Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Luisa Porritt has called on London to follow in the footsteps of Chicago and Copenhagen and commit to ‘green every roof’ in the capital.

The policy would see buildings in the capital covered in plants, vegetation and solar panels, leading to improved air quality, lower energy bills and creating a stunning new theme to the city’s landscape.

London is currently lagging behind other major cities on the introduction of green roofs, with cities in Europe and the US moving ahead with more ambitious schemes.

A new scheme in Southwark, Roots In The Sky by developers Fabrix, looks set to establish a new standard in the capital – create a 1.1 acre rooftop forest of over 100 established trees and 10,000 plants on top of 385,000 sqft of contemporary and sustainable office, commercial and community space – but projects like it are few and far between.

Copenhagen requires every new commercial building with a suitable roof to be green, leading to the city having over 20 hectares worth of green roofs. Meanwhile, London has just 17.5 hectares of green roofs – despite being home to over 8 million more people.

In Chicago and other US cities, green roof requirements have driven rapid growth in the roofing sector and generated thousands of local green jobs.

The Liberal Democrat plan will introduce new standards on all new commercial and large scale residential buildings, with incentives provided through the business rates system for retrofitting projects.

Luisa Porritt, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London said:

“Cleaner air, lower energy bills, green jobs and a beautiful new theme to London’s skyline – there are so many benefits to our ambition to green every roof in London.

“Every time a new development is approved without considering how we can utilise empty roof space is a wasted opportunity. And the potential to transform thousands of existing buildings across the city through retrofitting is so exciting. It can help us rewild London.

“Other cities have moved ahead of us on this. While Utrecht has declared it will use every roof, London doesn’t even have a target. Other cities in the US have used a mix of planning requirements, tax incentives and subsidies to reimagine their rooftops – while we barely have any policy at all.

“I believe Londoners want to see our city at the forefront of environmental change. Big ideas like this can kickstart a green recovery and imagine a better future for our capital.”