- Relocation will act as catalyst for Royal Docks
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and the London Assembly have officially moved into the new City Hall at the Royal Docks.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) left its rented base near London Bridge in December and has relocated to what was previously known as the Crystal building, which it owns outright.
The Mayor, London Assembly Members and some key GLA staff have now started to work in the new headquarters. Other teams based at City Hall will move in a phased approach during the next month.
All formal meetings of the London Assembly will take place at the new City Hall from today and the building and its café are also will be open to the public.
The move to the new City Hall will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of Royal Docks which is set to lead to 25,000 new homes and the creation of 60,000 new jobs within the next 20 years. This will be supported by the arrival of the Elizabeth line in the first half of 2022 which will provide rapid access to City Hall from across London.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am delighted that we have officially moved into the new City Hall as we usher in a new era for the GLA in this fantastic part of East London, while saving Londoners tens of millions of pounds.
“This relocation will act as a springboard for the regeneration of this historic area, just as the opening of the previous City Hall did for its London Bridge surroundings.”
“I’m grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to deliver the new City Hall.”
Chair of the London Assembly, Andrew Boff AM said: “Between planning permission secured on December 15, 2020, and today, an enormous amount has been achieved and I would like to put on record my appreciation for the hard work of the GLA relocation team, who have literally worked night and day, to achieve what many believed was impossible.
“Despite COVID, despite supply issues and despite the unpredictable challenges that are associated with moves of this kind– an amazing feat has been achieved in just over 12 months.
“The new City Hall marks the next chapter for London government and I am confident it will also meet some other important ambitions, by succeeding in its sustainability aims and controlling the costs of administration.
“The London Assembly is the Voice of London: we have a job to do working for Londoners’ best interests and when we work together those interests are listened to.
“Our move eastwards will regenerate and energise east London as surely as we did in the Borough of our former home.”
The GLA will continue to occupy some space at the London Fire Brigade’s HQ at Union Street in Southwark.
The new City Hall was originally designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects as a global sustainability showcase. When it opened in 2012, ‘the Crystal’ (as it was then known) was the world’s first building to achieve the highest possible ratings of ‘BREEAM’ and ‘LEED’ sustainable construction standards. It embodied innovative approaches to minimising energy, carbon and water consumption.
The building’s refurbishment and fit-out has been designed to build on these world-leading sustainability features, including updating the solar arrays which supply the building with renewable electricity and hot water, and upgrading the LED light fittings. City Hall will also use a 100 per cent green energy tariff. The refurbishment has applied to achieve its own BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification, independently of the BREEAM certification still held by the original building.