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Homes&
Wednesday 2 November 2016
Blue
Property
velvet
Trends
Page 16
TRAIN STATIONS: THE NEW HOTSPOTS P4 LONDON: THE RENTS RIP-OFF P6 BUY IN BOW P8 SPOTLIGHT ON VICTORIA P28
Double vision
Neighbours team up to transform
their homes Page 22
London’s best property search news: homesandproperty.co.uk
2 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | News
London buy of the week
Cotton on to a superb
loft-style flat in Stokey
GETTY
Picture it: Charlotte and family. The average London house
price could hit £1 million when the princess is a sixth former
Teen princess Trophy home of the week The
Tudors had nothing on this sexy pad
will see £1m £3.6 million: when it comes to iconic
views, this penthouse on top of Tudor
master bedroom suite complete with
a free-standing bath, a second en
average homes House at One Tower Bridge offers one
of the finest. Sweeping across the
river to the Tower and the bridge
itself, this vista is the perfect party
suite bedroom, living, dining and
kitchen areas with full-height
windows, and the huge roof terrace
complete with kitchen/dining area
B
Y THE time range Lambeth, prices will pad backdrop. More than 1,300sq ft and hot tub. A residents spa, pool,
18-month-old Prin- rise to £553,679 according to of luxurious living space showcases gym and concierge are on tap. Call
cess Charlotte is in the report, giving an equity top British design brands in the plush Berkeley Homes (020 8012 1337).
the sixth form the inc re ase of more than
average price of a £26,000.
home in a third of London By 2021, the report suggests £420,000: make a great start to
boroughs will be £1 million, the average London home 2017 with a new home in Stoke Lifechanger of the week lead B&B
according to a new forecast. will be worth almost Newington, where this one-
Property consultants JLL £600,000, with prices in the bedroom, loft-style flat in the guests on alpaca treks in Worcestershire
carried out research in an outer boroughs up well over Cotton Exchange forms part of a
attempt to chart house £100,000 on today’s levels, converted textile factory. £1,295,000: in the
prices year by year in the to £516,278. It’s just a stroll from the buzz of Worcestershire village
capital until 2032. By 2032, with Crossrail 2 up Church Street and the rich fabric of South Littleton, this
Across London it finds the and running and Heathrow’s of the building has been retained. seven-bedroom
average home will be worth new runway having been Original factory windows, Georgian beauty will
£483,968 by the end of this built — possibly — the average exposed steel beams and high fulfil your romantic
year, and by the same time price in more than a third of ceilings are complemented by notions of a profitable
next year the figure will have boroughs, including Barnet, engineered oak floors in the main new life in the country.
increased to £508,166 — a Hackney, and Haringey, will living space, integrated The brick coach
paper profit of more than be more than £1 million. appliances and gloss cabinetry in house is a boutique
£24,000. Kensington & Chel- In Barking and Dagenham, the kitchen and sleek fixtures in B&B, a fine dining
sea, where high prices still forecast to be the capi- the bathroom. room in the main
dominate, is predicted to see tal’s least expensive option, Communal space is impressive, house is successfully court and gym, or feed and almost three acres
a rise to an average of almost average prices will top too, with a residents’ lounge, gym let as a boardroom for the flock of alpacas of manicured gardens
£1.4 million by December £518,000. and concierge. Through corporate events, and kept for trekking and complete the idyll.
next year, earning owners Meanwhile, Knight Frank Hamptons International (020 By Faye guests can also use the for their wool. A mass Through Knight Frank
an extra £70,000 in equity. expects Tottenham Hale, 3451 1544). Greenslade heated pool, tennis of character details (01789 611045).
In Barking & Dagenham, West Ham and Lewisham to
London’s cheapest option, outperform through trans-
prices are forecast to increase port improvements, regen-
to £433,469, earning owners eration, and their current
a tidy £21,000. And in mid- affordability factor. Facebook: ESHomesAndProperty • Twitter: @HomesProperty •
O Find Ruth Bloomfield’s full story at homesandproperty.co.uk
Editor:
Ideal Home Show ticket giveaway
Janice
Morley GET set for festive fun by visiting the
Ideal Home Show at Christmas, from
November 23-27 at Olympia.
VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk/ Try out latest must-have gizmos and
rules for details of our usual tech at the Christmas Smart Home;
promotion rules. When you respond
discover top festive tips from the
to promotions, offers or
show’s celebrity ambassadors, and
competitions, the London Evening
explore thousands of gift ideas from
Standard and its sister companies
hundreds of exhibitors.
may contact you with relevant
offers and services that may be of When it’s time for a break, head to
interest. Please give your mobile the Gregg Wallace Christmas
number and/or email address if you Restaurant and indulge in whatever
would like to receive such offers by takes your fancy, from an afternoon
text or email. tea to a three-course meal.
And on Thursday, November 24,
the show will be keeping its doors
open until 9pm, with tickets reduced
to only £5 after 5pm. See the show
Editorial: 020 3615 2524 take on a new identity as the sun goes
Advertisement manager: down, for a special one-off evening of
Ann Finan live entertainment and unique offers. weekday tickets for the show, which is In the spirit:
Advertising: 020 3615 0266 sponsored by Britelite, the windows, find gift ideas
Homes & Property, Northcliffe We’ve teamed up with the Ideal doors and conservatories specialists, visit and far more
House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, Home Show at Christmas to give you standard.co.uk/offers before November 6. at the Ideal
London W8 5TT. the chance to visit this much-loved Home Show at
event for free. To claim a free pair of O Usual terms and conditions apply. Christmas
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 3
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by News | Homes & Property
Fancy yourself as a
star wedding host? This is the
Mr
headline that
Bean
É A ROMANTIC
country house wedding goes like this
moves
venue of choice for
celebrities including house
É HERE is some text that goes like
TV presenter Helen
Skelton and rugby at
onlylast
this and runs on and on but this is
for dummy purposes and
league player Richie sometimes the par must end.
Myler, inset, is on the
market. current owners have
Then it starts again like this and
goes on again for a further few lines Bid for Carey’s
Morland Hall,
above right, sits in 15
restored the 21-
bedroom estate,
before coming to and end. it starts
again like this and goes on again for
Canarian hilltop
acres of ancient
woods and parkland in
which is split into
four properties, to its
a further few lines before coming to
and end
holiday roost
Eden Valley, Cumbria. original glory to run ÉThen
ROWAN it starts
ATKINSON,
again like
akathis
Mr Bean,
and indoor pool, plus an outdoor tennis É COSTA ADEJE in Tenerife is a new
Built in 1861, it was it as a hotel with below,
goes onhas found
again foraabuyer forfew
further hislines court, it failed to attract sufficient hotspot for the celebrity set, with
home to Francis fitness centre and before coming
Oxfordshire to and
house end.
after it starts
18 months. interest. The Blackadder star, 61, recent visitors including Mariah
Atkinson, a leading outdoor pool. This again
The Old HERE is in
lÉ Rectory some text thatwas
Waterperry dropped the price to £2,425,000 and Carey, below, fellow singer Shakira
local figure of the day, handsome property goesput
first likeupthis
forand
saleruns on and
at £2.9 on but
million in listed the 18th-century property with and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco.
and stayed in the is listed with Savills this isBut
2015. onlyalthough
for dummythe purposes and
Grade II-listed Carter Jonas, which did the trick. One of the resort’s most glamorous
REX
family until 1923. The with a guide price of five-bedroom
sometimes thehome, above,
par must end.in six Atkinson now lives mostly at his homes, Villa Vista Bella, above, is
acres
Then had been beautifully
it starts renovated
again like this and £4.65 million London home with his ideal for A-list parties and goes under
to include
goes a fitness
on again for acomplex
further with an
few lines actress girlfriend, Louise Ford, 32. the hammer with Concierge Auctions
before coming to and end. it starts on November 10. The Cipriani Room
again like this and goes on again for O For more celebrity gossip, visit is perfect for formal dining, with
a further few lines before coming to homesandproperty.co.uk/gossip panoramic Atlantic views, while the
and end big kitchen and designer Moroccan
Then it starts again like this and patio are more relaxed. Fit for a diva,
goes on again for a further few lines the master suite spans an entire wing.
before coming to and end. it starts There are also three guest suites and
again like this and goes on again for six more bedrooms.
a further few lines before coming to This hilltop property is giddy with
By Amira Hashish and end bling, including a vast marble atrium
and ornate gilding, and there’s a
gym, study, staff quarters and lift.
Got some gossip? Tweet @amiranews The reserve price is £2,265,000 —
what are you waiting for, Mariah?
A London castle recognised worldwide
É IF YOU fancy living
in a castle but don’t
want to leave London,
your options are
limited. But this four-
bedroom house, part of
Grade I-listed Vanbrugh
Castle in Greenwich’s
Maze Hill, could be the
answer.
Modelled on the
French Bastille, the
castle was built in 1718 turned into luxury you there even if only
by architect Sir John homes. The two most addressed to
Vanbrugh as his home. impressive features are “Vanbrugh Castle,
It has since been used perhaps the views from Royal Greenwich”.
as a RAF school before the roof terrace and the For sale with Fine &
being restored by claim that a letter Country at £2.75
Blackheath posted from anywhere million, it has our
GETTY
GETTY
Preservation Trust and in the world will reach stamp of approval.
London’s leading
independent Estate Agency
28 offices in Central London,
and over 60 across London
Mayfair Showroom
66 Grosvenor Street
London W1K 3JL
dexters.co.uk
4 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | New homes
Major facelift: Growing cachet: right, the quarter
rejuvenated around big, busy Waterloo station, far
Paddington right, has undergone massive
station is knitted transformation but remains a good-
into the smart value Zone 1 address. The station
new canal basin itself, the UK’s biggest at nearly 25
enclave, while a acres, is having a £1.3 billion refurb
showpiece
Crossrail station
is nearing It started with King’s
completion
Cross. Now all of
London’s major
railway stations are
new-homes hotspots,
ALAMY
says David Spittles
L
ONDON’S mainline train sta-
tion districts, already under-
going their biggest change
since the great 19th-century
railway boom, are in line for
a further boost that will cement their
position as sought-after hotspots for
central city living.
The multibillion-pound transport and
housing programme launched by Prime
Minister Theresa May will include Cross-
rail 2 — the north-south link that will
complement the east-west route open-
ing in 2018 — along with a Bakerloo Tube
line extension through suburban south
London, with details expected to be
GETTY
announced in the Autumn Statement
First-class future
LONDON BRIDGE
AVERAGE PRICE: £836,140
THIS station is being completely rebuilt
as part of the £6.5 billion Thameslink
railway project. What was a spillover
location for City companies is now a
business district in its own right,
crowned by the Shard, a “vertical
town” with more than 10,000 employ-
ees in this striking glass tower.
Remarkably, 30 acres of offices and
commercial space have been created
above the single acre of land on which
the Shard is built.
Sellar Property Group, developer of
the Shard, has drawn up plans for
further tall buildings alongside Lon-
don Bridge station. Shard Place, cur-
rently under way, is the first wholly
residential block, offering 148 apart-
ments in a 26-storey tower.
Big and small apartment schemes are
later this month. Exclusive research for From £765,000: sprouting up in the hinterland behind
Homes & Property by estate agent boutique flats the station. Snowsfields Yard has 28
eMoov shows prices in these areas have with big terraces boutique flats tucked away between an
risen by up to 10 per cent more than at Snowsfields old mission hall and Victorian shop-
the London average during the last five Yard, near the fronts. Crest, the developer, has packed
years. The rise is forecast to continue, Shard at London in lots of space-creating, added-value
as location and fast transport links are Bridge. Call Crest design features including bay windows
now a top priority for busy profession- on 020 3002 and big, usable terraces. Prices from
als seeking a short commute. 5453 £765,000 to £1.25 million. Call 020
King’s Cross is not the only place 3002 5453.
where ambitious regeneration is trans-
forming a previously undesirable or
unglamorous area. Swish new homes,
good-looking shops and offices are
changing the streets and skyline at Pad-
Want to buy a new-build
dington, Victoria, Waterloo, Euston, home? Start your search
Liverpool Street and London Bridge.
Station districts went into serious
decline in the mid-20th century, their
tone set by seedy B&Bs, rough sleepers
and drifters. But King’s Cross led the
way and these fast-improving neigh-
bourhoods are fashionable again.
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 5
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by New homes | Homes & Property
From £695,000: flats at The Stage, on Liverpool Street station’s “Shoreditch side”
where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was first performed. Call 020 3770 2154
EUSTON ing journey times to Canary Wharf,
central London and Heathrow. The
AVERAGE PRICE: £1,160,250 Stage, on the Shoreditch side, has 412
THE Government’s backing for a new homes on land where Shakespeare’s
super-terminal at Euston to accommo- Romeo and Juliet and Henry V were first
date High Speed 2 paves the way for a performed. Archaeological remains of
complete redevelopment of the sta- the original stage will be encased in glass
tion. The tatty neighbourhood around as part of a new heritage centre with a
it will be transformed into a lively quar- 200-seat sunken amphitheatre. Show
ter, barely half a mile from born-again flats in refurbished railway arches are
King’s Cross/St Pancras where 50 new part of the 1.2-acre site. Prices from
streets have been created. £695,000. Call 020 3770 2154.
The current unloved station, dating
back to 1962, replaced the once-famous WATERLOO
Euston Arch, a classical 1837 portico,
which campaigners want reinstated as AVERAGE PRICE: £836,140
GETTY
a spectacular monument. The available REJUVENATION is coming to fruition in
15 acres of railway land is big enough for the quarter around Waterloo station,
a Canary Wharf-size estate. Nearby London’s busiest commuter hub and
Regent’s Park will set the property the UK’s largest, covering nearly 25
for city’s train hubs
prices — but there are still pockets of acres. The iconic Shell Centre has been
good value near the station. transformed into 877 new homes called
Check out Somers Town. When first Southbank Place, with prices from
developed in the late 18th century it £1,050,000. Call 020 7001 3600.
was envisaged as a middle-class The station itself is getting an über-
address but suffered when the London smart £1.3 billion refurbishment, while
and Birmingham Railway cut through its disused Eurostar terminal is to be
PADDINGTON the area in the 1830s. Later it was brought back to life for commuter serv-
mainly given over to council housing. ices and possibly a retail mall. Elizabeth
AVERAGE PRICE: £1,189,183 Another micro spot to watch is House, a Sixties eyesore that runs the
THE Victorians built handsome garden around Drummond Street, best known length of the station along York Road,
squares and imposing stucco terraces for curry restaurants, where gentrifica- is to be replaced with 142 flats and
on the acres between Isambard King- tion has taken hold. Meanwhile, on the offices, while boutique flats are being
dom Brunel’s Paddington terminus and patch north of the station towards created along Lower Marsh, a lively
Hyde Park. After the Second World Mornington Crescent, a former Bhs 160-year-old street market.
War, many of the grand townhouses branch is earmarked for redevelop- Despite its growing cachet, Waterloo
were converted into shabby bedsits ment. remains a good-value Zone 1 address,
and backpacker hotels and by the Sev- within the price range of many first-time
enties, Paddington had the fastest LIVERPOOL STREET buyers. It has a community feel and a
population turnover in London, a place colourful urban residential mix, with
of “bewildering cosmopolitanism”, AVERAGE PRICE: £930,037 pretty Victorian terraces such as Roupell
according to author Peter Ackroyd. THE Great Eastern Railway’s first Lon- Street, charitable and church housing,
Travellers passing through the station don terminus was at Shoreditch but cared-for council estates, boutique flats
today are largely unaware of the rede- Liverpool Street station was built in the and sweeping waterfront apartments.
signed 80-acre canal basin, once a 1870s to bring the line closer to the City. Valentine Place is a low-rise scheme
closed-off industrial zone but now a Today it sits right on the boundary of of 42 flats and mews houses tucked away
boisterous urban area with outdoor those two buzzing places, both of which moments from the Old Vic and Young
entertainment in summer, opened up will be big beneficiaries of Crossrail Vic theatres. Prices from £699,995. Call
by new towpaths and footbridges. trains stopping at the station and slash- 020 3437 1294.
The splendid original station has been
given a major facelift and knitted into of London. Paddington Exchange From £975,000: apartments in three
this enclave, while a showpiece new is the latest new homes launch here, linked pavilion buildings rising to 14
Crossrail station now nearing comple- with 123 apartments in three linked storeys at Paddingon Exchange. Call
tion has triggered a fresh wave of devel- pavilion buildings rising to 14 sto- Taylor Wimpey (020 3376 6289)
opment , making it the big gest reys. Prices from £975,000. Call
regeneration scheme in Westminster developer Taylor Wimpey on 020
borough. It covers an area the size of 3376 6289.
Soho and comprises 13 individual homes and a theatre, while interesting
projects with oceans of office space and VICTORIA shops are arriving in landscaped court-
more than 4,000 new homes. Vastly yards, passages and new squares.
improved public spaces include Shel- AVERAGE PRICE: £1,717,529 The latest focus is a five-and-a-half-
don Square, built around a grass PART of the prestigious SW1 post- acre island site opposite the station.
amphitheatre that hosts the live music code, Victoria station for decades Called Nova, it has five fresh buildings
events in summer. delivered hordes of civil servants to including a block of 170 flats, plus new
Scruffy Praed Street is getting a the ministries in Whitehall, a soulless pedestrian links through to St James’s
makeover, with new station entrances, boulevard that was dead after they Park. Prices from £1,925,000. Call 020
a piazza and shopping parade, plus a all went home at the end of the work- 7409 8756. And at 55 Victoria Street,
stunning glass cube-shaped building ing day. However, the transforma- a Sixties office block has been remod-
of homes and offices designed by Shard tion today is nothing short of elled into 54 rental flats with a residents’
architect Renzo Piano. dramatic. sky garden. Call 01246 223142.
Property analyst JLL predicts prices A £4 billion project is sweeping Since 2009 prices in Victoria have
in this microzone will increase by 15 away the grey-slab office blocks, jumped 88 per cent, more than any
per cent by 2020, more than the rest replacing them with human-scale other “prime” London area. From £699,995: homes at Valentine Place, SE1, near Waterloo. Call 020 3437 1294
6 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Renting
am
Newh n Islewon
rth
ear ear
0
£32,00r £30,00
0
a yea a year
GRAHAM HUSSEY
GETTY
G
ENERATION RENTERS
who earn less than the
average London salary of
£37,000 have no chance
How much must
of affording even a small
room in a flat in two thirds of the
city’s boroughs, new research finds.
you earn to rent a
An analysis of the average monthly
rent for a room in each borough
reveals how workers on low and
medium incomes have been
room in London?
banished to the furthest fringes of
London. New research shows room rents in two thirds
However, it also reveals precisely
where they — and those with greater of London boroughs are beyond anyone on
earning power — should focus their
search for a home. less-than-average pay. By Ruth Bloomfield
The least expensive option is the
south-east borough of Bexley, where
the average room rate is £500 a
month. Even then, in order to pay Bexley
your taxes, cover the rent and earn
0
transport costs and simply live, you’ll £23,00r
need a salary of at least £23,000. a yea
Those earning less than £30,000
can live in nine of London’s 32
boroughs, including Croydon,
Enfield, and Bromley.
Renters with an income of between
£30,000 and £40,000 to play with
have far more choice. Living in
Ealing, for example, requires a
£35,000 salary, while a Lambeth
resident will need to earn £38,000.
THE SHARER FAMILIES
The price of living in Wandsworth or
Richmond upon Thames is just
ALAMY
under £900 per calendar month,
meaning only those bringing home
something approaching £40,000, at
least, can consider these two leafy report is the first time the Bexley: a room will set you back £500
neighbourhoods. affordability of renting just one room a month. Could you still afford a pint?
But to live in Hammersmith and in a property has been compared
Fulham, at an average monthly cost with detailed wage brackets, and was many London tenants spend a much
of £997, will require a salary of calculated by comparing take-home greater proportion,” says Johnny
£45,000. Digs in the City of London, wages with rents. Morris, head of research at
the most expensive of the options “While the analysis is based on Hamptons International and author
according to today’s research, at an spending no more than a third of net of today’s study.
average £1,246 a month, will require income on rent, a commonly Sharing a house or flat was once
a minimum income of £56,000. The accepted measure of affordability, seen as a twentysomething rite of
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 7
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Renting | Homes & Property
Do the maths: if
es’s
you can’t stretch St Jamn
to the £700-a- ear 0
month average £60,00r
cost of a room in a yea
Newham, home of
the ArcelorMittal
Orbit sculpture,
far left, you might
be able to manage
Old Isleworth,
left. However, you
definitely couldn’t
afford to rent in
leafy, central
St James’s, right
GETTY
passage. However, Morris says the
disparity between rent and earnings
COULD YOU AFFORD A ROOM?
means that sharing is rapidly
How much you
becoming the only way average Monthly cost of need to earn
Londoners can remain in the city — Borough renting a room to afford it
and that includes couples with Bexley £500 £23,000
children. Havering £550 £25,000
“As affordability has been steadily Barking and Dagenham £575 £26,000
squeezed, people are renting rooms Bromley £625 £28,000
for longer,” he adds. “Once just a Croydon £625 £28,000
lifestyle choice for the young and Hillingdon £625 £28,000
single, house shares are home to Redbridge £625 £28,000
growing numbers of couples and Sutton £625 £28,000
even small families.” Enfield £650 £29,000
Harrow £663 £30,000
BEYOND THE FRINGE Waltham Forest £675 £30,000
Morris adds: “Generally, the fringes Kingston upon Thames £700 £32,000
of east and south-east London are Lewisham £700 £32,000
most accommodating of tighter Newham £700 £32,000
budgets, especially areas beyond the Greenwich £725 £33,000
end of the Tube, connected to Barnet £759 £34,000
central London by train or bus. But Ealing £788 £35,000
those willing to sacrifice more of Haringey £800 £36,000
their salary on rent can and do live Merton £798 £36,000
more centrally. Someone earning Hounslow £813 £37,000
£30,000 a year can swap Croydon Lambeth £838 £38,000
for Camden by spending half rather Brent £878 £39,000
than a third of their income on rent.” Wandsworth £873 £39,000
As well as looking at average rental Richmond upon Thames £883 £40,000
prices per borough, the research Hackney £917 £41,000
assessed costs in every London Southwark £900 £41,000
postcode, giving an invaluable guide Tower Hamlets £943 £42,000
to how far salaries will stretch across Hammersmith and Fulham £997 £45,000
the capital. Islington £1,008 £45,000
It found that people earning Camden £1,086 £49,000
£21,000 can — just — afford a London Westminster £1,192 £54,000
share, in areas including Abbey Kensington and Chelsea £1,213 £55,000
Wood, South Hornchurch, and City of London £1,246 £56,000
Welling. Those earning £25,000 Source: Hamptons International analysis of market data
could upgrade to Thornton Heath,
Sidcup, Eltham or Southall.
earn £40,000 to consider a home in
W
ITH a £30,000 salary Putney, Clapham, or Stratford.
at their disposal a A Mayfair address would require a
renter could hunt for £58,000 wage packet, while living in
a room in areas St James’s needs earning power of
including £60,000. The most expensive
Leytonstone, Stanmore and postcode of all is WC2R, close to
Isleworth. Those earning £35,000 Somerset House, where a £72,000
could move on to Camberwell or salary is needed to cover the average
Tooting. However, renters need to room cost of £1,595 a month.
8 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | First-time buyer
£91,250: for a
quarter share of
a modern, well-
lit one-bedroom
flat at Thimble
Court in St Paul’s
Square, E3, far
left and right;
left, each flat has
a private balcony
Buy in vibrant Bow
for less than £92k
Six-minute trains to Canary
C
HEAPER than Bermondsey, more fun
than Bexley, Bow is a great middle
ground for first-time buyers with its Wharf, green space galore —
intriguing mix of East End boozers
and newly refurbished gastropubs. that’s work and weekends
New homes are flying up in E3 right now. At
Thimble Court, part of the St Paul’s Square sorted. By Ruth Bloomfield
development, Circle Housing Group is selling
shared-ownership flats. with everything from Persian, to Lebanese to
The mid-rise red-brick blocks of St Paul’s Turkish restaurants, plus the well-reviewed
Square don’t look desperately innovative from Greedy Cow burger bar. Your local pub will be
the outside, but the Thimble Court flats are well the Wentworth Arms, a traditional boozer
lit, modern, and each has a private balcony. without a craft beer in sight, but if you prefer
Local transport links are first rate. The develop- your pubs a bit more gastro, the Morgan Arms is
ment is just off Bow Common Lane and less than nearby and the Sunday roasts there are
half a mile from Mile End Tube station in Zone 2, recommended.
on the District, Central and Hammersmith & City
lines. From there you can be at Canary Wharf in O Circle Housing Group: centraliving.org.uk
six minutes, and the City in a quarter of an hour.
A 25 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat is
£91,250. Buyers will need a five per cent deposit,
WHAT ELSE IS FOR SALE?
and the monthly costs will be rent of £627,
mortgage at £457 — assuming an interest rate of
3.99 per cent — and service charge of £68. Circle
Housing calculates a household income of
£41,000 or more is needed, and it is worth
pointing out that some of these flats are
wheelchair accessible.
A 25 per cent share of a two-bedroom flat starts
at £135,000. These flats are available to those
with a household income of £65,000 who will
pay monthly rent of £928, service charge of £80,
and a mortgage of £676. Three-bedroom shared-
ownership flats start at £140,000, and will
require a household income of £68,000. Rent £500,000: with this tidy sum to spend you
per month will be £962, service charge £83, and could head to Bow Quarter, a development of
mortgage repayments are calculated at £701. smart converted Victorian warehouses where
Prices start at £180,000 for a 50 per cent share residents’ facilities include a gym and
of a one-bedroom flat. As well as raising a concierge service. A two-bedroom flat is on
mortgage, buyers will pay rent of about £412 per the market with a guide price of £500,000.
month, and a service charge of about £120. Call Oliver Jaques on 020 8012 2363.
SHALL WE TRY THAT EAST END
BOOZER, OR THE GASTROPUB?
The best thing about this development is that it
is so central, says Helen Mason, shared-
ownership sales manager of Circle Housing. “It is
ideal for people who work in Canary Wharf or
the City, and it is a really buzzy area, with
restaurants and nightlife, and there are parks
and open spaces.”
For local meals out, Burdett Road, which runs
beside Mile End Park, will be your go-to spot
£2.9 million: the average property in E3 costs
£443,847, up almost 13 per cent in the last
Looking to buy your year, according to data from Rightmove. But
first home? E3 has a huge range of homes, from flats in
council towers to the elegant Georgian
homes of Tredegar Square, where a four-
bedroom terrace house, above, is on the
market with Foxtons. Call 020 8012 6790.
10 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Commuting
We all
M
ARKET towns are the BISHOP’S STORTFORD
stars in the latest install- HERTFORDSHIRE
ment of Homes & Prop- What it costs: average property price
erty’s guide to the 50 is £362,222, up 26.9 per cent in two
best commuter loca-
tions within an hour of London, and
they represent an excellent invest-
love years, with houses almost £412,000
and flats about £211,000, says Savills.
Top schools: St Joseph’s Catholic Pri-
ment. A recent report by Lloyds Bank
found the typical price of a property
in a market town was £25,000 above
market mary School and The Hertfordshire &
Essex High School and Science College
both get “outstanding” Ofsted reports.
towns
the national average. The Bishop’s Stortford High School is
rated “good”.
TRING The commute: from 38 minutes to
HERTFORDSHIRE Liverpool Street. An annual season
What it costs: average homes in this
affluent town stand at £779,844, up 40 Ruth Bloomfield ticket costs £5,000.
Who would it suit? Those after value
per cent in two years, says Savills.
Top schools: Goldfield Infants’ and
finds commuter for money. Bishop’s Stortford is a splen-
did-looking little town, about equidis-
Nursery School gets an “outstanding”
Ofsted report. Tring School (seniors)
favourites that bridge tant between London and Cambridge,
surrounded by lovely countryside. The
is rated “good” by the watchdog.
The commute: 35 minutes to Euston.
the gap between schools are good, you get plenty of
bang for your buck, and the commute
An annual season ticket costs £3,988.
Tring station is a mile outside the town,
city and village living is a breeze. What’s not to love?
And the downsides? Some homes in
so it may mean a walk or short drive. £1 million: this four-bedroom Thirties house in Pathfields Close, Haslemere, is town suffer flightpath noise from Stan-
Who would it suit? Those who want CRANBROOK surrounded by mature gardens. For sale through Henry Adams (01428 900033) sted. Expect some slightly faceless
convenient countryside. From the top KENT estate homes as well as pricier period
of Ivinghoe Beacon or at College Lake What it costs: the average Cranbrook houses close to the station. The shops
nature reserve, it is hard to imagine property costs £460,436, up 15 per cent are useful rather than exciting.
London’s so close. Tring has plenty of in the last two years. Expect to pay
great pubs, with The Bell and The about £485,000 for a house and HASLEMERE
Anchor recommended, and a full range £314,000 for a flat, says Savills. SURREY
of restaurants, plus the Tring outpost Top schools: Cranbrook School, with What it costs: average price is
of the Natural History Museum. an Ofsted “outstanding” rating, is one £473,424, up five per cent in two years
Two-bedroom period cottages in the of the top state schools in Britain. — about £591,000 for a house and
centre of town cost about £350,000. The commute: drive the five miles to £239,000 for a flat, says Savills.
“It’s very much a traditional market Staplehurst for Charing Cross trains Top schools: Grayswood CofE Aided
town, with a lot of independent shops,” taking from an hour and two minutes. Primary School is Ofsted “outstand-
says Alex Goode of estate agents Brown An annual season ticket costs £4,772. ing”. Most of the town’s other prima-
& Merry. “It’s busy, but not too busy.” Who would it suit? Those who want ries are rated “good”, as is Woolmer
And the downsides? This is prime a smart little market town in the beauti- Hill, for seniors.
commuter belt territory, with prices to ful High Weald. Rupert Newcomb, The commute: trains to Waterloo take
match. It will feel quiet after London. manager of Jackson-Stops & Staff, says from 49 minutes. An annual season
And for buyers looking for larger fam- buyers like Cranbrook’s historic feel and ticket costs £4,732.
ALAMY
ily houses, most of the stock is Eighties pretty, weatherboarded buildings. Who would it suit? With prices spiral-
or Nineties-built. Not imaginative. There’s post-war housing on the ling in “prime” Surrey, many buyers
fringes, but 16th- and 17th-century are leapfrogging Guildford and the
homes in Cranbrook, too. A three-bed- Good looks: Surrey Hills for Haslemere, on the edge
room terrace house around the high Haslemere town of the South Downs. Its location on the
street will cost from about £450,000, centre is pretty, A3 makes it handy for the coast and the
while a detached four-bedroom house with period capital, and now that the Hindhead
will be about £625,000. houses and Tunnel is in operation the local roads
And the downsides? If your little lovely boutiques are far less gridlocked.
darling doesn’t get a place at Cranbrook The pretty high street has some lovely
you are in trouble because the other boutiques, jewellers and a toy shop,
state secondary in town, High Weald £2.5 million: a and Haslemere has a good mix of tra-
Academy, “requires improvement” listed seven- ditional period houses in the town
according to Ofsted. And although bedroom country centre, with larger Thirties homes
Cranbrook has a couple of pubs, the house with a pool towards the outskirts, and some smash-
high street has suffered from competi- in Glassenbury ing pubs in the villages around the
£415,000: a double-fronted terrace tion from internet and out-of-town Road, Cranbrook. town.
cottage with two bedrooms in Tring. retailers — there is not as much life in Call Knight Frank And the downside? The waiting list
Call Simon Halling (01442 822863) Cranbrook as there used to be. (01892 323036) for spaces at the station car park.
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 11
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by London life | Homes & Property
Space and scenery: Thames Clippers are a hit with tourists and commuters alike New boats: £6.3 million is being spent to expand the MBNA Thames Clippers fleet as more London commuters take to the river
A beefed-up Thames Clippers fleet promises ferries
every 15 minutes at peak times. By Sara Yates
Success at a
rate of knots
T
HE success of Thames went into receivership. Then in 1999
river “taxis” reflects came MBNA Thames Clippers,
Londoners’ changing founded by Collins with a single vessel
relationship with carrying fewer than 80 passengers a
waterside living. The city day. Now he suggests the fleet regularly
once turned its back on the river but carries 11-12,000 people daily.
today thousands of new glass-and-
steel flats stand along its banks. Also increasing rapidly is the number of
The river’s renaissance as a working Thames piers. Passengers can hop on
waterway is largely driven by MBNA and off at 21 stops between Putney
Thames Clippers, which has just and Woolwich Arsenal and 11 more
announced further investment of are planned with the intention of
more than £6.3 million in two new extending the service to Barking. This
fast passenger ferries, coming into lengthy route is possible thanks to the
operation next year. ferries’ clever design by One2three
The company says its vessels will Naval Architects, which allows them
have transported “over four million to access the piers in little more than a
commuters and visitors around dribble of water.
London” this year. The new 170- Blackfriars to Canary Wharf takes
capacity boats, built at Wight just 16 minutes and all boats are
Shipyard Co on the Isle of Wight, will wheelchair accessible and buggy
increase this performance by 14 per friendly, as are nearly all the piers.
cent. Sean Collins, MBNA Thames Cyclists are welcome, even at peak
Clippers chief executive, says the new times, with 10 bikes allowed on a
boats will allow for a more frequent “first come first served” basis.
service, with ferries departing every The company’s good relationship
15 minutes at peak time. It’s with Transport for London is crucial.
impressive growth, on top of the two In 2009, the Thames briefly
ferries that were added at the end of disappeared from the transport map.
last year. By next summer, MBNA Thanks to an Evening Standard
Thames Clippers expects to be the campaign and the Mayor’s
“biggest commercial passenger fleet intervention, it was soon reinstated.
operating solely in English waters”.
Today the ferry piers are on the map,
All this is a far cry from the late reflecting the integration of the
Eighties and early Nineties when the service into London’s transport
then RiverBus lurched from one network — while finally, Oyster
financial crisis to another. cards are accepted for payment.
Initially focused on However, ferry trips are not
transporting City workers included in TfL travelcard
from their luxury pads in fares — holders simply get a
Chelsea Harbour and discount. A single ticket to
London Bridge to their travel across central London
offices in Canary Wharf, the costs £6.30 with an Oyster
service was scuppered by the card, £5 for travelcard
Wharf ’s underwhelming holders and £7.50
occupancy rate. without. For those
It fared better in its who want to travel
second incarnation, solely by water, an
helped initially by a annual all-Zones
temperamental Clipper season
Docklands Light ticket costs
Railway. But the £2,016.
1992 recession
and improved rail Upbeat: MBNA
links hit the costly Thames Clippers
service hard. In chief executive
1993, RiverBus Sean Collins14 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Design
By Liz “An oasis of calm
Hoggard and efficiency”:
left, the Dezeen
website office in
Haggerston; far
left, Marcus Fairs
Homeware shop:
right, for vintage
pieces that work
MARCUS together, Fairs
recommends
FAIRS twentytwenty
FOUNDER one, right, in
OF DESIGN Upper Street,
WEBSITE Islington
DEZEEN
A
S A furniture design
graduate, Marcus Fairs
launched icon, the
international architecture
and design magazine, in
2003, winning a string of awards.
My design London
Then in 2006 he set up Dezeen, Coveted object: FAVOURITE MAKER/
widely regarded as one of the world’s left, a piano STUDIO
most influential design websites. finished with fire I really admire product and interior
by Maarten Baas, designer Lee Broom. He’s got this
WHERE I LIVE who is handy little showroom in Rivington Street
Stoke Newington, for nearly 15 years. with a blowtorch. and it’s like Lee Broom’s Universe: so
As a student I lived in a shared house Fairs has a well curated. The best architects and
in Church Street. When we married Cumbrian settle designers, the ones who make it, have
we bought a little flat in a factory “transformed” a complete world view. When Lee
conversion, and now we’re in a bigger by the Dutch drove his studio delivery van, with a
Victorian house near Clissold Park. designer recreated Italian palazzo inside,
The area has changed a lot. The around Milan this year, he even
nurseries and schools are really good. ordered garage overalls for his team.
It’s one of those neighbourhoods that Lee’s supplying hotels in New York,
suits all age groups. which is great for the design world
REX
because we need to get away from
MY DECOR that “struggling artist” view of design. Favourite maker/studio: Lee Broom in
I don’t have a design lifestyle, I’m They should be successful brands, Rivington Street, EC2, for lighting,
much more eclectic and chaotic. showing that design is an economy furniture and home acessories
Every time we’ve tried to work with MY FURNITURE FAVOURITE GALLERY rather than a frivolity.
an architect, we’ve fallen out with Knowing so much about design is a We’re very slowly building a And can I mention the Dezeen office boutique garden centre in De
them and ended up going to cheap real handicap because it makes it collection of original signed prints in Haggerston? We worked with Beauvoir, it’s so well curated for a
builders. Ours is a high Victorian impossible to choose. When we and street art. I like the Hang-Up architect Pernilla Ohrstedt to get it very tiny space. Some people buy
house, fairly decorative, with nice wanted shelves for my son’s bedroom Gallery in Stoke Newington high right. But now it’s a real oasis of calm shirts, I buy plants.
elaborate ceiling friezes. We moved in we ended up in Ikea buying £20 units street. They get a lot of prints by well- and efficiency. Pernilla space-planned
with grand plans to do an extension while we figured out which ones we known contemporary artists such as it so well she managed to get in 25 per FAVOURITE MARKET
and knock down the Australian wanted from a trendy designer and Banksy and Shepard Fairey. cent more people. I believe that great Markets are busy and noisy and
Outback-style kitchen extension that five years later, the Ikea ones are still design and architecture is more about there’s never anything I want. I prefer
someone did 20 years ago. So far going strong. We’ve got quite a few HOMEWARE SHOPS unlocking space than flashy finishes. department stores. I took my kids into
we’ve only managed to paint the walls statement colour pieces: a red Hella My daughter does drama every the West End recently. We went
white and varnish the floors. Jongerius Polder sofa, a deep weekend at Yati [Young Actors SECRET SHOP straight to Liberty and ended up
My wife is my partner at Dezeen and French blue bookshelf that I shipped Theatre] at Angel, so I wander into Two garden centres. I was looking for spending an hour there. Everything is
we’ve been collecting nice bits and back from Barcelona 25 years ago. twentytwentyone in Upper Street Himalayan birches because we so calm and they make you feel like a
pieces forever: a mixture of high When we were home-making, to browse. Another favourite is SCP. wanted to build a screen at the back prince. In contrast I like Selfridges.
design and flea market/vintage Ercol cherrywood was in fashion — so we’ve They both do vintage, which I love. of our garden and we went to They’re both spectacular buildings in
finds. I’m also hopeless at DIY so the got a big cherrywood bed and They fill their shops with nice things Paramount Plants in Enfield, which different ways: the faux Tudor charm
house is full of picture frames bedroom furniture, plus flea market that work together, that aren’t too is an architectural plant specialist, of Liberty and the grand New York-
covering holes I’ve drilled. and vintage finds. elitist or statement-y. and N1 Garden Centre is a beautiful style emporium of Selfridges.
CULTURAL HOTSPOT
Favourite As a family we love street culture:
gallery: pick up a those busy spaces where you’ve got
print in Stokey at cultural retail — galleries and
the Hang-Up restaurants, shops and streetwear
Gallery, Stoke brands. I’m opting for Shoreditch or
Newington Road Carnaby Street.
MOST COVETED OBJECT
“We’ve got quite My most special piece is by Maarten
a few statement Baas, the Dutch designer who burns
colour pieces”: a used furniture with a blowtorch. My
Hella Jongerius dad gave us a high-backed Victorian
Polder sofa, settle. He had it shipped from
below Cumbria and it was horrible. So I
CARLA NAZZOLA
asked Maarten if he’d burn it. We
shipped it to Eindhoven and he
transformed it. It’s fantastic. I call it
my family heirloom that wasn’t.EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 15
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Events | Homes & Property
See Elton’s photo Iconic: Glass Tears
(1932) by Man Ray;
fest at Tate Modern inset, Sir Elton
John and husband
SIR Elton John has created one of David Furnish
the world’s finest photography
collections over the past 25 years,
amassing more than 7,000 prints
taken between the Twenties and
the Fifties. Now 150 are on loan to
Tate Modern and will be on view
there from November 10 to May 7.
Images from Man Ray, Brassaï
and Penn will showcase a golden
CHRISTIE’S LATES age in photography. Look out also
Relaxed events:
©MAN RAY TRUST, ADAGP, DACS
AUCTION HOUSES can often be for the work of Edward Weston
intimidating but “Christie’s Lates” Christie’s Lates and Kertész, as well as portraits of
events — an open invitation to visit are free viewings, Matisse and Picasso.
Christie’s South Kensington from 6pm-8.30pm on It’s bound to be one of the
6pm-8.30pm for a free view on the the first Tuesday exhibitions of the year. The singer
first Tuesday of each month — are of each month “hopes that the exhibition
aimed at changing this perception. audience experiences as much joy
Each event has a different focus. On in seeing the works as I have had in
November 8 the concentration will finding them”.
be on furniture, tapestries and Old If this inspires you to start a see photography on view before the
Master paintings. Reserve prices start collection of your own, visit Phillips sale there on November 3 (phillips.
from £1,000 (christies.com). auction house in Berkeley Square to com; tate.org.uk).
GETTY
ARTISTRY
IN RESIDENCE
FIND INSPIRATION FOR THE
HOME ON LONDON’S ART SCENE
Kate
Gordon
DETAIL OF FRANS HALS’ LAUGHING CAVALIER, FROM THE WALLACE COLLECTION
CELEBRATING SPAIN
Free expression Be part of the art on screen
DR XAVIER BRAY, right, the new ARTIST Rachel Howard has curated a BIG state-of the-art screens mesmerising and the
director of The Wallace Collection in series of limited-edition prints to owned by many of us these viewer almost becomes
Manchester Square W1, marks his raise funds for the Civil Liberties days encourage the part of the artwork. Harris
first official appearance at the Trust, the charitable arm of human creation of video art for is the only artist in the past
museum with a Spanish-inspired rights organisation, Liberty. the home. At the recent two years to be given access
music concert and dinner, and a By 10 artists including Ruth Ewan, PAD fair of 20th-century to the Disney archive. For
discussion of Spanish culture, his whose work The fight that is never art and design in Berkeley his new show he’s brought
great speciality. The house and its done is seen above, all the prints are Square, Dominic Harris’s Snow White and the Seven
collection, which includes The collector’s items, with only 25 of each work drew the crowds. Dwarfs to life — appealing
Laughing Cavalier (1624), detail right, made, and signed by the artists. A Harris’s art is often to the child in us all. His
by Frans Hals, and priceless 18th- portfolio edition holds a set of all 10 interactive: his image of work has been on view at
century French furniture, will be the prints for £6,000 with individual white feathers on a black Priveekollektie
setting on Friday November 11 for prints available from £500. background, above, can be Contemporary Art | Design
Through Gilded Trellises — a You can buy them at liberty-human- manipulated as you wave in Mayfair and can now be
celebration of Spain. Tickets £35, rights.org.uk/support-us/artists your hands across the seen there by appointment
concs £30 (wallacecollection.org). screen. It’s utterly (priveekollektie.com).
:HVW /RQGRQ _ 6W $OEDQV _ %RXUQHPRXWK _ +LJK :\FRPEH WRGGGRRUVFRXN 16 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Design
Left: Colefax &
Fowler Otto
Velvets include
Theo fabric, £62
per metre, seen
in blue on the
sofa and ochre
on the central
cushion, and
Sabine fabric,
used for the red
cushion. All
available from
housedecor
interiors.co.uk
Right: velvet
upholstered
swivel chairs by
Talisman
Bespoke, from
£2,240 each at
Talisman, New
King’s Road, SW6
(talismanlondon.
com; 020 7731
4686)
Design
Desig
ign trends
ig tre
re
end
nds
s
By Jenny Dalton velvet
T
HE headline fabric this
winter is velvet. “And I’m
so pleased it’s back,” says
Natalia Miyar, London-
based interior designer.
“It’s luxurious, incredibly inviting
and responds to your touch.”
Lush, rich velvet fell out of favour in
the mid-Nineties, as minimalism
replaced bohemian romance.
Textiles specialists such as Dedar of Above: Eternal Dreamer contemporary curved velvet sofa
Italy continued to produce it, and in with polished stainless steel legs from Ochre. Price on
recent years the material has found application (ochre.net; 020 7096 7372)
favour again in projects for the five-
star Four Seasons hotel in Kyoto, and
Bulgari boutiques. It has been
Dedar’s number one seller for the
past five years.
Cox London’s Christopher Cox has
used a matt green velvet on his new
bronze dining chairs, because “it
holds its own in an Art Deco
apartment or an Elizabethan country
house”. But why is velvet making a
comeback now? Light and texture are
current design watchwords, says
Martin Waller, founder of Andrew
Martin interiors, who cites wider Art
Deco and Fifties design influences as
part of the fabric’s renewed appeal.
“Velvet looks different when light
hits the yarn from a different source.
So you get subtle variations of tone —
it doesn’t look like one big block of
colour.” Waller says the new velvets
differ from their Eighties and Nineties
counterparts thanks to “brighter Top: Raconteur sofa in red velvet by
colours, a move away from the Amy Somerville, priced £6,600 plus 12
traditional shades of the past, and it is metres of fabric (amysomerville.com;
great to print on”. He offers Navaho 020 7586 2211)
and ikat prints on velvet cushions, as a
humorous take on East meets West. Above: Stardust armchair by Nika Above: stunning fabrics in the Festival Collection from
Elsewhere Anna Burns Studio has Zupanc for Sé, £4,638, upholstered in Mulberry Home include Dress Circle velvet, used to
produced digital representations of Pollen cut velvet by Neisha Crosland upholster the sofa, £129 a metre (gpjbaker.com)
precious stones on velvet’s surface. from Turnell & Gigon (se-collections.
And Sé has a significant offering of com; 020 7627 4282)
velvet on products from interior Left: linen and velvet geometric block cushion cover in
designers such as Nika Zupanc this Above right: Beetle dining chair in mandarin and grey, £65 from The Conran Shop
season. Included is a bi-coloured navy velvet by GamFratesi for Gubi,
textured velvet that widens the £689 at The Conran Shop Far left: Les Touristes peacock-printed velvet feather
appeal of the fabric. (conranshop.co.uk) cushion, £32 at Trouva (trouva.com)22 WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2016 EVENING STANDARD
Homes & Property | Our homes homesandproperty.co.uk
NEIL
AND
ROHAN
NO
MORE
ROOMS
— JUST
MORE
ROOM
Light and bright:
right, Neil and
Rohan’s kitchen-
diner was
extended further
into their garden;
far right, sleek
glass doors, the
generous skylight
and attractive but
functional garden
Neighbours with
double vision
Home improvements can be a real pain but get
some love from next door and it all becomes
much easier, says Ruth Bloomfield
S
OME neighbours go to war over Kate and Ben’s had a rear extension. The
home improvements but two neighbours’ opening gambit was to pre-
couples in east London collabo- pare a “simple” planning application to
rated on extending their homes, regularise this: Rohan and Neil’s kitchen
saving time, money and stress. would be extended further into their
Kate Egerton and her partner Ben Croft garden, Kate and Ben’s would be pushed
bought their late-Victorian terrace cottage out into the side return alleyway, while a
in Bethnal Green in 2010, and quickly first-floor extension would add space to
befriended neighbours Neil Shelford and both houses.
Rohan Pynor, who had lived in the prop-
erty next door since 2005. The council, however, rejected the applica-
Originally built as homes for local silk tion in December 2013, arguing that the
weavers, the houses were very charming upper-floor extensions were not in keep-
to look at but each covered less than ing with the character of the cottages. The
1,000sq ft — and they were rather dark. couples appealed and in summer 2014 a
By 2013 Kate, 31, and Ben, 39, had saved planning inspector overruled the council
enough money to think about extending and approved their plans.
their home. With thoughts of starting a The next move was appointing an archi-
family, they wanted to expand their tect. The couples had saved money by couple going ahead with their work first.
kitchen on the ground floor and extend using very basic plans for their initial If the other then changed their minds, the
the floor above, to move the bathroom application. Once it was agreed, they early starters would find themselves in
upstairs. However, Tower Hamlets plan- commissioned Ben Ridley, director of breach of their planning consent and at
ning officers warned them that similar Islington practice Architecture for Lon- serious risk of being forced to undo all
applications had been refused in the past, don, to fine tune their drawings. their work and restore their home to its
partly because of the impact of a double- The changes he made were submitted original state.
decker extension on adjacent homes. to the council as amendments to their
agreed planning permission — a quicker, Working at the same time meant there
Rather than attempt to sweet-talk the simpler process than reapplying for per- were savings to be had, from sharing scaf-
neighbours into accepting their plan, the mission and starting from scratch. folding and skips to going halves on
couple decided to try to persuade them Kate, Ben, Neil and Rohan commis- professional and legal fees, and using
to extend their home at the same time to sioned their builders separately, so each their doubled-up buying power to secure
“allay some concerns about light and would only be liable for the cost of work discounts on materials. It also meant
overshadowing”, says Ben. on their own homes. They also worked neither couple was disturbed by the oth-
Getting IT worker Neil, 44, and software separately with Ridley, who saw no rea- ers’ workmen, as they all moved out
engineer Rohan, 39, on board was sur- son for the adjoining homes to look too during the build.
prisingly easy. The neighbours went out matchy-matchy. By spring this year, work was advanced
for a drink, and over a glass of wine Neil Work began on site in August last year, enough for both couples to move home.
and Rohan agreed to join in and improve and carrying out work simultaneously is For Kate and Ben this was particularly
their own two-bedroom home. absolutely crucial on a joint build like this. urgent, since Kate was pregnant with
Both cottages had been extended in the The neighbours made their agreement their first child, Ira, now eight months.
past, in different ways. Rohan and Neil’s without a legal contract, and the night- The revamp of the cottages was high
place had a side return extension while mare scenario would have been one Space men: Neil and Rohan, above, ditched the hall to maximise the living area, top spec, and Kate and Ben spent £280,000
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