London Developers Are Snapping Up Empty Air Above Rooftops

Look up. Some of the most interesting new developments in London are being built in the airspace above existing structures.

There are listings now popping up across sites like Rightmove for £320,000 ($437,000) for empty airspace in the residential neighborhood of Muswell Hill, or £150,000 in Deptford. Airspace purchases in London largely involve buying the space above a property to create new residential units, like building penthouses above already existing blocks. Industry experts Apex Airspace estimate that this type of construction has the potential for 180,000 new homes in London, and comes at a time when homebuilding has been collapsing across the UK capital.