Launching the draft, Livingstone said: 'By 2016, London's population could be as high as 8 million. In the past, when London's population has been at that level, solutions have been sought outside London, through policies of dispersal to new towns. That is not an option today as the environmental consequences are no longer acceptable. It would require massive building on the Green Belt and result in greater increases in long journeys and commuting.

'The alternative choice I have set out is for a pattern of sustainable growth to revitalise London. I believe that people like living in urban areas, close to the facilities and services they need. That is one of the reasons why house prices in Knightsbridge and Islington--some of the densest urban areas in London--are so high. We must create an urban renaissance in London by developing at higher densities, in more attractive urban environments.'

As expected, Livingston has called for a relaxation of the long-established policy of 'strategic views,' which prevents high-rise development in any location that might damage the views of St Paul's Cathedral from viewpoints as far afield as Greenwich in the east and Richmond in the West. If adopted, this could clear the way for more office towers in the City and West End.