City of London Delegation Heads to Saudi Arabia to Deepen Investment and Urban Development Ties
London’s financial district delegation will explore Saudi mega-projects in real estate, culture and infrastructure amid Vision 2030 drive
A delegation from the City of London is travelling to Saudi Arabia this week to engage directly with the Kingdom’s bold urban and cultural ambitions and to promote UK investment opportunities across real-estate, infrastructure and entertainment sectors.
Tom Sleigh, chair of the City’s Planning and Transportation Committee, described the trip as a chance to “see the astonishing ambition” behind Saudi Arabia’s city building, cultural assets and investment funding.
The two-person City delegation, part of the wider Opportunity London initiative, will include senior representatives from the capital’s authorities as well as figures from energy, real-estate development and investment firms.
Among the key stops will be a visit to Diriyah, the historic redevelopment on Riyadh’s outskirts, and consultation on pedestrian-first urban design with subterranean parking that echoes London’s own future plans.
Sleigh highlighted London’s appeal to Saudi investors by emphasising the city’s long-term regulatory stability, English common law and global standing in finance: “If you want to build commercial real-estate, the City of London is the most benevolent environment to come and do that.” He emphasised that successful urban environments must be about more than steel and glass — they must be about culture, community, sustainable transport and public space.
Spurred by Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which has triggered a reported trillion-dollar infrastructure and city-building pipeline, the UK and Saudi Arabia have already joined forces on initiatives such as the UK-Saudi Sustainable Infrastructure Assembly.
The upcoming delegation signals a sharpening of focus on bilateral cooperation in culture, real-estate investment and infrastructure-finance flows.
London’s City authorities believe that Saudi capital can help fuel UK economic growth while providing Saudi Arabia access to world-class expertise in urban planning, cultural project development and financial services.
With both sides signalling interest, the Riyadh visit could yield a range of MoUs, investment frameworks and project pipelines linking Saudi gigaprojects with UK investors and developers.
As the delegation departs, the broader goal is clear: to bridge the financial and professional-services strengths of the City of London with the Kingdom’s transformative ambitions, offering UK stakeholders direct access to one of the world’s most ambitious urban-development programmes while reinforcing London’s role as the gateway for high-value Saudi investment into Europe.
Tom Sleigh, chair of the City’s Planning and Transportation Committee, described the trip as a chance to “see the astonishing ambition” behind Saudi Arabia’s city building, cultural assets and investment funding.
The two-person City delegation, part of the wider Opportunity London initiative, will include senior representatives from the capital’s authorities as well as figures from energy, real-estate development and investment firms.
Among the key stops will be a visit to Diriyah, the historic redevelopment on Riyadh’s outskirts, and consultation on pedestrian-first urban design with subterranean parking that echoes London’s own future plans.
Sleigh highlighted London’s appeal to Saudi investors by emphasising the city’s long-term regulatory stability, English common law and global standing in finance: “If you want to build commercial real-estate, the City of London is the most benevolent environment to come and do that.” He emphasised that successful urban environments must be about more than steel and glass — they must be about culture, community, sustainable transport and public space.
Spurred by Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which has triggered a reported trillion-dollar infrastructure and city-building pipeline, the UK and Saudi Arabia have already joined forces on initiatives such as the UK-Saudi Sustainable Infrastructure Assembly.
The upcoming delegation signals a sharpening of focus on bilateral cooperation in culture, real-estate investment and infrastructure-finance flows.
London’s City authorities believe that Saudi capital can help fuel UK economic growth while providing Saudi Arabia access to world-class expertise in urban planning, cultural project development and financial services.
With both sides signalling interest, the Riyadh visit could yield a range of MoUs, investment frameworks and project pipelines linking Saudi gigaprojects with UK investors and developers.
As the delegation departs, the broader goal is clear: to bridge the financial and professional-services strengths of the City of London with the Kingdom’s transformative ambitions, offering UK stakeholders direct access to one of the world’s most ambitious urban-development programmes while reinforcing London’s role as the gateway for high-value Saudi investment into Europe.
