The new-look high street - Homes and Property
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Wednesday 8 July 2020
SALE TIME
Bargain homeware:
Page 17
The new-look
high street
Londoners want lively hubs that keep
communities together with new homes,
independent shops and workspaces
ADRIAN LOURIE
Pages 14 & 15
homesandproperty.co.uk
BEST LIFESTYLE NEWS SITE Winner 2020
14 WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 2020 EVENING STANDARD
Homes Property | New homes
Left: Aberfeldy
Village in Poplar,
where retail units are
offered to local
businesses free of
charge for a trial year
and flats at Oxbow
are priced from
£419,000
Right: flats at The
Brentford Project in
west London start
from £369,500. A
network of lanes is
being opened up
between the high
street, the Thames
and the River Brent
and there are new
shops and eateries
London’s future: the
post-lockdown village
The capital’s high streets were struggling even before Covid-19 but
our reluctance to travel could revitalise these precious community
hubs with new homes, workspace and local shops. By Anna White
L
ONDON’S flagging high verted to socially distanced flexible working THE NEW-LOOK HIGH STREET
streets could be saved by space, it could be revolutionary — something There are staple amenities that make every
a San Francisco-style between a public library and a Nineties high street relevant. “Childcare facilities,
street culture, with internet café.” health care centres and activities for senior
remote workers using Independent stores and experience-based citizens should be the bookends of the high
wi-fi workspace and shop- shops, such as open artisan workshops, are street,” says Tom Whittington, director at
ping locally. part of the solution to revitalise the high estate agent Savills. “It’s about creating the
After 40 years of invest- street, but the pandemic is set to accelerate right mix.”
ment into central business and retail dis- the “shop local” trend. According to UCL’s Tsivrikos, high street
tricts, such as Canary Wharf and the New research by financial services giant health care is key. “A GP surgery next to a
Westfield malls in Shepherd’s Bush and VISA reveals that 80 per cent of Londoners health food shop, a gym and a physio creates
Stratford, coronavirus lockdown has boosted polled during lockdown intend to shop in a wellbeing hub.” Pubs, clubs, libraries and
small shops as we work at home and buy local stores as much or more than they did gyms keep it busy day and evening.
what we need nearby. before the pandemic. “We must also provide entertainment for
A fear of future lockdowns and more peo- “We are social animals and the high street children,” says Tsivrikos. “High streets need
ple working from home will increase reli- needs to provide us with community,” says a sense of drama and theatre. Restaurants
ance on the “London village”. Paul Durkin, Professor Dimitrios Tsivrikos, consumer should offer workshops and cooking classes.”
head of retail for property specialists CBRE, psychologist at University College London. Architect Helena Rivera, founder of A
says: “Prior to Covid-19 we had struggling “After three months of confinement we Small Studio, has been running a public
shops on many high streets. If they are con- desperately need to chat to people.” consultation process in West Norwood High
Street, a centre she describes as very
neglected. She was struck by the great design
of a youth club by one young participant.
“Kids need somewhere on the high street to
hang out,” the teenager told her.
SMALL SHOPS, BIG DREAMS
The desire to support independent busi-
nesses has grown during lockdown. Chris
Daly, director at the new mixed-use Ram
HOMES &
Quarter scheme in Wandsworth town cen-
tre, is lining the new micro high street with
local traders to give it a “sense of identity”.
Indie businesses on site include Cordon PROPERTY
Bleu restaurant London Stock, Sambrook’s
Brewery, The Dapper Fox barber shop and ONLINE WORK LOCAL
Mai Thai Deli, a family-run restaurant. More Although remote workers could bring much-
Yoga has been closed throughout the lock-
Award-winning needed footfall to the high street, coffee
down but is looking to offer outside classes homesand shops are not the answer.
soon and the last few Saturdays have been property.co.uk “Coffee shops might not appreciate hordes
busy for street food operators Machi’s, serv- of workers using their wi-fi and overstaying
ing Argentinian barbecue food, and Pigling their welcome,” says CBRE’s Paul Durkin.
Street Butchery, selling posh pork baps. Libraries should double up as co-working
There’s a nursery and a bowling alley, too. spaces, suggests Ram Quarter’s Chris Daly,
“Small businesses with a strong local cus- while Tom Whittington of Savills recom-
tomer base, who really understand the area, mends tie-ups with food halls.
are a safer bet than big brands,” Daly says. The Goodsyard scheme by developer Bal-
There are two-bedroom apartments left at lymore, destined for Shoreditch, will come
Ram Quarter, priced from £754,000. For with a new high street underneath historic
details, email sales@theramquarter.com or railway arches that connect Shoreditch High
call 020 3751 3190. Street with Brick Lane. It will deliver 500
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 2020 15
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by New homes | Homes Property
ADRIAN LOURIE
High street artisan: Ronaldo Wiltshire who was a contestant
on The Great Pottery Throw Down 2020 on Channel 4, runs
pottery workshops at Create Space London in Willesden High
Road and at Chris Bramble’s studio in West Hampstead
Ingenuity succeeds: Willesden Green businesswomen
Joana Ferrage Of Hairitage salon, above, and Lily King, below,
who has a gift shop in Walm Lane. During lockdown, both
shops traded well online and have now reopened
Shoreditch: The floor units must be engaging, with active disused buildings. There’s already a grocer, A LESSON IN SURVIVING LOCKDOWN
Goodsyard scheme, store fronts, open studios and welcoming tailor, arts hub, a pub and a youth boxing HOMES & PROPERTY visited Willesden Green High Road in north-west
above, will create a bars and restaurants. They must be flexible gym on the high street. London last year, when it was named Rising Star in the Great British High
new high street as and adaptable and change to keep the high Close to Aberfeldy, Adams & Sutherland Street Awards. A year later, young local businesses are still going strong.
well as new homes street fresh. Once a shop has been converted Architects have transformed 100 disused Hairitage, a Space NK-style boutique selling products for textured hair,
and workspace into a home, that is all it can be.” garages into affordable studio space for local and Lily King, a gift shop, traded well online in the lockdown and have
Left: Ram Quarter Of course, a high street should be a place fashion designers. There are one- and now reopened. Joana Ferrage and her business partner Catia took to
in Wandsworth for living, working, making and playing, she two-bedroom apartments available at the Instagram and delivered hair products to local customers, while online
includes new homes continues. But it must be carefully planned. adjacent Oxbow scheme, also in Poplar. sales surged internationally. Lily’s boyfriend got on his bike and delivered
and a micro high The Brentford Project in west London is Prices start from £419,000 (ecoworldlondon. chocolates, headscarves and silk face masks to loyal customers.
street that a good example of homes and high streets com). There is one shared-ownership one-bedroom flat left for sale at
champions local feeding off each other. Roundwood Gate, a 10-minute walk from the high road. Buyers can
businesses As part of the 876-home scheme, covering MAKE OR BREAK TIME: IT IS ALL secure the flat with a deposit of £9,625. Call 020 2815 1234.
11.8 acres, the developer Ballymore will open ABOUT RENTS
new homes and the largest site of affordable up and reconnect a network of lanes As redundancies gather pace and high street A business in
workspace of any London development to between the high street, the River Brent and shops close, some landlords have helped bloom: Heidi
date, to cater for large corporates, start-ups the Thames. New outlets include Rye by the small businesses where they can. Soho Bradshaw at
and freelance workers. Water bakery and grill, and the classic car Estates will not charge rent until its opera- Daisy Chain
The scheme has been passed to London restorer, Duke of London. tors are properly trading again and the florists, at
Mayor Sadiq Khan for planning permission. Prices start from £369,500 for a one-bed- Grosvenor Estate waived rents in quarter Willesden Green
room apartment. Visit thebrentfordproject. two. Tube station in
HOMES ON THE HIGH STREET com or call 020 8569 7775. However the “piecemeal ownership struc- Walm Lane
To support the high street, Prime Minister In Poplar in Aberfeldy High Street, as part ture” across London high streets is a prob-
Boris Johnson has announced the conver- of the Aberfeldy Village scheme, retail units lem, says Helena Rivera. She advocates
sion of empty shops into homes without are being offered to local businesses free of tailoring rents depending on different rev-
planning permission, shocking much of the charge for a trial year as part of a high street enues, along with far more involvement
architectural community. overhaul. from councils.
“It misses the point of what the high street The new initiative is being run by devel- “Bigger businesses should be contributing
is about,” says Yolande Barnes, professor at oper EcoWorld with Meanwhile Space, a more, and small businesses less.” UCL’s
The Bartlett Real Estate Institute. “Ground- social enterprise that houses start-ups in Professor Tsivrikos agrees.
16 WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 2020 EVENING STANDARD
Homes Property | Stamp duty
£980,000: left, a
two-bedroom
duplex apartment
with roof terrace in a
modern boutique
scheme in Kentish
Town NW5. Savills
(020 7472 5000)
Let’s all go on
a stamp duty
holiday
A £15,000 saving on homes under £500k
will give many young Londoners the chance
to buy a place of their own. By Anna White
IVING young Londoners the saving of £15,000. At the luxury end of the £735,000: above, average first-time buyer in the capital pays last overhauled in 2014. Prior to that, the
G chance to save up to £15,000 in
stamp duty is a bid by the
Government to stoke the
housing market in the
coronavirus crisis.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak was set to raise
the exemption threshold for the tax today
market, purchasers who spend £1 million
on a property normally fork out £27,500 in
stamp duty. This will be slashed to
£12,500, according to Savills, where
analyst Lawrence Bowles said: “A stamp
duty holiday would be a welcome boost to
a market still in the early stages of
the stamp duty is set
to fall on this
two-bedroom,
two-bathroom flat
with a roof terrace in
Harbut Road, SW11,
near Clapham
£446,839 for a home, which will come in
under the new stamp duty threshold. The
average second stepper pays £685,721 to
upsize. In this case their stamp duty bill
would drop £15,000 from £24,286 to
£9,286.
controversial tax was operated as a slab
system. If a buyer crossed a price
threshold they would suddenly jump up a
tax band and be faced with a much
chunkier bill.
George Osborne, the then-Chancellor,
reformed the stamp duty system so that
from £300,000 to £500,000 with recovery. Junction. Savills (020 EASING THE HOMES SHORTAGE the cost went up incrementally, scrapping
immediate effect in his emergency “Buyers are facing a tougher lending 3428 2222) The reform is also an attempt to free up it entirely at the bottom end and raising it
summer Budget, as part of a raft of environment, with banks demanding more homes in a supply-stricken market. at the top.
measures to aid the fragile economy. higher deposits. Reducing the upfront cost Construction of new homes stopped in its For those buyers purchasing a property
Buying a home worth up to £500,000 of stamp duty would be a welcome help, tracks in March due to the Covid-19 worth more than £1.5 million their stamp
would usually incur stamp duty of up to especially to young Londoners struggling lockdown restrictions. This, in duty bill was hiked from seven per cent to
£15,000 but this cost will be scrapped for to save for their deposit, which is always combination with the need for workers to 12 per cent overnight.
six months under the new system. the stumbling block.” socially distance on site when building Some property experts claim this
In turn, stamp duty on a £750,000 house The overhaul is most relevant in London, resumed, has exacerbated the long- dampened sales of large family homes in
would fall from £24,286 to £9,286 — a where house prices are highest. The standing housing shortage. London and prevented people from
“A stamp duty holiday or reduction in the climbing up the ladder.
levy would encourage second steppers Although the housing market is in the
and downsizers to put their homes up for throes of a micro bounce as pent-up
sale and move on, freeing up housing demand is released after the lockdown,
stock and giving first-time buyers more there are fears that when the furlough
opportunities to get on the ladder,” says scheme ends in October property sales
Lawrence Bowles. may dry up once again.
Economist Nitesh Patel from the
Yorkshire Building Society agrees. “In the
current environment, any additional
support for home buyers would be
welcome news. Thinking of
“I expect more homes to come on to the
market, particularly between £300,000 moving? Start
and £500,000, as the stamp duty cut would
make them more likely to sell.” your search on
A BID TO BRING BACK
THE BORIS BOUNCE
This policy announcement is not wholly
unexpected and follows rumours that
circulated in the run-up to December’s
£475,000: it’s under the threshold, so there’ll be no stamp duty to pay on this recently renovated, bright and attractive General Election that Boris Johnson would
one-bedroom Edwardian flat, above, in Scott House, N7, above right, on the market with Marsh & Parsons (020 8022 5147) tackle the stamp duty system, which was
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 2020 17
homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Shopping | Homes Property
Hit the sales for a home makeover
Shops are open
again with huge
summer bargains.
Treat yourself
after lockdown,
says Barbara
Chandler
HIS is the summer of the
T big homeware sale.
Brands are slashing
prices to unload
merchandise that has
been sitting in shops and
warehouses for months.
Andrew Martin, the go-to Great bathroom buys: CP Hart in Waterloo has
fashionable store in Walton Street 40 per cent off elegant own-brand fittings including
has added an extra pop-up at 60 the popular Winchester bath, above, which was
Sloane Avenue, SW3, with £1,807.66, now £1,084.60 (cphart.co.uk)
reductions of up to 70 per cent
(andrewmartin.co.uk; 020 7225 Above: Snowdrop sofa in cotton
5100). The Futon Company, which matt velvet, Butterscotch, £1,840;
supplies furniture idea for small Taylor coffee table, now £590
spaces, has 60 per cent off stock in (sofa.com)
all branches (futoncompany.co.uk). Left: ex-display Latis chair, was £925,
Half-price or even 70 per cent off now £647 (conranshop.co.uk)
is the new normal, even at John
Lewis, usually more cautious. The off handmade British kitchens at
group’s Peter Jones in Sloane Harvey Jones in Battersea,
Square, SW1, has reopened, as will Fulham, Hampstead, Islington and
John Lewis in Oxford Street on July Sheen (harvey jones.com).
16. Visit johnlewis.com for details Yew Tree Designs, based in
of special buys and price cuts. Sussex, has up to 30 per cent off
Harrods has opened over two hand-painted kitchens (yewtree
floors in the space left by designs.co.uk). Used Kitchen
Debenhams at Westfield, W12, Exchange has seasonal deals on
where bargain homewares include “repurposed” and ex-display
linens, tablewear and accessories. kitchens already hugely reduced
Harrods says this is a concept Court Road, W1 and three other (usedkitchenexchange.co.uk).
store, not an outlet and has been London stores (sofaworkshop. Some stores are discounting all
designed for safe shopping, rather com). Prices are cut dramatically top brands. Find 20 per cent off
than modified. Customers are at MADE.com — online only for Tom Dixon and 25 per cent off
requested to “browse with your now. Vispring at Heal’s, plus year-round
eyes”. The furniture sale remains bargains at the outlet in Chiswick
in Knightsbridge, SW1. Go for quality fittings while they High Road, W4 (heals.com).
Meanwhile, House of Fraser has are cheap. Top bathroom store CP Chaplins has designer half-price
bargain classic white bed linen Hart, with the flagship in outdoor furniture, lighting and
and china (houseoffraser.co.uk). Waterloo, has 40 per kitchens for garden or patio, plus
cent off elegant 20 per cent off 180 luscious labels
Take own-brand fittings, (by appointment, 477-507 Uxbridge
advantage of including around £80 Rd, Pinner HA5; chaplins.co.uk).
the bargains to off the popular Ligne Roset in Mortimer Street,
give your home a Winchester W1, has up to 20 per cent off
new summer traditional free- cabinets and 15 per cent off
look — we need a standing bath, now upholstery (ligne-roset-westend.
refresh after £1,084 (cphart.co. co.uk). Niche UK designers doing
looking at the uk). Get 25 per cent deals include weaver Margo Selby
same things for (margoselby.com) and Italian-
three locked-down inspired artist/printer Susi
months. Cushions Bellamy (susi-bellamy.com).
and throws are
half price Check it all out with a new
everywhere. Plug in a lamp to “virtual” advice session at,
lift a gloomy corner, then add for example, The Conran
some new prints and Shop, Andrew Martin and
lightweight summer voile Heal’s. Or book an
curtains. Buy colourful glasses appointment in store at, say,
for the kitchen and a picnic SCP, where all new orders are
cloth for inside and out. 20 per cent off and ex-display
Change the sofa at Sofa.com upholstery has hardly been
with half price on selected touched (135-139 Curtain
fabrics and 20 per cent off all Road, EC2; scp.co.uk).
velvets until Monday — Ferret out more hardly
showrooms in Chelsea, touched ex-display and
Islington and Bankside. Sofa clearance at many stores and
Workshop has an ongoing Half price: Fleur chest of drawers, online. Be cheeky, says
clear-out, advising: “Keep now £275 (habitat.co.uk); top, Money Saving Expert
checking for overstocks and Orange Foliage velvet cushion, (moneysavingexpert.com),
clearance.” Open in Tottenham £65, RRP £105 (susi-bellamy.com) and ask for a bit more off.
18
19
20 WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 2020 EVENING STANDARD
Homes Property | Home working tech
Invest in top tech M
ANY of us have worked
from home for three
months and now face a
permanent shift to
and mouse. The Logitech K380
keyboard (£40; logitech.com) and
M350 mouse (£20) are ideal, look
good in rose, white or graphite and
for your new
regular home working use Bluetooth, so they work with
days. So it’s worth investing in the other devices, too. Pair with tablet or
little touches that will save you phone to type on small screens in
hunching over a laptop, despairing comfort.
when technology lets you down. On a hot day, the Dyson Pure Cool
home working life Many of us make do with the dining
table or a corner of a bedroom as a
home workspace, so seating is a
challenge, as there’s no space for a
Me purifier fan (£250; dyson.co.uk) is
compact, powerful, quiet and filters
the air. Dyson also offers a hot/cold
model for all seasons.
traditional office chair. Work better with a fast and reliable
Get your home working for you. Ergonomically, it’s good to take away into a flat box just as quickly. It’s internet connection. A “mesh” system
regular screen breaks and change made from sustainable birch ply and uses multiple units around the home,
Caramel Quin picks clever kit to your posture. If you can, use a has built-in stands for tablet and all with the same network name, so
kneeling stool for a couple of hours, phone. your devices connect effortlessly
save you from backache, switch to a dining chair, then switch And don’t hunch over your laptop. everywhere. The Netgear Orbi WiFi 6
back. The Varier Variable balans The top of your screen should be at AX6000 (from £180; netgear.co.uk)
overheating and tech (£289; varierfurniture.com) and Multi eye level and your forearms stretched offers a huge range of up to 4,000
balans (£579) look good enough that out, so hands comfortably reach the square feet, very high speeds and no
stress in your WFH you won’t want to hide them. Amazon keyboard. If you work from home on blackspots.
offers a similar Pro 11 kneeling stool a laptop, adapt your workspace Wth a simple back-up system you’ll
workspace for just £70 (amazon.co.uk). slightly for an instant ergonomic lift. never lose important files. The WD
If you need to use a quiet corner of a Start with a stand: the Twelve South My Book (from £92; shop.
bedroom, the Clever Closet 60 Sec Curve (£55; twelvesouth.com) westerndigital.com) is a portable
Desk (£149; clevercloset.co.uk) elevates and cools your hard drive that can back up
unpacks to make a simple workspace laptop. Then add a your files and save a copy
in a minute, with no tools. It packs wireless keyboard to your Dropbox account
in the cloud, for belt-and-
braces protection.
At the end of the
day pack away your
Left to right: Dyson office. Two clever
Pure Cool Me purifier solutions for this
fan; Twelve South are the
Curve laptop stand; Hotbox (from
Gustav storage centre; £30; behotbox.
Varier Variable balans com) and Gustav
Inset top right: the (£186; obolife.com/
Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 gustav).
AX6000
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