Why Newham has become the most deserted part of London after Covid lockdown

An East London borough has been the most deserted part of London since the start of the pandemic, new figures have shown.

Since the first UK-wide lockdown in March 2020, the coronavirus pushed the workers of London into working from home, and many decided to leave the capital altogether after office life effectively ended.

According to a new analysis by Bird & Co solicitors, 320,283 have left London since lockdown while just 218,902 moved to the city – a net loss of over 100,000 Londoners.

The data, gathered from the Office for National Statistics, Rightmove, and HM Land Registry, shows that more people departed London overall than anywhere else in the UK.

Newham has been the borough most affected by this trend, with 29,701 moving away and 21,294, meaning that a net 8,407 left the area’s 350,000-strong population since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, areas elsewhere in the UK saw a rise in their population as residents sought to escape urban centres – the South West of England experienced the largest growth with over 158,000 people moving there.

Accountancy firm PwC predicted at the beginning of 2021 that London would see its population drop for the first time in 30 years, with an estimated 300,000 set to leave the capital by the end of the year.

The company added that while the increase to remote working was a key factor in London’s falling population, fewer students moving to the capital, fewer job opportunities, and reduced migration to the city were also contributing.

A survey by the London Assembly in August 2020 showed that one in seven Londoners wanted to leave the city within 12 months, while a third wanted to move to a new home.

The study also showed that since the start of lockdown, the availability of green spaces had become much more important to residents when they considered if they wanted to move, and how they would choose a new home.

However, property website Zoopla said that the mass exodus from London since lockdown will slow, or even reverse, as the UK returns to more familiar work patterns post-Covid.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Successive lockdowns and the search for space led to a certain cohort of Londoners deciding to move further afield over the past twelve months.

“However, in the wake of offices reopening and the return to city living, demand for rental properties in London has increased, signalling that for some their departure from London was only temporary.”

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https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/newham-become-most-deserted-part-21826004

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