Mayor forges ahead with plan to relocate GLA HQ to Docklands

London mayor Sadiq Khan has decided to proceed with plans to relocate the Greater London Authority to the Royal Docks. Khan said the move would save the GLA, which is facing a £493m black hole over the next two years owing to the impact of Covid-19 and an expected lower tax income, around £61m over the next five years. Its current landlord, Kuwaiti-owned St Martins, had given the GLA a reduced rental offer to enable it to stay in City Hall at More London, Southwark, SE1, but Khan decided it was not enough to trump the savings presented by the move to The Crystal (pictured), which the GLA owns. A December break clause in its lease at City Hall will be used to allow for the move next year. Khan said the savings from the move would be used to “protect frontline public services including the police, the London Fire Brigade, and key transport services”. His decision follows the submission of a planning application to Newham Council to allow for a change of use at The Crystal, which will be renamed City Hall, last week. Under its current planning permission, The Crystal can only be used as an exhibition and conference centre. The change of use would enable it to be used as a civic centre. The planning application adds that the building would be refitted to comprise committee chamber and rooms, ancillary exhibition and conference space, office space and a café. The main external alterations to the property would be to provide parking and a security kiosk and fence. The project cost for the relocation is £13.6m, which includes building works and other costs, the application said. It is expected that works would start in January 2021 and continue until October that year. The GLA will, however, retain a presence in Southwark, occupying a second floor at the London Fire Brigade’s HQ on Union Street, SE1. “My first priority will always be to protect funding for frontline services for Londoners,” Khan said. “The alternative to considering this move would be to cut the frontline services Londoners rely on. “I know that City Hall is a landmark building for many – but as mayor I will always focus my severely limited budget resources on frontline public services and supporting Londoners and our recovery from this pandemic, rather than on high City Hall building costs. “The Royal Docks is an amazing place, and we have the opportunity to turbo-charge the regeneration of the area, just as the opening of City Hall did for its surroundings.” To send feedback, e-mail louise.dransfield@egi.co.uk or tweet @DransfieldL or @estatesgazette