Bedford Park Resident Announces Bid to Be London Mayor

Peter Murray seeking to put built environment at centre of campaign

Peter Murray (right) with Sir Sadiq Khan. Picture: Peter Murray

December 9, 2025

Peter Murray, co-founder of New London Architecture and long-time Bedford Park resident, has announced his intention to run as an independent candidate for Mayor of London. His stated aim is to put the capital’s built environment at the centre of political debate.

The 81-year-old is a prominent figure in London’s architectural circles, having co-founded both New London Architecture and the London Festival of Architecture. He revealed his mayoral ambitions on the Superurbanism podcast, later confirming to Architects’ Journal that he is “taking standings” from within the built environment sector to test ideas and gather support.

Mr Murray argues that London’s urban environment has been neglected under current mayor Sadiq Khan and his predecessors. He believes the city needs a stronger strategic vision for its future growth, particularly in housing, infrastructure, and public spaces. Central to his campaign is the proposal to appoint a city architect—a role designed to provide long-term planning and design leadership for London.

When asked about how the development of the local area has shaped his campaign, he told us, "One of the great architectural successes of recent years is Hounslow Council’s meticulous restoration of Boston Manor - a superb 17th-century house which can now be enjoyed by all. It sits alongside Chiswick House, Hogarth’s House, Syon and Osterley - the jewels in the borough’s crown of historic buildings.

" I’m lucky to live in Bedford Park, close to Turnham Green tube station. It was the first garden suburb and was built as affordable homes (no longer affordable, sadly), but it provides great inspiration about how we can build beautiful housing in pleasant streets. During my 40 years living there, I have been active in the Bedford Park Society in ensuring its character is protected."

He added that he is a big fan of Chiswick High Road's Sunday markets and he also had praise for the council’s Urban Design team that has recently produced the Hounslow Public Realm Design Guide which he describes as 'an excellent document.' He approves of its encouragement of active travel and sustainable transport which chimes with his belief that a pedestrian-first approach is essential to thriving town centres.

A keen cyclist, he uses Cycleway 9 to visit the shop and is pleased to see children using it as a safe way to cycle and he is hopeful that the route can be extended all the way to Hounslow. At the same time he will be urging TfL to speed up the modernisation of signalling and rolling stock so that Piccadilly Line trains stop at Turnham Green all day long.

He also welcomed the publication of Hounslow Council's Vision 2050 and the saying, "So many decisions these days are made on short-term, election-driven cycles. We have to think about the city our children and grandchildren will inherit, and that it will be a sustainable place to live."

He believes that the council's recently announced Net Zero neighbourhood policy will be an asset. The Council’s plans look at local areas one by one and, by talking to and listening to residents, work out how properties can be more energy efficient.

He describes the 'elephant in the room' as affordable housing adding, "How can we have a successful city when young people can’t afford to live here? In Hounslow, we have to look at the ‘grey’ areas of the Green Belt, at Underground station car parks and other brownfield sites for development. As Mayor I will bring to bear my extensive knowledge of the building industry sector to look at innovative and alternative ways for delivering more housing that is well designed and affordable."

He has been outspoken about what he sees as a lack of vision at City Hall. He praised Richard Rogers’ original London Plan under Ken Livingstone, contrasting it with what he describes as a diminished focus on the built environment today. “The current mayor has really all but ignored the built environment sector during his period in office, and I think it’s important that it takes a more significant place on the stage,” he said.

His campaign is deliberately framed as “actively non-political”, positioning him as an independent voice outside party structures. Hehas suggested that many of the politicians likely to contest the next election “may know even less about how the built environment sector is essential to delivering what mayors need to deliver”.

Having served as editor of Building Design in the 1970s, Mr Murray has also worked as a Mayor’s Design Advocate and held roles in regeneration projects, including Barking and Dagenham’s Be First development company.