Supply is not nearly as capped in London as e.g. SF. London authorities as well as central government is very amenable to high-rise projects as long as they are well planned. There's a long list of high-rises on the way for London - here's a list by descending planned completion dates:
But it takes time, especially given the financial climate still. The reality is that property prices in London are still not high enough that high-rises provide guaranteed good returns on investments.
E.g. Croydon, since I've been following building news here, have had a ton of projects which have just stood still for a few years due to financial uncertainty. But it's moving again, with things like Saffron Tower (44 floors) finally in progress (they've finished most of the rest of the building mass, and the lowest floors of the tower), and a steady stream of new proposals which will see the train station flanked on all sides by buildings ranging from about 20 floors to around 50.
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/bdbsearch.php?city=London&so=c...
But it takes time, especially given the financial climate still. The reality is that property prices in London are still not high enough that high-rises provide guaranteed good returns on investments.
E.g. Croydon, since I've been following building news here, have had a ton of projects which have just stood still for a few years due to financial uncertainty. But it's moving again, with things like Saffron Tower (44 floors) finally in progress (they've finished most of the rest of the building mass, and the lowest floors of the tower), and a steady stream of new proposals which will see the train station flanked on all sides by buildings ranging from about 20 floors to around 50.