As working from home measures continue to grow in popularity across London amongst the coronavirus pandemic, itโs difficult to imagine what the capitalโs busy office spaces will look like in the future.
For thousands of Londoners, the benefits of working remotely are clear but what about those who work more productively within an office environment?
| Rank | London Borough | Min cost of office space (per sq ft.) | Min monthly cost of office spaceย | Walking distance to closest tube station from borough centre (km) | Average commute time in each borough (mins) | Number of employees / employee density | Number of parks & green spaces | Number of bars around area |
| 1 | Richmond Upon Thames | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 0.32 | 27 | 108,600 | 135 | 500 |
| 2 | Kensington and Chelsea | ยฃ18.00 | ยฃ75.00 | 1.28 | 26 | 72,100 | 30 | 41 |
| 3 | Islington | ยฃ11.76 | ยฃ98.00 | 0.32 | 29 | 141,100 | 91 | 82 |
| 4 | Brent | ยฃ19.68 | ยฃ164.00 | 0.96 | 45 | 165,400 | 89 | 2,545 |
| 5 | Westminster | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 0.32 | 28 | 127,100 | 80 | 49 |
| 6 | Hounslow | ยฃ18.00 | ยฃ75.00 | 1.93 | 42 | 135,900 | 88 | 479 |
| 7 | Camden | ยฃ7.20 | ยฃ60.00 | 0.8 | 30 | 135,900 | 12 | 123 |
| 8 | Waltham Forest | ยฃ9.00 | ยฃ75.00 | 0.96 | 40 | 144,800 | 25 | 817 |
| 9 | Tower Hamlets | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 0.8 | 36 | 170,200 | 120 | 74 |
| 10 | Bexley | ยฃ15.60 | ยฃ65.00 | 2.09 | 59 | 122,400 | 111 | 155 |
| 11 | Ealing | ยฃ18.00 | ยฃ75.00 | 2.57 | 43 | 165,800 | 59 | 923 |
| 12 | Croydon | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 0.64 | 38 | 198,500 | 121 | 34 |
| 13 | Hackney | ยฃ23.52 | ยฃ98.00 | 0.32 | 35 | 150,800 | 39 | 150 |
| 14 | Barnet | ยฃ21.48 | ยฃ179.00 | 1.28 | 42 | 203,600 | 159 | 161 |
| 15 | Southwark | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 1.77 | 32 | 184,900 | 79 | 85 |
| 16 | Sutton | ยฃ11.82 | ยฃ197.00 | 6.59 | 31 | 107,000 | 32 | 182 |
| 17 | Hammersmith | ยฃ20.40 | ยฃ85.00 | 0.64 | 49 | 98,300 | 9 | 23 |
| 18 | Enfield | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 0.08 | 37 | 151,000 | 24 | 124 |
| 19 | Havering | ยฃ34.80 | ยฃ145.00 | 2.09 | 38 | 126,700 | 41 | 315 |
| 20 | Harrow | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 0.8 | 48 | 112,900 | 22 | 137 |
| 21 | Lambeth | ยฃ19.20 | ยฃ80.00 | 1.12 | 31 | 195,000 | 25 | 65 |
| 22 | Hillingdon | ยฃ12.00 | ยฃ100.00 | 3.37 | 51 | 148,200 | 53 | 347 |
| 23 | Greenwich | ยฃ28.98 | ยฃ157.00 | 4.6 | 35 | 153,600 | 56 | 37 |
| 24 | Bromley | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 15.1 | 36 | 171,300 | 128 | 449 |
| 25 | Redbridge | ยฃ23.16 | ยฃ193.00 | 0.64 | 41 | 148,800 | 9 | 486 |
| 26 | Merton | ยฃ17.88 | ยฃ149.00 | 1.6 | 62 | 114,400 | 53 | 43 |
| 27 | Wandsworth | ยฃ13.44 | ยฃ112.00 | 1.6 | 41 | 198,100 | 32 | 66 |
| 28 | Lewisham | ยฃ24.72 | ยฃ103.00 | 2.89 | 44 | 174,300 | 42 | 25 |
| 29 | Haringey | ยฃ40.34 | ยฃ400.00 | 0.64 | 41 | 155,400 | 34 | 1,159 |
| 30 | Barking and Dagenham | ยฃ33.92 | ยฃ424.00 | 6.4 | 39 | 98,400 | 24 | 110 |
| 31 | Newham | ยฃ59.76 | ยฃ249.00 | 1.28 | 43 | 182,400 | 33 | 35 |
| 32 | Kingston Upon Thames | ยฃ78.00 | ยฃ325.00 | 8.52 | 40 | 96,200 | 31 | 45 |
Richmond Upon Thames revealed as the best London borough to set up a remote working office
With its high number of parks and pubs combined with reasonable office space costs, Richmond Upon Thames ranks as the best London borough to set up a remote working office. With prices starting at ยฃ24.72 per square ft for an office space, and with an average commute time for employees currently within the borough at just 27 minutes, the location boasts easy accessibility for both businesses and employees.
On top of this, the nearest tube station on average is just a short 320m walk away, and with over 135 parks and green spaces and 500 bars around the area, itโs easy to see why Richmond Upon Thames proves to be the perfect location in London to set up a remote working office.
Kingston Upon Thames revealed as the worst London borough to set up a remote working office
According to our research, Kingston Upon Thames ranks as the worst borough to set up a remote office due to its extortionately high monthly minimum office space costs (ยฃ325), distance to the nearest tube station . With only 31 parks and green spaces and 45 bars within the area, research also shows it to be one of the least sociable boroughs.
The top 15 London boroughs for cheapest remote working officesย
| Rank | London Borough | Min Cost of office space (ยฃ per sq ft.) | Min cost of office spaceย per month (ยฃ) |
| 1 | Camden | ยฃ7.20 | ยฃ60.00 |
| 2 | Waltham Forest | ยฃ9.00 | ยฃ75.00 |
| 3 | Islington | ยฃ11.76 | ยฃ98.00 |
| 4 | Sutton | ยฃ11.82 | ยฃ197.00 |
| 5 | Hillingdon | ยฃ12.00 | ยฃ100.00 |
| 6 | Wandsworth | ยฃ13.44 | ยฃ112.00 |
| 7 | Bexley | ยฃ15.60 | ยฃ65.00 |
| 8 | Merton | ยฃ17.88 | ยฃ149.00 |
| 9 | Kensington and Chelsea | ยฃ18.00 | ยฃ75.00 |
| 10 | Hounslow | ยฃ18.00 | ยฃ75.00 |
| 11 | Ealing | ยฃ18.00 | ยฃ75.00 |
| 12 | Lambeth | ยฃ19.20 | ยฃ80.00 |
| 13 | Brent | ยฃ19.68 | ยฃ164.00 |
| 14 | Hammersmith | ยฃ20.40 | ยฃ85.00 |
| 15 | Barnet | ยฃ21.48 | ยฃ179.00 |
Camden ranks as the cheapest borough in London to rent an office space
With office spaces costing just ยฃ7.20 per square ft, Camden is ranked as the cheapest London borough to set up a remote working office. With the average commute time of residents living in the borough being just 30 minutes, it paves the way for a very accessible area to work in. Waltham Forest follows Camden, ranking second with office spaces starting from just ยฃ9.00 per square ft, and with a monthly office cost of ยฃ75, it becomes a very affordable space for workers in London.
The top 15 London boroughs for green space and social interaction
| Rank | London borough | No. of parks and green space | No. of barsย |
| 1 | Barnet | 159 | 161 |
| 2 | Richmond Upon Thames | 135 | 500 |
| 3 | Bromley | 128 | 449 |
| 4 | Croydon | 121 | 34 |
| 5 | Tower Hamlets | 120 | 74 |
| 6 | Bexley | 111 | 155 |
| 7 | Islington | 91 | 82 |
| 8 | Brent | 89 | 2,545 |
| 9 | Hounslow | 88 | 479 |
| 10 | Westminster | 80 | 49 |
| 11 | Southwark | 79 | 85 |
| 12 | Ealing | 59 | 923 |
| 13 | Greenwich | 56 | 37 |
| 14 | Hillingdon | 53 | 347 |
| 15 | Merton | 53 | 43 |
Barnet ranks as the best location for office green space and social interactionย
If itโs open spaces and a good post-work social life that youโre prioritising, Barnet ranks highest with the best ratio of parks to bars at 159 parks and green spaces and 161 bars. With the highest number of employees out of all London boroughs, you can be sure itโll be a busy and atmospheric area after working hours. Richmond Upon Thames follows Barnet in the number two position with 135 parks and green spaces and over 500 bars!
Sources and methodology
In order to calculate the best London boroughs to set up a remote working office we analysed 7 cost and lifestyle factors to produce an overall rank. For factors such as cost, number of employees, walking distance to the closest tube station and average commuting time, the lower the result the better rank. For the number of green parks and bars, the higher the result the better the rank. These ranks were then averaged out to create the final order of boroughs.
Leave a Comment