Across sessions on viability, sub-regional collaboration and transport as an opportunity enabler, the alignment on direction was striking. The real test is whether it converts into decisions, partnerships and funding. Five things we took away:

1. Ambition is intact, but viability is the unresolved constraint – and with borrowing costs unlikely to fall back, demand-side intervention from government matters as much as fixing delivery.
2. Westminster remains key to the growth conversation – with footfall outstripping forecasts and long-term stewardship shaping the Oxford Street and Westminster agendas.
3. Key conversations happened beyond borough boundaries – in sub-regional alliances forming across party lines.
4. Strategic infrastructure sites, particularly land around the rail network, are the most valuable opportunity available and some of the hardest to unlock, which is why transport is argued as an opportunity enabler rather than an infrastructure project, judged by what connectivity unlocks.
5. Growth should be measured by whether residents feel it: secure homes, good jobs and neighbourhoods that create opportunity alongside the housing.

Housing: the viability gap nobody could solve in the room

Borough leaders, housebuilders and delivery partners all acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing London, from viability pressures and infrastructure funding gaps to the need for inclusive growth.

What was encouraging was the degree of alignment around the direction of travel. What was harder to find was an answer to the central constraint: that a significant proportion of what London wants to build does not currently stack up. Housing is where it hits hardest, as many Londoners can only afford homes that developers cannot afford to build, but the pressure was acknowledged across commercial land too.

With borrowing costs unlikely to settle, we saw calls for government intervention to stimulate buying as well as fixing delivery. This will be an important message for the key players in the sector to keep pushing to land the message with Westminster.

Attention also turned to the GLA and the next round of sites to be adopted into New Homes Accelerator London, the capital’s branch of the national programme, which offers planning and delivery support to unlock stalled schemes.

Central London is outperforming its own forecasts

Central London continues to be at the forefront of the growth conversation. Footfall forecasts for the Square Mile are outstripping expectations, turning movement into a design problem and prompting arguments for shifting Crossrail 2 stations east from Bloomsbury to support continued growth. Westminster has launched its first-ever Growth Statement to drive local and national economic prosperity, while the Oxford Street Development Corporation framed its work in the longest terms of anyone present, positioning itself as a good custodian for central London.

The most interesting conversations are happening beyond borough boundaries

Local London, the South London Partnership, the Bakerloo Line Extension group, the West London Regional Park and Thamesmead all pointed to the importance of growing sub-regional layer, forming across party lines with all parties acknowledging the importance of growth and delivery.

In an era of increasingly fragmented politics, it was encouraging to see genuine cross-party and cross-boundary alliances forming around shared economic and growth priorities.

Transport is not an infrastructure project — it is an opportunity engine

New transport schemes connect communities to jobs, homes, education, green space, investment and opportunity, reshaping the geography of London, opening up labour markets and helping places that have long felt overlooked become genuine destinations. The Bakerloo line extension, West London Orbital and DLR extension were all discussed on those terms rather than on just what gets built.

As we also heard at Kandas recent Ealing Borough Leader event with Cllr Peter Mason, the Elizabeth line has already widened the geography of London’s housing market. The next challenge is to use connectivity to spread economic opportunity more widely across the capital.

The day closed on Euston – the capital’s biggest single opportunity to build a world-class innovation district that connects London’s Knowledge Quarter with growth, jobs and the wider UK. This is a key example of strategic partnerships working: the GLA is now at the table in decision-making and Howard Dawber stressed how effectively Camden, Whitehall, the Euston Delivery Company and developers are working together, alongside the Knowledge Quarter, local institutions, residents and businesses.

Growth counts only if residents feel it

A recurring theme: success should be measured by whether people have secure homes, access to good jobs, opportunities to develop skills and a genuine stake in their area’s future.

Borough leaders of course had a strong focus on housing targets, but they also want vibrant places where people can live and work, with strong town centres, cultural life, green space and employment opportunities close to home. This was top of the agenda for Euston, focusing focus on “felt growth” through jobs, skills and public realm captured this challenge clearly.

Newham’s message was similarly clear, as well as pragmatic: investment should deliver a tangible “Newham dividend”, with proportionate commitments that improve residents’ lives, rather than expecting every individual development to solve every challenge. What this asks of the sector is honesty with residents about how long regeneration takes, and visible early wins in the meantime.

London’s political landscape has never been more fragmented – and that is exactly where Kanda comes in. We work across every London borough, shaping schemes and messaging so growth is felt locally and politicians understand precisely what a project delivers.