LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 28, 2026--
Increased activity among smaller occupiers in 2025 drove leasing volumes in London’s Southern Fringe to their highest level since 2016 , according to data from CoStar, a global leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the property markets.
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Leasing rose to almost 1 million sq. ft., driven by a pre-let of nearly 500,000 sq. ft. at Battersea Power Station. Traditionally, leasing volumes have been heavily influenced by a small number of large transactions in the Southern Fringe, bounded by Putney, Lewisham, Streatham and Borough.
“Take-up over the past 12 months has been driven more by deal frequency than by overall volume,” said Patrick Scanlon, senior director of market analytics at CoStar Europe. “Leasing activity in 2025 totalled around 440,000 sq. ft., with the largest transaction measuring 29,000 sq. ft. in August, followed by a 14,600‑sq.-ft. letting in December.”
The strong second half of 2025 was followed by a slowdown in activity in Q1 2026, with only one deal larger than 10,000 sq. ft. (19,670 sq. ft.) recorded in the first three months of the year.
The full analysis can be found here.
For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit www.costargroup.com.
About CoStar Group
CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, online marketplaces, and 3D digital twin technology. Founded in 1986, CoStar Group is dedicated to digitizing the world’s real estate, empowering all people to discover properties, insights, and connections that improve their businesses and lives.
CoStar Group’s major brands include CoStar, a leading global provider of commercial real estate data, analytics, and news; LoopNet, the most trafficked commercial real estate marketplace; Apartments.com, the leading platform for apartment rentals; Homes.com, the fastest-growing residential real estate marketplace; and Domain, one of Australia’s leading property marketplaces. CoStar Group’s industry-leading brands also include Matterport, a leading spatial data company whose platform turns buildings into data to make every space more valuable and accessible; STR, a global leader in hospitality data and benchmarking; Ten-X, an online platform for commercial real estate auctions and negotiated bids; and OnTheMarket, a leading residential property portal in the United Kingdom.
CoStar Group’s websites attracted over 139 million average monthly unique visitors in the fourth quarter of 2025, serving clients around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, CoStar Group is committed to transforming the real estate industry through innovative technology and comprehensive market intelligence. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, visit CoStarGroup.com.
CoStar Data Shows London Southern Fringe Office Leasing Reached Nine-Year High
Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated longtime U.S. Rep. John Larson in Connecticut’s Democratic primary Tuesday, as voters embraced generational change and a call for more urgency in the party’s fight with President Donald Trump.
Speaking to supporters after his victory Bronin, 46, praised Larson, 78, for both his liberal politics and his nearly 30 years of service. Yet Bronin also stressed that the nation was in crisis and that it was time for a new approach.
“If we are going to fix this mess that we are in, we need to build a Democratic Party that is bringing a whole new energy to this fight,” Bronin said to an energetic crowd in Hartford.
He said if the party won’t adapt, “then the changes are going to come from the ground up. And that’s a message the party needs to hear.”
Larson, who had faced concerns about his age and health, became the latest in a string of House members, from both major parties, to lose their seats in primaries this year.
“The goal is to shake things up in Washington D.C., and we are just getting started,” warned Bronin, who was a sophomore at Yale when Larson was first elected to Congress in 1998.
For nearly 30 years, Larson largely avoided serious Democratic opposition during his time in Congress. However, concerns about his health and age began to circulate after he abruptly stopped speaking during a speech on the House floor last year.
His office later said Larson suffered a complex partial seizure, maintaining that he was fit to seek a 15th term and was taking medication to help control the condition.
Despite his arguments that his experience was valuable to Connecticut voters and his repeated willingness to fight against Trump, Larson ultimately conceded Tuesday night after saying he was disappointed with the results.
Larson avoided directly referencing Bronin in his speech, which he delivered while surrounded by supporters in the middle of a room rather than from a podium. Instead, he implored Democrats to “come together, heal and move forward.”
With Democrats expected to hold the seat in November, the fight over who would become the Democratic nominee in the 1st District isn’t critical to the party’s effort to take back control of the House. However, it does reflect the growing willingness of younger Democrats to take on some of their party’s most stalwart figures in Washington.
After Biden’s drawn-out decision to ultimately step aside in 2024 at 81, which helped pave the way for Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the Democratic Party’s veterans have increasingly been targeted as part of the problem.
Other candidates who ran for the congressional seat were state Rep. Jillian Gilchrist, 44, and Ruth Fortune, 38, a lawyer who immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti.
Bronin will face Republican Amy Chai, a physician, in the November general election.
Connecticut's remaining four congressional seats are held by Democrats not facing a primary challenge. Republicans will hold a primary for the state's 4th and 5th Congressional Districts.
Separately, the only statewide race on Tuesday was the Democratic primary for governor. Current Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont won his primary race against state Rep. Josh Elliott, 41, who was also running for reelection for his statehouse seat.
Lamont, 72, a wealthy former cable entrepreneur, has developed a reputation as a fiscal moderate, signing a major tax cut and paying down unfunded state pension liabilities. He has also supported access to abortion through safe harbor laws and greater protections for immigrants.
No Connecticut governor has served three consecutive terms in modern times.
This story has been updated to correct Lamont's age to 72 instead of 71.
Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., speaks during an election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Luke Bronin, former Hartford mayor and Democratic candidate for Connecticut's 1st congressional district, speaks during an election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., speaks while hugging his wife, Leslie Larson, right, during an election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Luke Bronin, former Hartford mayor and Democratic candidate for Connecticut's 1st congressional district, smiles during an election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Luke Bronin, former Hartford mayor and Democratic candidate for Connecticut's 1st congressional district, speaks during an election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., speaks during an election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Democratic candidate for Connecticut's First Congressional District Luke Bronin, left, speaks with a potential voter outside of Rawson School in Hartford, Conn. on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. Bronin faces incumbent Congressman John Larson in the primary.(AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
