So, for now, the flight out of Canary Wharf has stopped. And at the same time footfall through the 128-acre estate has surged. It reached 72 million last year, having fallen to 20 million during the Covid years of 2020 and 2021. This year’s footfall is tracking around five to six per cent up, suggesting about 76 million will pass through in 2025, well above the 49 million recorded in 2019 immediately before the pandemic. Even on a Friday, footfall is only about 15 to 18 per cent down on 2019 levels. One reason for this is Canary Wharf’s transformation from windswept and poorly connected office canyon district to a retail, eating out and residential destination that 3,500 people call home, served by the Elizabeth Line, Jubilee Line and soon-to-be modernised Docklands Light Railway.
