We may not be able to see into London's distant future, but certain major happenings lie just over the horizon. Here's a glimpse into the London of the near (and nearish) future.
18 April 2026: V&A East
The last in the trio of the V&A's new ventures out east (following V&A East Storehouse and the David Bowie Centre) is V&A East. Originally touted to open in 2025, the museum — which features a striking 'folded dress' exterior — will open on Saturday 18 April 2026 (the only solid opening date you'll find on this list). Entry is free, although there are paid exhibitions too. The first will be The Music Is Black: A British Story, charting the massive contribution Black British music has made to this country's culture. Spanning jazz, reggae, two-tone, drum & bass, trip hop, UK garage and grime, the exhibition digs into the extensive archives of the BBC, bringing stories of Carnival, club nights, soundsystems, record shops and MC battles.
Spring/summer 2026: Valentines Lido and Canary Wharf Sea Lanes
Another project that's been pushed back. Valentines Park in Ilford last had a lido in 1995 — and was due to get a new one exactly 30 years later, in the form of the 25-metre-long Valentines Lido. We're now likely looking at spring/summer 2026. If the real deal's true to the mock-ups, this will be a stylishly colonnaded thing, with a deco-style fountain at one end. It'll also feature a children's splash area, changing rooms, a gym, dance studio, cafe and picnic area.
That's not the only lido on the docket for 2026: Sea Lanes Canary Wharf — operated by the outfit behind Sea Lanes Brighton — is also due to open as the weather gets warmer in 2026.
July 2026: Grosvenor Square reopens as a woodland garden
Grosvenor Square has been a part of central London since the 1720s, and was home to the US Embassy from 1938 until 2017. Right now, it's undergoing perhaps its largest transformation yet — an oval lawn reinstated at its centre, in a nod to the garden's original design, while its fringes are planted up with woodland-inspired spaces, featuring some 44 new trees, alongside miniature wetlands and 70,000 plants including primroses, bluebells and honeysuckle. Positively sylvan!
Second half of 2026: New Piccadilly line trains
Tube aficionados must be getting sick of seeing promo shots of the new Tube for London. We were supposed to have the first of this Siemens Mobility Ltd. 94 stock rolled out on the Piccadilly line by summer 2025, but the latest update is that they're delayed until "the second half of 2026" — so anytime between the balmy height of summer and the frosty depths of winter then. The streamlined Siemens beauts — with boons including 10% more capacity and better accessibility — should later find their way to the Central and Bakerloo lines, although this could be as late as the late 2030s/early 2040.
From late 2026: London Museum
The Museum of London is dead, long live the London Museum. Grabbing our attention with a shitty new logo (we mean that in the most literal sense), excavations of secret underground passages — and the prospect of being able to watch Thameslink trains whizz by an underground window — it's fair to say that by the time the London Museum eventually opens up at its new location in Smithfield Market in late 2026, the whole world will be champing at the bit to visit.
A second phase, set for 2028, will see the magnificent Poultry Hall open to visitors, featuring a learning centre, temporary exhibitions and the museum stores.
Sometime in 2026: The Wake
Replacing the statue of slave trader Robert Milligan, The Wake is a sculpture by the artist Khaleb Brooks, which takes the form of a seven-metre-high cowrie shell cast from bronze. The walk-through artwork will be erected at West India Quay, outside the London Museum Docklands. More on it here.
Sometime in 2026?: Silvertown Bridge
The Silvertown Tunnel has been up and running since early 2025, but there's still a Silvertown Bridge to come. This is an altogether less mammoth undertaking, yet not without its problems. Rather than bridging the Thames, this £41 million crossing will provide a link for pedestrians and cyclists across the Docks between Silvertown and the Elizabeth line and DLR stations, as well as the Excel exhibition centre at Custom House. The designs are satisfyingly sinusoidal, but there is a kink in the plans: as of September 2025, there was a £6m shortfall in funding. Will the gap be, er, bridged, in 2026?
Sometime in 2026? The Stage Shakespeare Museum
All the world might be a stage, but one part of Shoreditch is specifically The Stage, and this newish development gets its name from the fact that the Curtain Playhouse, known to the Bard himself, once stood here. The Museum of Shakespeare, an immersive, interactive experience promises to whisk visitors back to the 16th century, meet some of the people that inspired Shakespeare's plays, as well as flaunt their own creativity (here's hoping they hand you a skull, and get you to recite the Hamlet soliloquy). However, it's currently unclear to us whether this museum is to be or not to be: the last official confirmation we had was in December 2024, when Londonist was told "late 2025 or early 2026".
2027: Migration Museum
Currently housed in Lewisham Shopping Centre, the Migration Museum moves central in 2027, as part of a new mixed development at 65 Crutched Friars, close to Fenchurch Street. Sophie Henderson, CEO of the Migration Museum, promises "an inspiring venue for diverse audiences from across the City, London and beyond to come together to explore, discuss and reflect on key questions around migration, identity and belonging; a go-to destination for schools, a resonant setting for training and skills-building and a relevant, welcoming space for a host of activities for the many communities we serve."
2027: The London Tunnels
They could have stopped at 'Britain's deepest licensed bar' and we'd have been on board, but the London Tunnels — set to open in a network of wartime-era tunnels beneath Furnival Street in 2027 — will also feature Q Branch-like displays, Second World War bombers dangling from the ceilings and some mesmerising walk-through tunnels. Eventually, up to three million visitors might find themselves down here inside a year, alhtough, of course, Londonist's Matt Brown has already been down there.
Late 2020s: new trams
London's current fleet of trams — shuttling between Beckenham and Wimbledon, via Croydon — is increasingly unreliable and in need of replacement. The oldest of these trams will be phased out from the end of this decade, beginning with the introduction of 24 brand new trams. More on that here.
2029?: Gatwick second runway
Gatwick Airport already HAS two runways, the rub being that they're very close together, therefore one can only operate as a taxiway. The idea — which has now been trundling on for ages — is for the northern strip to be shifted 12 metres further north, transforming it into a fully-fledged runway, and dramatically increasing air traffic in and out of Gatwick. The government approved the latest second runway plans in September 2025, saying "it is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election", aka before 2029. However, legal appeals will need to be surmounted first.
2029: 1 Undershaft
From the ever-jostling skyscrapers of the City, the Eric Parry Architects-designed 1 Undershaft will emerge as an equal to the Shard (its planned height is identical: 309.6 metres). That means when topped out in 2029 (that's the plan anyway), it'll be the joint tallest building in London. You'd have thought they'd be tempted to add on another 0.1 metres...
From 2030: Earls Court Development
In the wake of the (now long demolished) Earls Court exhibition centre and its neighbour Earls Court 2, the Earls Court Development Company is beavering away on 44-acres of new housing and green space — plus 1,000 cafes, restaurants and shops AND three cultural venues. Pedestrian walkways/plazas will link three Tube stations at West Brompton, West Kensington and Earl's Court. It's a huge undertaking, mooted to have shovels in the ground sometime in 2026, and the first phase completed by 2030. Read more here.
2031: Eurostar double-decker trains
Having recently announced it will expand it operations into Germany and Switzerland, Eurostar has now revealed the new way passengers will be getting there: double-decker train. Dozens of 'Celestia' Eurostar double-deckers will be built for the international rail operator by Alstom Group, with an order for 30 trains confirmed, and an option for a further 20. The first Celestia trains — which will be all-electric, and made from 25% recycled materials — are expected to appear from January 2031, with commercial services launching that May.
2032: British Library extension
While this list would be unending if we covered every planned extension in London, this British Library project is what they call in the industry a 'biggie', involving a new 12-storey wing designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) and some 100,000 square-feet of new public space in all — at the cost of over a billion pounds. Read more here.
Early 2030s: Thamesmead DLR extension
Positive public consultations/a governmental thumbs-up means a DLR extension is all but certain to sprout from Gallions Reach across the Thames to Thamesmead, taking in a second new station, Beckton Riverside, along the way. The £1.7bn project (and there's no way they'll stick to THAT budget) will begin in 2027, with completion touted for the early 2030s. It's finally happening Thamesmead: you're joining up with the rest of London!
Mid-2030s? West London Orbital
The West London Orbital is a planned new passenger route (though much of the track already exists) running from West Hampstead and Hendon down to Hounslow, passing through the future HS2 and Elizabeth line hub of Old Oak Common. It would become the seventh branch of the Overground network, and feature four brand new stations. However, TfL's got a lot on its plate right now, so don't expect to see this one until the mid-2030s.
Early 2040? Bakerloo line extension
A Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham via Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate was supposed to open (that's right, OPEN) in 2029, but due in no small part to TfL's money troubles, it's not happening that soon. In fact, it might not happen at all: in June 2025, developers accused Chancellor Rachel Reeves of "killing" the project, by snubbing it in her spending review. If we're being optimistic, there's a chance that work could still begin on the extension in the 2030s, with trains running by the 2040s, but don't hold your breath. In the meantime, we'll have to make do with the Bakerloop.
God knows when: BT Tower becomes a hotel
Reincarnated in its new form, this sonic screwdriver-esque landmark will instantly become one of the world's most recognisable hotels. However, it's going to take some time — and right now we have no idea when the BT Tower will indeed become a hotel. Room bookings very much not open.
