Infra
London unveils public-private partnership to attract real estate investments – ET RealEstate
LONDON: The UK capital launched its first-ever ‘Investment Prospectus’ on Tuesday, unveiling GBP 9.6 billion of investible opportunities across the city as new research claimed that London remains the most resilient global real estate market, ahead of New York and San Francisco. The ‘Investment Prospectus’ is compiled by Opportunity London, a new public-private partnership (PPP) created to win capital investment for London.
Backed by the UK government and the Mayor of London, the new PPP is aimed at driving business development and cross-border introductions across low-carbon real estate, regeneration, infrastructure, and energy.
“Whilst London continues to be the most attractive global city in which to invest, it can also be complex to do so, and Opportunity London exists to smooth that path,” said Jace Tyrrell, CEO of Opportunity London.
“Our London ‘Investment Prospectus’ has the cross-party backing of every layer of government and the private sector and sets out nearly GBP 10 billion of investable opportunities right now. It is the very first time we have all come together in this way and the list of opportunities will only grow as we continue to engage,” he said.
Tyrrell’s team now plans roadshows around the world to pitch for investments over the year by highlighting the city’s stable political, legal, financial, and regulatory environments for capital investment.
“In future, a market like India would also be a target for capital investment but at present that is more geared towards foreign direct investment (FDI),” he shared.
“India continues to grow on global economic trends and it’s a really important economy that drives activity by creating investments in many of our businesses up and down the country,” added Adam Challis, Head of Research at JLL – a UK-based real estate services company which has partnered with Opportunity London.
Analysis of data from JLL shows five-year investment volumes, up to February 2024, totalling USD 96.2 billion, ahead of New York’s USD 94.3 billion and San Francisco’s USD 86.5 billion.
“We are seeing confidence starting to return to the investment markets, and Opportunity London will help ensure London can attract investment across real estate, energy and infrastructure,” said Challis.
Established by the independent forum New London Architecture (NLA) and London and Partners – the Mayor of London’s business promotion arm Opportunity London is being pitched as a unique partnership for the UK capital that brings together different groups under one umbrella to stay ahead in the race to attract global capital.
It hopes to direct London’s new 30-year development cycle, during which major development sites will go hand in hand with repurposing and reimagining the city’s existing stock and driving forward a significant retrofit and net zero agenda.