City office leasing deals hit new record last year as race for space intensifies

Future Square Mile: The City believes yet more skyscrapers will have to be built to cope with soaring demand - (City of London Corporation)

A record number of major office leasing deals were signed in the City last year in an extraordinary race for space, latest figures show.

A total of 339 occupiers agreed terms for space over 5,000 sq ft in the City, out of a total of 531 across central London as a whole, according to analysis by commercial property advisers Cushman & Wakefield.