Seven-day City

The key to the future of the City lies in its past

There was a time when the City of London was London. The path of the ancient Roman Wall can still be traced from Ludgate Hill round to Liverpool Street and Tower Bridge in the east. When London grew exponentially as a global trading centre in the eighteenth century, the City became its financial heartland, its more affluent residents moving west and north, while the Docklands to the east were the gateway to the Empire. The steady concentration of financial power in the City has continued to this day, while the Docklands have been reinvented as a new kind of trading centre, with Canary Wharf at their heart.

There's only one downside to this commercial success story. Somewhere along the way, the City lost some of its ancient character. Cheapside, the traditional high street at its heart, was once a bustling centre for commerce – London's shopping capital. Shakespeare almost certainly used to browse the bookstalls outside St Paul's Cathedral, where the first printed folios went on sale. There was a sense of community and vibrancy that lasted seven days a week, not just Monday to Friday.

That's the spirit we want to revive. Our portfolio extends from Hillgate House and 50 Ludgate Hill| in the west to Harbour Exchange in the Docklands to the east. Between the two lies One New Change|, where our plans for the City are set to come to life. A spectacular mixed-use development will offer 30,840 square metres of office space, combined with 20,000 square metres of shops, cafés and restaurants – restoring that sense of life and vibrancy to Cheapside. Meanwhile, 20 Fenchurch Street|, designed by Rafael Viñoly, is set to bring 61,660 square metres of office accommodation to the heart of the City. At the top of the building will be something even more spectacular: London's highest public park. The Sky Garden will extend to 2,780 square metres with a roof terrace, restaurant, botanical gardens and some of the best views in the capital.

We're big believers in mixing eye-catching office spaces with varied retail and leisure outlets, to create a sense of community that you don't get in purely commercial districts. It also helps attract a new kind of business to the area – not just the big financial powerhouses, but the technology pioneers, media companies and creative entrepreneurs.

All are attracted by the great transport links that have long been key to the City's success, with Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Fenchurch Street, Cannon Street and Blackfriars stations on your doorstep, St Pancras International a few stops away, and City Airport within easy reach on the Docklands Light Railway. It's also a great and evocative place to do business. For all that the City continues to rush headlong towards the future, there is still that sense of timelessness at its heart – whether it's the dome of St Paul's, the river flowing past the Tower of London, or the still-visible ruins of that ancient City Wall.