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London office building at post Brexit referendum high - Deloitte

FILE PHOTO: Cranes fill the sky above a construction site in central London, August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble

LONDON (Reuters) - New office building in central London is at a three-year high, with 13.2 million square feet of space under construction, up 12% on the figure six months ago, Deloitte Real Estate's London Office Crane Survey said on Monday.

"London's office market remains resilient in the face of uncertainty as we witness an encouraging increase in new construction starts," said Mike Cracknell, director at Deloitte Real Estate.

"This is testament to developers' continued confidence in London's office leasing market long-term."

Some 55% of the office space under construction was already let and for larger schemes of over 100,000 square feet, more than three quarters was already committed to, Deloitte said.

"Notably occupiers in the financial services sector have pre-let 2.1 million square feet of space that is still under construction," Cracknell said.

"This is a 50% increase in six months and suggests there is confidence the sector remains committed to London."

The survey covers seven major central London office markets - The City, West End, Docklands, King's Cross, Midtown, Paddington, Southbank - as well as three emerging submarkets - Vauxhall-Nine Elms-Battersea, White City and Stratford.

In November's survey, Deloitte had said demand would continue even with the impending exit of Britain from the European Union, with technology, media and telecom companies taking up most spaces in the city.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, a Brexit supporting senior minister, said the survey showed construction at its highest level since the 2016 Brexit referendum.

"This is a far cry from the doom and gloom predicted when the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016 and reinforces the City's global pre-eminence as an investment destination," he said.

The city's massive financial services sector, however, remains downbeat about accessing EU markets after Brexit, City of London financial district chief Catherine McGuinness told Reuters last month.

Nearly 300 financial firms in London have shifted about a trillion pounds in assets to new hubs in the EU to mitigate the uncertainty and avoid disruption to customer ties.

But Fox will tell an audience at the International Financial Services Forum later on Monday that he is convinced the City of London will "emerge fitter, stronger and more dynamic than ever" once the Brexit dust settles.

"We recognise your difficulties, we recognise your importance, and we want to work with you to give certainty and stability wherever possible as we move towards our new deep and special partnership with the European Union," he will say, according to excerpts from his speech.

Deloitte, a professional services firm, has been publishing its London Crane Survey for 23 years.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle in London and by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Potter)