In its 18 September 2026 feature, “Quick! The supply of new mega-flats in London is dwindling,” The Times examines how restrictions on the size of new homes in Westminster are reshaping the upper end of London’s residential property market.
Large new-build apartments in prime central London are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Westminster City Council introduced a 200 sq m (2,153 sq ft) limit on new homes in 2021, and many of the larger apartments that were already in the planning and construction pipeline before the restrictions are now reaching the market.
For buyers looking for substantial lateral living space in locations such as Mayfair, Belgravia, Knightsbridge and St James’s, this is creating an increasingly limited pool of suitable new-build properties.
Why are large apartments in prime central London becoming scarce?
The supply of very large new-build apartments is gradually reducing as developments approved before Westminster’s size restrictions reach completion.
According to the figures cited by The Times, fewer than 3% of completed new homes across Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea are larger than 200 sq m. The article also highlights how the remaining pipeline of exceptionally large apartments is becoming increasingly limited.
At the same time, demand for larger prime residences remains. The Times reports a shift towards families choosing apartments rather than houses, attracted by their locations, amenities and the convenience of a lock-up-and-leave lifestyle.
For buyers seeking significant space in central London, this creates a market in which understanding both current availability and the existing housing stock is becoming increasingly important.
How is this changing the prime London property market?
The scarcity of larger apartments is also changing buyer behaviour.
The Times reports that whereas smaller units in prime developments historically tended to sell first, larger prime residences are now often among the first to complete — a notable change in buying patterns at the upper end of the market.
Camilla Dell, Managing Partner of Black Brick, commented in The Times:
Once the supply of large apartments is gone, it’s gone.
Camilla Dell, Managing Partner, Black Brick
For buyers who require substantial living space, this means the search may increasingly need to extend beyond newly built developments and include high-quality existing properties across prime central London.
Where can buyers still find large apartments in central London?
While the supply of exceptionally large new-build apartments is becoming more constrained, opportunities have not disappeared.
Camilla told The Times that buyers willing to consider second-hand properties within established modern developments can still find choice, citing 1 and 20 Grosvenor Square and The Peninsula near Hyde Park Corner as examples.
These established developments can offer the scale, location and quality sought by buyers who might otherwise have concentrated exclusively on new-build property.
For buyers navigating this increasingly constrained market, Black Brick provides independent property search and acquisition advice across prime central London. Our knowledge of both publicly marketed and off-market properties allows us to search beyond the obvious opportunities and identify homes that meet a client’s requirements for location, space and quality.
