmental impact of unrequired space risks undermining the viability of new schemes.’
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: ‘It is the investment in cycling infrastructure that has resulted in an estimated quadrupling in the number of people cycling in the Square Mile.
‘We want more people to walk and cycle because it is vital to a greener transport network in the capital, and the Mayor and Transport for London will continue to work closely with London's boroughs to invest in high-quality infrastructure that allows more people to choose sustainable forms of transport.’
