Westminster City council is considering scrapping a policy that protects small businesses with office space in London, it has been claimed.
According to a report from Regen.net, the administrative body for the central London area is reviewing the policy after a survey suggested that the policy no longer serves a useful purpose.
This is because where small businesses were once more likely to occupy smaller premises, they are now also frequently located in larger buildings.
The proposed scrapping of the scheme was revealed by Rosemairie MacQueen, strategic director for the built environment, at a conference for the British Council for Offices.
However, the mooted change to regulations has been met with dismay by Nick Winch of the Federation of Small Businesses who claimed that such a move could impact on the capital’s recovery from the economic downturn.
He commented: “We know that historically the vast majority of new jobs are created by small businesses and start-ups, so it would not be logical to reduce the available office space at a time when (the London mayor) is trying to create new jobs in London over the next five years.”
News of developments comes as the council recently announced plans to create 60,000 square foot of affordable office space in Westminster this year.