Wednesday 7 February 2018 Goodbye to Homes& the Allen key

Flat-pack furniture that just clicks Property Page 14

TOP-VALUE VILLAGES P8 AFFORDABLE HOUNSLOW P12 VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL P13, 16, 20 SPOTLIGHT ON SIDCUP P26 Making it home Creating communities: Page 6 WILL TINDALL 4 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | News

Trophy home of the week Prime location: planners are expected this week to approve 213 new riverfront homes at the South Bank’s London Television Centre, with just 22 “affordable” Just right for the gourmet sailor Failed again £4,495,000: this Buckinghamshire boathouse, converted into an ONDON built fewer than to City Hall, London should build beauty, a new six-bedroom home, annexe/guest suite. Floor-to-ceiling 7,000 affordable homes last 66,000 new homes every year to keep makes the most of its amazing setting glass, high ceilings and a cool, year, with more than a third pace with demand and some 60 per on the Cookham Reach stretch of the contemporary fit give an über-sleek of boroughs managing to cent — about 40,000 — should be afford- Thames at Bourne End. It’s set back feel to family and drawing rooms, offer under 100 new homes able. The worst-performing councils of from a private road at the end of a along with a monochrome kitchen/ forL people who can’t afford to buy or the year include Kensington & Chelsea, tree-lined drive behind electric gates. breakfast and dining room that even rent on the open market. where just seven affordable homes There’s ample space for a supercar opens to a riverside garden terrace. The Government figures fall far below were completed in the 12 months to or two, while gardens and decking at Nearby fine dining includes The Fat official estimates of the number of September last year according to the Lifechanger the back lead down to the riverbank, Duck at Bray and The Hand and subsidised homes needed. According Government’s new homes bonus allo- where you can moor the boat and Flowers in Marlow. Through Knight cation report, which calculates funding of the week relax in the beautiful former Frank (020 8012 3483). for new housebuilding. Merton managed to produce nine Be a Dales cabin Editor: affordable homes in the same period. rental mogul London Janice The most productive borough was Tower Hamlets, where 1,085 were deliv- buy of Morley ered. £399,950: sometimes, don’t you Across London, the report found the just want to jack it all in and move the VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk/ total number of affordable homes deliv- to a log cabin somewhere? Close rules for details of our usual ered was 6,762 — an increase of almost to the market towns of Bedale and week promotion rules. When you 18 per cent compared with the 5,734 Ripon in the glorious Yorkshire respond to promotions, offers or during the same period a year before, Dales is this cedar wood gem, Style competitions, the London Evening but still far below what is required to already doing very well as a Standard and its sister companies solve the capital’s housing shortage. holiday let. It sits in a two-acre counts may contact you with relevant Affordable homes are either built or plot with planning permission for in N22 offers and services that may be of bought by councils — and companies another five cabins. interest. Please give your mobile set up by councils — or housing asso- Beautiful views come free of number and/or email address if ciations, or provided by housebuilders charge in every direction and this £450,000: original wood floors, this level, while a master bedroom you would like to receive such as a planning condition for being able cabin has a cosy living room large windows and ample space and en suite have been carved out of offers by text or email. to build new homes. warmed by a log burner, a sleek make this Wood Green period the loft area. Both Wood Green and London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants kitchen/breakfast room, a dining conversion well worth a visit to N22. Turnpike Lane Tube stations are Editorial: 020 3615 2650 developers to designate half of new room and three bedrooms — two The chain-free, split-level flat spans within walking distance, along with Advertisement manager: homes as affordable. In reality, councils en suite — plus a large balcony two floors. A generous reception/ Wood Green High Street and Ann Finan attempt, with varying degrees of suc- that’s perfect for enjoying all that dining room has built-in shelves and shopping mall. Advertising: 020 3615 0266 cess, to squeeze them to provide about fresh air. Plenty of onward storage cupboards either side of an Through Greene & Co (020 8012 Homes & Property, Northcliffe 25 per cent. bookings for this year will help to exposed brick wall housing a 1772). House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, finance the big build. Through fireplace. A separate kitchen, London W8 5TT. O Find Ruth Bloomfield’s full story at Hunters (01765 774021). bedroom and bathroom are also on By Faye Greenslade homesandproperty.co.uk EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 5 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by News | Homes & Property

By Amira Hashish

Go on, James, make them an offer they can’t refuse Buy a bit of X Factor history É
A HOME in the smart Brand is selling No 23, cobbled mews where above, a cute cottage of É
DANNII MINOGUE’S London home of 13 years is for McMafia character Alex 1,158 gorgeously decorated sale. The Aussie actress and singer, right, lived in the Godman lives is for sale. square feet, with three Battersea riverside apartment while she was an X Factor London-born star of bedrooms and a garage. judge, the winning mentor of Leon Jackson in 2007 and the series James Norton, Yorkshire-raised Norton, Matt Cardle in 2010. During her time on the panel she had left, rumoured to be in who is dating actress a secret fling with Simon Cowell, according to journalist the running as the next Imogen Poots, lives in Tom Bower’s biography of the music mogul. James Bond, is seen Peckham but his TV The two-bedroom flat, above, in Plantation Wharf has strolling home to character is a south-west two private balconies. Arranged over the ninth floor, Cranley Mews near London man. there are fabulous views of the Thames and the London Gloucester Road in If you fancy following in skyline. Another lovely feature is the dual-aspect open- nearly every episode of his footsteps, you’ll need plan kitchen/reception room with floor-to-ceiling the BBC drama. Lurot £2.6 million. windows. Close to Clapham Junction station, Minogue’s old place is listed at £675,000 with John D Wood & Co. Got some gossip? Tweet@amiranews Raise a glass of Jacuzzi is in the Miley’s mix at DJ’s pad É
PARTY ANIMAL Eric Prydz scrubs merlot up well for a gig — and no wonder. The Swedish DJ’s former London rental party pad features a large Jacuzzi and a steam room. The stunning loft at Chiswick Green É
MILEY CYRUS has found a secret Studios is available for £890 per buyer for her home in Hidden Hills, week through John D Wood & Co. The California. The singer, left, paid minimalist, open-plan home is £3.5 million for the 5.5-acre estate flooded with natural light thanks to with its own vineyard in 2015, and oodles of floor-to-ceiling glass, but the 1,000-bottle cellar is stacked with electric blackout blinds ensure total house merlot. Built in 1954, the privacy when required. The kitchen 5,100sq ft rustic-style farmhouse has concrete worktops, there’s a comes with an outdoor pool and spa, dining/games room, two double stables and paddocks — but Cyrus, bedrooms with walk-in wardrobes 25, already has two other homes in and two super-sleek bathrooms. California and a place in Nashville. 6 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | New homes homesandproperty.co.uk powered by

THE PRICE OF DESIGN SUCCESS

THE King’s Cross regeneration unveiled it’s most spectacular component this week. Gasholders London, pictured left and right, a trio of listed canalside cast-iron gasholders, has 145 flats within, priced from £810,000. For a high-end luxurious option nearby, prices at The Plimsoll Building start at £1.8 million for a two-bedroom flat. At Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich, prices at Waterfront III, the latest phase, start at £462,500 for a Manhattan suite, £485,000 for a one- bedroom flat, rising to £570,000 for a two-bedroom flat. Five duplex penthouses launched recently, priced from £1.3 million for a two-bedroom home and £1.9 million for a 1,398sq ft three-bedroom with a direct river view.

PLACES IN THE MAKING Placemaking is about people As housebuilders gear up for spring 2018’s new homes launches, Emily Wright looks at £3.2 million: luxury apartments at 31-storey Canaletto Tower in City Road, in the emerging Tech City in EC1 the powerful influence of good placemaking

LACES have the power to heal. that they say, ‘So who is this develop- everyone happy.” Mark Davey is A badly designed urban space ment actually for? Why will people want founder of Futurecity, the placemaking can leave us feeling lost, to live here?’ But by then it is all too late. agency for Nine Elms’ creative district uneasy, isolated and unhappy, We tell the companies we work with to status and Knight Dragon’s £1 billion while well-designed districts block out a week at the beginning of Santiago Calatrava-designed cultural Pmake us feel safe, integrated and at their project and we hold a five-day hub at Greenwich Peninsula. Futurecity home. From the crucial layout of streets workshop to really think about what was also the broker that brought the and walkways to the provision of useful they should be delivering. English National Ballet to developer facilities, the key with design is to create “If you are about to develop a multibil- Ballymore’s 70,000sq ft City Island site a welcoming place where people not lion-pound project that will have a huge in 2015 and facilitated the partnership only want to come, but want to stay. impact on a high-profile city like Lon- formed in 2013 between the Royal Col- It sounds so obvious that it’s hard to don, you have to be very careful to get lege of Art and St James at Riverlight. understand why such a lot of town plan- it right. If you cannot give that week to “You look at future plans for Enfield, ning and housebuilding goes so wrong. seriously thinking about what you are White City and other major schemes It is far easier to find sloppy and depress- creating and who it is for, then you have and developers are talking with the ing domestic architecture in London a problem.” community,” says Davey. “This is key than it is to find worthwhile and satisfy- to delivering what people really want. ing building. Why don’t we give more SO WHO IS GETTING IT RIGHT? “If five people want a swimming pool thought to the end user, the new renter The good news is that there is growing and it doesn’t make economic sense, or owner, and the way the building will evidence of successful, large-scale they don’t have to deliver one right be used? placemaking in London; the regenera- away, but at least we are talking and A winter garden might sound exciting tion of Woolwich Arsenal, the Lon- listening to the people that matter. That and look sleek and modern in a bro- don Docks, the embryonic White City engagement will make all the differ- chure but when residents start putting and Clerkenwell, where old and new ence.” From £670,000: for a one-bedroom flat at White City Living, their washing there to dry, along with are integrated without fuss, to name a W12, set in eight acres of green open spaces (020 3797 2966) their bikes and children’s toys, the build- few. Places where the traditional back- O Emily Wright is features and global ing starts to look and feel chaotic and bone of housing and office development editor at Estates Gazette. shabby. is complemented by the right surround- “Many developers will describe a new ing infrastructure — community meet- project in terms of square feet without ing places, schools, a good mix of shops, being able to articulate how many peo- cultural hubs and transport links. Thinking of ple will actually live and work there at Andrew Taylor of architects Patel Tay- moving to a the end of the build,” says David Two- lor, masterplanner behind the new hig, the former chief development London Docks and White City schemes, new-build home? officer and head of design at Battersea says placemaking goes beyond the Power Station — arguably one of the creation of a good local vibe. “King’s Start your search most ambitious and challenging exam- Cross is a fantastic example of a new ples of placemaking currently under place with amazing public realm and on way in London. He has since left to set great curation of events, but there is an up a consultancy called Wordsearch element of some places relying on Place, to work with developers and help manufactured activity. them deliver better places. “True placemaking must be in the Gateway: The Optic Cloak, 160ft tall, encloses a low-carbon “Often it is only when they come to design — it should not need someone energy centre to power 15,000 Greenwich Peninsula homes sell the scheme and need a brochure planning an events programme. It keeps EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 7 New homes| Homes & Property

Old and new: The Officers’ House at Royal Arsenal Riverside with the development’s new towers behind

‘Our restaurant’s part of the Royal Arsenal scene’

RIGELS TUFA and his partner Dominique Walker opened a restaurant last year at Berkeley Homes’ Royal Arsenal Riverside development in Woolwich, where they’ve also lived since 2015. It’s a prime example of a major developer working with a fresh, young company to create a better place for the people who both live and work on the scheme, and for those who choose to visit or are just passing through. The couple’s new restaurant launched off the back of the success of Rigels’s luxury catering company Con Gusto which was established in 2014 and operates across London. Serving Italian cuisine as well as the occasional sushi night, Con Gusto Restaurant is located on the banks of the river in one of

the site’s two historic “pepper pot” JULIET MURPHY buildings, originally riverside guard Eat in a pepper pot: Rigels Tufa’s restaurant is in an old Royal Arsenal guard house houses dating from 1815, when the Royal Arsenal was a facility for show the whole community here pepper pot as a potential space and armament design and what we can do. it was a great fit. manufacture. “We’re always on the lookout for “We loved bringing the building Dominique says: “We were something a bit different and this is back to life. It has a contemporary, recommended Royal Arsenal the perfect home for our restaurant. natural feel to it with a soft industrial Riverside by a friend who was “The community here really dining area and rustic exposed already living here. appreciates independent businesses brickwork, combined with an open “What really persuaded us to move and they’re so engaged. kitchen, so that customers can here was the village feel — it’s rare to “Berkeley Homes has been one watch the chefs while they work find a welcoming community like hundred per cent supportive of our their magic.” this in London and it has made a plans. When we moved here we huge difference to our lives and our hadn’t really even considered a O Visit congustocatering.co.uk for business. We’re so excited to finally restaurant but they showed us the more information. 8 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Commuting

Hotspot: a chilli- IRST-CLASS schools, rolling HASSOCKS eating contest in countryside on the doorstep, WEST SUSSEX Fleet, Hants, the affordable homes and a Average property price: £485,380 runner-up in our chance to join a bustling local Price increase since 2007: 51 per cent featured survey community drive price growth Average price for a house: £542,422 on top-value Fin the commuter belt. Journey time: 47 minutes. commuter towns Fleet in Hampshire clearly possesses SET in the sweet spot halfway between all key requirements, driving up prices London and Brighton, Hassocks is the by an impressive 14 per cent year on gateway to some of West Sussex’s pretty year, according to new research from villages, conveniently located right on Hamptons International. Hassocks, in the tip of the South Downs. West Sussex, and Woking, in Surrey, Hassocks is no rural idyll. Its high have performed almost as well, with street is pleasant but suburban, sur- prices up 13 per cent last year. rounded by mostly Thirties bungalows In this penultimate instalment of and Fifties semis. But Charlie Daven- Homes & Property’s list of the 20 towns port, senior branch manager at Hamp- and villages within an hour’s commute tons International, says that as more of London that perform best in terms Brighton and London exiles arrive, the of rising values, affluent Fleet emerges village is changing. “The high street is

ALAMY as runner-up. getting some really good independent Hassocks, gateway to the south coast, retailers and a fantastic cycling café.” and Woking, with its fantastically Buyers come to Hassocks for value, speedy journey to the capital, take joint then funnel what they save into private third place. schooling. A three-bedroom semi would cost about £375,000, while a four-bed- FLEET room executive home on the fringes HAMPSHIRE would start at £800,000. Average property price: £410,145 Price increase since 2007: 33 per cent Hassocks station also serves the village Average price for a house: £516,853 of Hurstpierpoint, with its high street of Journey time: 40 minutes traditional butcher, baker, fishmonger, THIS little town is regularly at the top of a great wine shop, a bistro and several the annual Halifax “quality of life sur- pubs. Its other great asset is “outstand- vey”. Local employment levels are far ing” St Lawrence CofE Primary School. above the UK average, as are earnings, There are senior schools in Hassocks and as a result the shops in Fleet Road, itself, Cuckfield and Burgess Hill. You’ll the “high street”, are thriving, with pay about £500,000 for a two-bedroom independents among the usual suspects character cottage in Hurstpierpoint and a regular Saturday street market. centre, or from £800,000 for a four- Fleet Pond nature reserve is lovely and bedroom detached house. there is a good town leisure centre. Quieter and prettier Ditchling, one Annual events include a food festival, of the best villages in southern England, half marathon and beer festival, and has stunning period houses, great pubs pretty local villages have good pubs. and a village school, Ditchling (St Mar- The schools are excellent, particularly garet’s) CofE Primary, rated “good” by for younger children. Fleet Infant Ofsted. You could get a pretty cottage School, Elvetham Heath Primary, for about £500,000, but a four-bed- Tweseldown Infants, Church Crookham room house here carries a premium. Juniors and Heatherside Infant School Expect to pay £1 million to £1.2 million all hold “outstanding” Ofsted reports. for a good-looking family home. For seniors, Court Moor School and Calthorpe Park School both get “good” THE reports from the schools watchdog. OUTPERFORMERS As well as good train services the M3 is close by for drivers. These good com- muter links, strong schools and the town’s good looks all play a part in Fleet’s success, says Richard Lake, a All eyes on director of Vickery estate agents. “A good range of property means that once people have moved to Fleet they tend to stay, working their way up in the town Ruth Bloomfield £900,000: rather than moving on.” above, a dream A good-quality Victorian semi in the reveals the villages 500-year-old town centre would cost £375,000- listed detached £400,000, but everyone aspires to the sharing the glory cottage with four “Blue Triangle” — tree-lined streets just bedrooms at north of Fleet Road with large detached in our survey of the Crookham houses in big gardens, mostly from the Village, Fleet. Twenties and Thirties. They aren’t top-value London Through Strutt & cheap — £1 million would buy a four- to Parker (01256 five-bedroom home in the triangle. commuter hotspots 226056)

Quality of life: the thriving town centre in affluent Fleet has small independent shops and a regular Saturday

FLEET street market EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 9 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Commuting | Homes & Property

Far left: Hassocks, a gateway town to the villages of rural West Sussex, left, is seeing good independent retailers arrive as more London exiles move in ALAMY REX ALAMY

Above: Woking Town Square, war memorial and Christ Church. The town centre is getting £460m regeneration

£675,000: left, a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Woking. Call Curchods (01483 660039) the commuter prize

WOKING Lower School and St John the Baptist SURREY Catholic comprehensive school are Average property price: £469,033 rated “outstanding” by Ofsted. Price increase since 2007: 55 per cent Buyers interested in Woking will have Average price for a house: £613,052 to take the architectural pain because Journey time: 24 minutes in the Eighties and the Noughties the SURREY has more than its fair share of town was blemished by a series of really posh, polished commuter dormitory bland, boxy housing developments that towns where golf club membership and dominate the lower end of its property a four-wheel drive seem to come as market. If you want looks as well as standard. Woking is not one of them. affordability, you could pick up a two- to It’s dull… but there is hope. three-bedroom Victorian cottage in Old It does have a London commute of Woking for about £400,000. A budget less than half an hour, and very afford- of £550,000-£750,000 would buy a able homes compared to the likes of roomy three-bedroom Victorian or Guildford. However, the dreary high early 20th-century semi-detached street has low-rent shops, while the house near the town centre, or a property stock is a mixed bag. detached house with four bedrooms on The town centre is in the process of a modern development such as Brook- being sorted thanks to a £460 million wood Farm. regeneration project. Work has begun on Victoria Square and by 2020 the Affluent commuter suburbs nearby, town will have a new shopping centre including Hook Heath, offer detached — Marks & Spencer has already signed Arts & Crafts houses with large gardens, up. There will also be two new squares, priced from £900,000-£1 million. And a hotel and more than 400 new flats. Woking does have the odd private estate Regeneration aside, Woking already — this is Surrey after all. A rambling has plenty of neighbourhood restau- trophy house in an address such as The rants and pubs, a theatre, leisure centre, Hockering could cost well over £3 mil- and a park with swimming pool and lion, while it would be equally easy to sports facilities. Added to that its schools spend £2 million on a barn conversion are mostly high achieving — Knaphill or a manor house on the outskirts. 10 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Homes abroad

£515,000: a renovated one-bedroom £530,000: a three-bedroom apartment at Piazza Pitti with flat in a historic courtyard building a large roof terrace offering glorious views of some of near Ponte Vecchio (gate-away.com) Florence’s great architectural gems (gate-away.com) The Italian city of love Enjoy a lock-up-and-leave flat in breathtaking Florence. You’ll have no trouble letting it, says Cathy Hawker ALAMY

LORENCE is a city of five-star beauty. Brunelleschi, the architect of the Duomo, has been There’s intense Italian style in its narrow divided into 18 apartments. A one-bedroom home streets and austere stone buildings, from here of 645sq ft is for sale priced £490,000 and a the aromatic 600-year-old Farmaceutica two-bedroom loft on the fourth floor, with lift, is di Santa Maria Novella perfumery to the £2 million, both through Knight Frank. foodF shops piled high with Parmesan cheese and “Finding homes finished to the best interna- olive oil, to the perfect displays of Renaissance art tional standard is not always easy and they tend and architecture. to sell quickly when they come to the market,” Visitors come not only to see the work of says Knight Frank’s Amy Redfern. “In general Michelangelo, Donatello, Brunelleschi and Botti- British buyers do not want the hassle of doing celli, but also to indulge their own creative pas- renovations themselves — although our Tuscany sions, says Amy Redfern of Knight Frank. “Florence team do help with many mainly larger villas on is a great place to do a painting, cookery or writing the outskirts of Florence.” course, learn a language or study a craft,” she says. “The world-famous Florentine School of Leather O Knight Frank: knightfrank.com has leather making, language and culture courses O Gate-away: gate-away.com in its ancient courtyard behind the Basilica di Santa O Casa Travella: casatravella.com Croce for six months or a year. “It’s a walkable city with scores of restaurants and you can live there at a relatively low cost. It has its own international airport, easy access to Tuscan countryside, skiing within two hours, or the fabulous Ligurian coast within 90 minutes.” Florence also offers a long and reliable rental season. “The market for lock-and-leave to four- bedroom apartments in the centre of Florence is fairly strong, a reflection perhaps of the popularity of Airbnb-style rentals,” adds Redfern. “Owners can use their apartments for a month themselves and still get a good rental return.”

WHERE TO BUY Magnificent retreat: Four Seasons Hotel Firenze International buyers focus on the prime city centre around elegant Via Tornabuoni or more afford- A PLACE TO STAY able Santo Spirito south of the River Arno. Flor- FOUR SEASONS HOTEL FIRENZE ence’s most decorative and important street, Via PACKED with intriguing boutiques and workshops, Tornabuoni is full of top-end designer shops and Florence is one of Europe’s most walkable cities. But not surprisingly, property prices here are steep. when the crowds of photo-hungry tourists become Cross the Ponte Vecchio, the “Old Bridge”, to the too much, the chance to retreat to the tranquillity of Arno’s southern bank, and the atmosphere is a private city garden is especially welcome. One of youthful and property more affordable. Santo Florence’s very finest — certainly the largest — is at Spirito is in the creative Oltrarno neighbourhood, the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, a brisk 15-minute traditionally home to artisans and still buzzing with walk north from the historic centre. studios and workshops. Buildings tend to be The 500-year-old palazzo is magnificent, with quirkier, smaller and narrower and there are plenty Carrara marble, exquisite frescoes and a wondrous of intimate bars and restaurants. Yet in such a Renaissance art collection, but the 11-acre walled compact city, the centre is a short stroll away. garden, the Giardino della Gherardesca, is a Expect to pay from £445,000 for a top-quality magical retreat with tall trees, tiny wildflowers, two-bedroom flat in Spirito Santo or for a one- rare plants, statues, fountains and temples. bedroom flat near Via Tornabuoni. A new two- The Four Seasons Firenze has 116 generously bedroom flat with locally crafted carpentry in a sized rooms and suites, all indulgently layered up modern building on the southern bank of the Arno with silk and velvet. The spa is Florence’s biggest is £667,000 through Knight Frank and most relaxing, while service and food — Italian property specialist Casa Travella has a including a Michelin-star restaurant — hit Four well-renovated two-bedroom flat close to the Ponte Seasons’ legendary levels. Vecchio for £365,000, while a 1,022sq ft three-bed- room flat close to the Boboli Gardens is £355,000 O Prices at the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze start with Gate-away.com. from £310 a night based on two people sharing a Across the Arno close to the Uffizi Gallery in the Premier Room, excluding breakfast and VAT. To heart of historic Florence, beautiful 15th-century book, visit www.fourseasons.com/florence or call Palazzo Bardi, with a courtyard designed by +39 055 26261. 12 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | First-time buyers

OW that first-time buyers don’t have FUTURE LONDON to pay stamp duty on homes valued up to £300,000, an unexpected spot- light has fallen on Hounslow, one of the few places left in London with homesN that qualify for stamp duty exemption. It’s an ideal place to find a starter home — if you can Fly west tolerate aircraft noise. It’s under a Heathrow flightpath and the airport is four miles away. Thanks to all those planes, Hounslow, on the Piccadilly line, has been a Cinderella neighbour- hood for years. Now its fortunes are set to change to dodge thanks to a major regeneration programme. At the moment, if you love Poundland and TK Maxx you’ll easily feel at home in Hounslow. You have to head for Richmond, three miles east, to find decent shopping, café culture and nightlife, stamp though even there you won’t escape planes. To compensate for Hounslow’s lack of glamour you can find a two-bedroom flat for just under £300,000, a modest house for about £330,000, while between now and 2025 some 3,900 new duty homes will be built, 40 per cent of which will be aimed at first-time buyers and young renters. New homes for less than

HOMES, SHOPS, CINEMA AND SPORT £300,000 and a major Alongside these homes will be some careful place- making with new shops, bars and restaurants, a revamp will attract young multiscreen cinema and even space to play beach volleyball as those aircraft roar overhead. Londoners to Hounslow — One of the largest projects is the £410 million revamp of the former Hounslow Civic Centre site despite the aircraft noise, in Lampton Road. Notting Hill Housing is building 919 new homes across 10 buildings designed by says Ruth Bloomfield

architects Sheppard Robson. Half of the homes New homes with will be affordable, ring-fenced for those priced out benefits: above of London’s property market. Meanwhile, a new and right, Barratt’s civic building including a library and café is being High Street built nearby by developer Linkcity. Work started Quarter, on 88 Lampton Road last year and the first 160 Hounslow, will homes will be ready this autumn. This first phase have hundreds of of homes will all be affordable, with rental proper- new homes with ties being offered to people on Hounslow council’s Help to Buy housing waiting list. Shared-ownership homes will available, plus be on the market next year. sporting facilities, Despite creating almost 1,000 homes the only new shops, new amenity this development will have is a café. eateries and a However, Akin Adenubi, of Notting Hill Housing, cinema believes the central location and design will suc- cessfully knit the scheme into the local commu- nity. “We back on to 40-acre Lampton Park and there will be roads to the park — this is not some is the development that will make or break regen- sort of gated community.” Residents will be less erated Hounslow. than half a mile from Hounslow Central Tube sta- When a multitude of different developers moves tion, on the Piccadilly line in Zone 4, and equally in, there must be some serious joined-up thinking close to the high street and shops. on how to rejuvenate the wider area for all the new residents. Despite repeated prompting, RENTAL HOMES NEAR THE TUBE however, Hounslow borough council appeared Meyer Homes plans to build 293 rental homes at unable to say how several million pounds from London Road close to Hounslow East Tube sta- its own coffers and from the Mayor’s Outer Lon- tion, with 38 affordable for those who can’t afford don Fund is being spent on improving the town market rents. The homes will be ready to move centre — which suffers, in the authority’s own into late next year. There will also be commercial words, from “run-down streets and a lack of well- space on the site, although it hasn’t been decided defined public space”. whether this will be offices, shops, restaurants, or a mixture of all three. TARGETING YOUNG LONDON Hounslow East station — also Piccadilly line, BUYERS WITH ASPIRATIONS Zone 4 — is a five-minute walk away. There is little Nathan Smith, Barratt’s senior project manager, that can be done about the constant roar of air- sees an exciting future for the area. A not-for- craft but it reminds you how close Heathrow is profit arm of Barratts will continue to manage the when you want to catch a plane. site once the workmen have moved out, and Smith The shops and eateries of London Road are on is currently discussing with local people what the doorstep, including Indian restaurants that amenities they feel they need, from crèches to are excellent and good value. But there are too Christmas markets. Some sort of gym facility will many charity shops and pawnbrokers. be provided, and Smith promises the letting of new shops to cater for the affluent young buyers A NEW ‘QUARTER’ of new flats. Barratt London is building 311 private flats and 216 affordable homes in four buildings at High Street Quarter, Hounslow. They will be launch- ing in spring. No prices are given as yet but Barratt has confirmed that all will be eligible for Help to Thinking of moving to Buy London, which means a price cap of a regeneration area? £600,000. The first residents will be able to move in during autumn next year, and the three-acre Start your search on site, close to Hounslow Central station, will be completed by 2021. This site will be far from simply a commuter dormitory. As well as homes there will be a new 10-screen cinema plus shops, cafés, restaurants and a new square with space for sports including beach volleyball and kabaddi, a high-octane game of tag that’s the national sport of Bangladesh. This EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 13 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Art events | Homes & Property

Left: a ART IN chromogenic colour print by photographer RESIDENCE Thomas Ruff, among 170 works in the book The Art of the Erotic Kate Gordon

A spot of quiet Valentine’s contemplation IF YOU’RE looking for a bit of quiet in shades of grey and white. The Below: Phryne time during Valentine’s week, head artist uses specially made index by Francesco straight for Tara Donovan’s new cards that are treated with a UV Barzaghi is show at Pace Gallery in Burlington coating and then stacked, left to right estimated to Gardens, Mayfair W1, running until in these frames. Some feel more fetch £400,000- March 9. mathematical, some more graphic — £600,000 at the At first glance, these wooden box- but it’s a quietly meditative show that Sotheby’s sale, like structures from the New York- packs a punch. Erotic: Passion & born sculptor seem to fall Known for taking everyday objects Desire, on Feb 15 somewhere between sculpture and and transforming them into art, painting. Look more closely and Donovan is most intrigued by “what you’ll see that each one contains happens beyond the image”. We stacks of cards, densely packed, advise you to look at the works, then which create the colours and shapes look again. Visit pacegallery.com

Put the heart in art For little angels Sex sells — just ask Sotheby’s HUSBAND-AND-WIFE founders of FOR a certain artistic frisson this events are free but you need to book Eames Fine Art gallery in Bermond- Valentine’s Day, head to Sotheby’s through eventbrite.co.uk. Visit sey Street, SE1, Vincent and Rebecca for the Erotic: Passion & Desire sothebys.com for more information. Eames are so passionate about prints sale on February 15 (see Page 20 in they’ve launched a “collectors club” today’s Homes & Property). It is THE BOOK OF LOVE in nearby 54 Tanner Street, with fascinating to see how the likes of CONTINUING with the Valentine’s artists’ talks, film screenings and Picasso, Klimt and Man Ray theme we have three copies to give demos. Every other Saturday there’s explored their own — and society’s — away of The Art of the Erotic an open studio, where people can erotic boundaries. (Phaidon, £59.95) with an see how prints work in an informal or Chiming with the sale, the auction introduction by The Amorist and domestic setting, or chat with other house in New Bond Street, W1, is former Erotic Review editor collectors over a glass of fizz. DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY in holding a series of events on Sunday Rowan Pelling. The couple concentrate on artists south London is marking Valentine’s February 11. There is a life drawing This glamorously packaged, with a large body of work available in Day with children in mind, as it falls class with Dan Whiteson at 11am; chronological look at desire print, eg Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso at half term this year. Events include London-based artist and designer through the ages, from frankly and Chagall. The offering ranges morning workshops for three to 16 Luke Edward Hall will be speaking eyebrow-raising Pompeii frescoes from 14th century to present day. year-olds, from making collage from 12.45 as part of a panel on to more recent works by Lucian Chagall’s Adam and Eve Banished portraits of pets to creating pop-up homosexuality in art, and former Freud and Louise Bourgeois, would from the Garden of Eden, above, is Valentine’s cards, to a “wearable Sunday Times Style magazine dating make a great gift for any art or book from 1960. On February 10, the next wings” session on February 15/16 columnist Dolly Alderton will read lover. The cover, inspired by Lucio studio day, there’s a Valentine’s when costume makers show how to from her new book, Everything I Fontana and highly suggestive, Special with a range of heart-inspired create your own personalised wings, Know About Love, from 2.45pm. hints beautifully at what lies within. prints, with all profits to benefit the inspired by the paintings of angels Not to be missed is Sotheby’s head For a chance to win a copy, email Evelina London Children’s Hospital in and cherubs in the gallery. See of photographs, Brandei Estes, in your name and address to homes SE1. Prices start at £300 unframed. dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk conversation with renowned [email protected] with Visit eamesfineart.com for details. photographer Rankin at 3.45pm. All “Erotic” in the subject line. 14 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Design

Click fit: Ikea’s new wedge dowel, said to cut assembly time by 50-80 per cent A en keys! New click-together ENTERS rejoice. Ikea furni- meaning “involvement” in Swedish ture now has a wedge dowel — described as the company’s “most furniture banishes that makes it quicker and challenging yet”. Designed with Lon- easier to assemble and take don’s Tom Dixon Studio and 75 design flat-pack rage. It’s apart — without an Allen key students, in a kit of 25 parts, it has an inR sight. The news comes as a three-part aluminium frame and tubular legs that ideal for renters, says BBC 2 series launched last night. Flat- click together, with screws only to hold pack Empire takes a behind-the-scenes them rigid. You then click on whatever Barbara Chandler look at the success of the Swediish fur- parts you wish — backrests, and/or side niture giant, which opened its first UK arms, small tables, lighting and so on. store 30 years ago. Basic Delaktig is affordable, and Ikea’s dowel looks like a timber screw. supremely versatile to suit change of Its milled, precision-cut grooves fit use in a room. Prices start from £55 for snugly into pre-drilled holes in, for an armrest to £405 for a three-seater example, the back of a tabletop. It’s a “platform”. click-fit system, so you don’t need any tools, and it is said to cut assembly THE QUALITY’S THERE times by 50 to 80 per cent. Industry experts say the savings made It is already being used for the Eket by flat-pack furniture do not come from small table, Regissör cabinets and the lower production costs but by dra- Lisabo table and stool. Arriving in matically reducing the price of trans- April is Ikea’s versatile Platsa click- port and warehousing. together wardrobe system. “People think flat pack means inferior furniture,” says Matthew Long, senior CLICK-TOGETHER SOFAS furniture and upholstery designer for The company says the new joint means Habitat. “But quality furniture can you can dismantle furniture easily and also come in designs that are easy and reassemble it somewhere else. “Every- quick to put together and take apart.” one from solo renters to families needs His new lightweight Nadia bed, priced furniture that is flexible and portable,” £550, is handmade from Indonesian says Ikea creative leader Jim Futcher. rattan and comes in four pieces that Ikea also has a bigger trick up its are held together by simple clips. sleeve. Just arrived in store is an ambi- The Holding Company sells a super-easy to assemble. Visit thehold- Taking the “flat” out of flat pack: tious sofa system called Delaktig — chrome-framed storage system that is ingcompany.co.uk. From £35 at Argos, Woolwich-based RCA graduate Nick find fabric wardrobes with canvas roll- Rawcliffe’s sculptural, ergonomic up covers over slot-together frames. Tupac chair costs £249 and comes in Or consider furniture that folds flat 18 parts, precision-milled from birch for storage and transport. New on the ply, that simply slot together and can market is FoldSmart’s folding ward- be taken apart easily. Other pieces robe system, with a no-frills design in include a hanging chair and a new several finishes — visit foldsmart.co. sofa, both of which concertina flat uk. Pieces simply unfold with slot-in (rawstudio.co.uk; 07711 604323) back and clip-on hinged doors, and can be assembled “in minutes”, it is claimed. Smart storage: fold-flat wardrobes No sweat: left, the two-seater Juno A single wardrobe unit 40cm wide costs simply unfold in situ. From £234 modular sofa, priced £649, is easy to £234. Finally, the Muji foldable light- (foldsmart.co.uk; 020 7043 2199). move around and arrives with you weight oak veneer table is arriving at Matching pieces available fully assembled. Extra pieces cost the end of the month, in two sizes, £250 £229-£249. From made.com and £295. See muji.eu for more. 16 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Valentine’s interiors Retro sexual Saucy or sweet? The choice is yours when you bring home that lovin’ feeling, says Barbara Chandler ◄ CHEEKY 50s Housewives wallpaper by Brighton artist Emily Dupen from Dupenny Illustration and Design is inspired by mid-century pin-up art and the days of seamed stockings and suspenders. It’s 52cm wide and £180 per 10-metre roll or £75 for a three-metre panel (dupenny.com; 01273 571001).

► INSPIRED by The Temptation of Saint Hilarion, above right, a painting at The Wallace Collection in W1, Temptation homeware from Melody Rose includes this cup and saucer, £36 (melodyrose.co. uk; wallacecollectionshop.org).

► SEXED-UP china by London designer Tina Tsang is seen in posh eateries including Sketch in Mayfair. Intricate Victorian lace and the “legs” on a vintage powder puff started it all off. The Blaue Blume ice cream dish, far right, is £45. At £37.90 each are tea and espresso cups and saucers, and a teapot is £65 (undergrowthdesign.com). EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 17 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Valentine’s interiors | Homes & Property

► GLAM lip cushions in fine wool needlepoint with velvet backs cost £165 each at Jonathan ▼ LONDON designer Melanie Roseveare, ◄ IN THE Adler in Sloane Avenue, SW3 (020 7589 whose brand name is Melody Rose, screen- workshop 9563) and Westbourne Grove, W11 (020 7727 prints surreal images on to fine bone china beneath Jimmie 0600) Visit uk.jonathanadler.com and, as here, on velvet cushions, priced £85 Martin, the each. Her work was selected for the Kensington HQ of prestigious international trends feature at the Jimmie Karlsson Maison et Objet trade fair in Paris last month and Martin (melodyrose.co.uk). Nihlmar, the interior design duo produce some of London’s most outrageous original furniture. Their stand at last month’s Maison et Objet lifestyle and decor fair in Paris was love on acid, a mad mash-up of hearts, arrows, flowers and Renaissance imagery on cupboards, chests, lamps, textiles and accessories. “I guess we’re just in love with love,” says Karlsson, who hand paints most ▲ COULD teatime be more romantic? of the furniture. This Kissing Couple design is screen This Renaissance printed on to handmade fine bone mannequin floor china with luxurious touches of real lamp is £3,700 gold in Stoke-on-Trent. Kissing Couple ◄ THIS delicate-looking but strong chair (Kensington Tea for Two set is £235, or a large featuring a heart-shaped back, crafted Church St, W8; teapot is £74; teacup and saucer £36 in iron and with a painted distressed jimmiemartin. each; side plate £32 each; cream jug finish, is £135 with free delivery from Out com; 020 7938 £35 (melodyrose.co.uk; 07984 166227). There Interiors (outthereinteriors.com). 1852). 20 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Auction homesandproperty.co.uk

Very blue indeed: above, Venus Bleue, a resin and plaster figure by Yves Klein, is estimated to fetch £50,000-£70,000 at Sotheby’s; above right, lot 39 is The Sluggard by Frederic, Lord Leighton, estimated at £18,000-£25,000 Love in the saleroom Want to buy a love token? An auction of erotic art at Sotheby’s in Mayfair is launched for Valentine’s Day, says Philippa Stockley

ERE’S an idea for Valentine’s couple meeting in the street, a dog playful Day: ditch the red roses and at their heels. Then the couple go inside take your beloved to see and make whoopee. Moulded well over something raunchy. The 1,000 years ago, this fascinating piece of Sotheby’s auction, Erotic: history is estimated at £20,000- HPassion & Desire, is on next Thursday £30,000. and is just the place to buy a love token Not quite as old, but a true one-off, is that’ll grace your home. So put up your Lely’s c1660 life-size oil portrait of hand for love and bid away. There’s also Elizabeth Trentham, Viscountess Cul- an online auction with cheaper work. Or len, as Venus. The voluptuous, inde- you can just go for a look — it’s free. pendently wealthy aristocrat lies naked The auction house held its first “erotic” on a rumpled sheet. Total nakedness in sale last year, raising more than expected a portrait was then unheard of, although, at £5 million. Among many striking lots, looking at her curious right-hand side, Marc Quinn’s Siren, a gilded bronze perhaps Lely was forced to resort to his sculpture depicting supermodel Kate imagination a bit. Either way, this Moss in a yoga pose, sold for £70,000. enchanting picture of an avowed libertine This year’s 90 very varied lots again is very rare, and valued at £80,000- The full monty python: above, lot 18, offer the chance to buy a real conversa- £120,000. Richard Avedon’s Nastassja Kinski and tion piece for your home. A few lots are the Serpent, is expected to fetch very frank, but many are romantic and YOU’VE GOT TO LAUGH between £50,000 and 70,000 tender, while others are hilarious. Works Picasso’s take on nudity in this sale is range from ancient Roman sculpture to sweet and funny. Three seated women an important 17th-century oil painting, gossip, apparently oblivious to being to ultra-modern photography. There are starkers. Lot 7, Trois Nus Assis was done pieces by a dazzling array of world-class in 1967 in crayon when the artist was 86. plex, striking and thought-provoking artists, including Sir Peter Lely, Picasso, Its lovely, relaxed lines make this very rather than provocative. Right at the Matisse, Yves Klein, Man Ray, Rankin desirable. The estimate is £180,000- other end of the price scale, but sure to and Tracey Emin. £250,000. Also great fun is 20th-century fuel interest, is the first ever Playboy Despite the catalogue keyword “Erotic” Surrealist photographer Man Ray’s Mr magazine, from 1953. Astute Hugh — and, yes, much for sale is unabashedly and Mrs Woodman, one of a series of Hefner put a young Marilyn Monroe on sensual — it shouldn’t be confused with photographs showing two wooden man- the cover and inside, and the rest is his- the vapid smut swirling around on social nequins in sexy poses. You’ve got to tory. That first magazine was priced at media in the form of sexy selfies. There laugh. It is lot 58, a vintage silver print just 50 cents. This lot, number 74, is a is great art here, so spare your loved from 1928, for £30,000-£50,000. gem, priced to titillate and tempt at one’s blushes if it gets a bit hot in there £3,000-£5,000. for them — but then go back yourself for LOVE ME TENDER a second look. From 1962, in the tender camp, there’s FAMOUS AND FROLICSOME a striking resin and plaster Venus Bleue Stunning photos feature famous subjects THOSE RAUNCHY ROMANS from artist Yves Klein (he of intense Yves with bodies to die for. Take fashion pho- Although some of us feel coy looking at Klein blue). Lot 3, estimated £50,000- tographer Richard Avedon’s 1981 photo breasts and bums, artists put in their £70,000 and 69cms high, it would be for Vogue, Nastassja Kinski and the heart and soul. This type of work tends amazing in a modern interior. Serpent, £50,000-£70,000. No “naughty to be rare, the lots are gorgeous, and Mid-20th century French avant-garde bits” are on show — it’s the mix of actress they’ll probably go up in value, too. painter Francis Picabia used maga- Kinski’s beauty with the connotations of Stars of the sale include lot 37, a Roman zines as inspiration. His 1941 The Bath- the snake — which appears to be tasting terracotta plaque, 59cms long, of a ers, lot 15, carries a high estimate of her ear — that adds allure. Model Kate brothel scene. It shows a toga-wearing £400,000-£600,000. The work is com- Moss features in She’s Light (Laser 3) a
EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 21 powered by Auction | Homes & Property

Intimate embraces: They’re making above, a pair of whoopee: Roman 18th-century terracotta illustrations plaque of a from India brothel scene (£6,000-£8,000) (£20,000- £30,000)

Tender embrace: Cool and curvy: left, lot 44, right, Sleeping Belgian sculptor Hermaphroditus, Jean Decoen’s an Italian figure 1914 Le Baiser in white marble (The Kiss), has an dated about estimate of 1800, could fetch £80,000- from £8,000- £120,000 £12,000 spellbinding 2013 “lenticular” print on a lightbox by Chris Levine, estimate £60,000-£80,000. Despite its singing colours and Moss’s bare breasts, this fine image is utterly serene. Fab lots online include Pin Me Up (2012), a cute man in pants by Rankin, £4,000-£6,000, and Bunny II, a 2017 photo of a woman in lace bunny ears by Tyler Shields, £3,000-£5,000.

O The sale, Erotic: Passion & Desire, is on February 15 at Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, W1. The online auction is running now until February 16. Details at sothebys.com

Classics: from right, Marc Quinn’s Kate Moss yoga statue fetched £70,000 in last year’s sale; Pin Me Up by Rankin (£4,000-£6,000); the first issue of Playboy, featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover and inside (£3,000-£5,000)
22 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Reader offers Alison Cork

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Cool, contemporary dining set will seat them all in style

SET your dining area for success with the Alexandra eight-seater extending dining set in white. Reduced by £200 to £499, the Alexandra features a neat and compact 120cm high-gloss white dining table that can be extended to 180cm and 240cm, plus eight white upholstered chairs. To claim your discount and free two-man delivery, visit outandout. com or call 020 3772 8752 and quote “Alexandra499” before February 28. ■ The companies listed here are wholly independent of the Evening Standard. Care is taken to establish that they are bona fide but we recommend that you carry out your own checks prior to purchases and use a credit card where possible. To offer feedback on any of these companies, email homesandproperty@ standard.co.uk with “Bargain News” in the subject line. For more bargains, visit alisonathome.com or homesandproperty.co.uk/offers 24 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Outdoors Alex Mitchell

Peaceful retreats Protect your privacy with wall art and statement fencing

RIVACY is a priority for Lon- doners. We may like our neighbours but with limited outside space and a daily routine full of other human beings,P we see our garden — ideally — as a private and peaceful place. For most of us, the obvious way to shield ourselves from others’ view is with a fence. Unlike hedges, a fence can be put up almost instantly — and unlike

Leylandii, you won’t regret it years later. ALEX JAMES

But you must be careful. Standard close silver beautifully in time. Silva’s 1.8sq m board fences can dominate small panel kits are £182.87, but factor in time spaces, especially when bereft of climb- to put it together, or the cost of getting ers and other greenery. Happily, bare someone to do so. The beauty is that panels and posts can instantly be trans- you can make the gaps between the formed with a lick of dark paint. Farrow horizontal batons as big or as small as & Ball’s Studio Green Exterior Egg- you want. A good trick is to make the shell (£27 for 750ml; farrow-ball.com) gaps narrower at the bottom for full will make your fence recede magically privacy and then leave bigger ones from view, leaving your plants — par- above head height to let in as much ticularly those with pale flowers and light as possible. Jacksons Fencing leaves — as the stars of the show. does slightly cheaper Venetian panels that come ready made with standard Hot favourite in London right now is 15mm gaps between horizontals,

horizontal slatted fencing, and for good though, being treated softwood, these ALEX JAMES reason. It allows wind to filter through may not last quite as long. so won’t blow over, has clean, contem- Lines of beauty: than claustrophobic. In the second porary lines and doubles as a trellis for Proving that boundaries can be art in top, Iroko fencing garden nearby, he created a really climbing plants if you leave fair-sized their own right, designer Stefano hides storage and warm, sociable space by surrounding gaps between the batons. Attach it to Marinaz decided to make the fences cocoons this the courtyard with wider Iroko verti- the top of low brick walls for privacy. of two tiny west London gardens the minimalist west cals of varying widths and tones, inter- Use freestanding panels within the gar- main feature. The entire back of one of London courtyard spersed with bronze posts — making den to hide compost bins or trampo- the gardens is made up of exquisitely the fence a piece of art. Three huge lines, create secluded relaxing areas or narrow vertical batons of Iroko hard- Border force: burnt orange lamps hanging over the frame large pots or other focal points. wood, sweeping the eye to ground level above, a solid central table draw the eye to the inti- Install it in front of an existing unat- where contemporary furniture makes sandstone bench mate seating area, where cushions pick tractive fence — if the eyesore is on your an enticing cluster. Within the fence, aligns with the up the same orange tone. neighbour’s side,thus avoiding poten- which replaced an equally tall over- fencing boards Terracotta pots, banded with hori- tial boundary arguments. The bound- grown conifer hedge, two barely visible for a strong zontal lines, add another splash of ary on the left of your garden looking doors conceal an air-conditioning unit impact warmth. Loose, cottage-style planting from the house tends to be your and waterproof storage area. with hardy geranium “Rozanne”, hel- responsibility. To keep relations sweet Marinaz has cleverly echoed the fine lebores and elegant amelanchier and maximise your light, don’t go lines of the fence in the chairs and Fence finesse: lamarckii trees, creates a fluffy ruff above two metres unless there is a table, giving the whole garden a deli- below, warm around the edges. precedent for something higher. cate, refined feel against which multi- wood and bronze Fence supplier Silva Timber says stemmed trees and fresh woodland make this fence a The Italian-born designer, who trained hardwood Western Red Cedar slatted planting stand out in strong relief. The piece of art in its with east London’s award-winning screens will last many years and will effect is enclosed, but cocooning rather own right Arne Maynard, says: “I like to use strong lines in the garden to contrast with the natural forms of the plants. The plants do their thing, change and die back throughout the year, but we still need to maintain a strong design so we always have permanent elements repeated throughout, creating a link that holds it all together.”

Commission Stefano Marinaz: stefanomarinaz.com Garden build: by Bamboo Landscaping (bamboolandscaping.co.uk) Plants: Hortus Loci (hortusloci.co.uk) Kettal Net chairs and ZigZag footstool: ambientedirect.com Mood outdoor armchairs: tribu.com Taiki lamps; Giro adjustable coffee/ dining table: paolalenti.it/en For fencing: try silvatimber.co.uk;

2 MARINAZ STEFANO jacksons-fencing.co.uk 26 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Property searching Spotlight on Sidcup Find a home you can afford and be sure of a seat on the train in the morning rush. Work’s only half an hour away, says Anthea Masey

OUNG Londoners are were once home to wealthy London increasingly attracted to In Sidcup today families who built large country Sidcup by its first-time houses, some of which survive to this buyer-friendly house prices Rightmove has day. One of the most historic is Frognal and the quick commute to 259 homes to BUY House, once home to the Whig politi- Ythe centre of the capital — with that rare cian Thomas Townshend, lst Viscount opportunity of securing a seat on the and 83 to RENT Sydney (1733-1800), who gave his name train during the morning rush hour. to Sydney in Nova Scotia in Canada and Families seeking good schools are Sydney in Australia. Frognal was used keen, too, as are downsizers. as a First World War hospital, where Change is coming to this quiet south- the pioneering plastic surgeon Harold east London suburb. Over the last five Gillies rebuilt the faces of injured sol- years, it has gained two new pocket- diers from the trenches. friendly hotels — a Travelodge and a Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Premier Inn — while these days there’s Performance is found at Lamorbey also a branch of Little Waitrose and House, another fine listed historic new accommodation for Rose Bruford building. The original 17th-century College, the drama school that counts house was rebuilt in the 18th century Oscar-nominated Gary Oldman among and again in the 19th century, when the its former students. Jacobean-style exterior was added. The Fold, a £20 million copper-clad mixed-use scheme by Studio Egret West HE most expensive home for next to the station, looks rather like the sale locally is another grand inside of a posh box of chocolates and mansion. Vale Mascal in though it launched to mixed reviews, it North Cray Road, an 18th- is popular with young City commuters. century seven-bedroom Local estate agent Brett Northover, at houseT with a separate cottage, in five Village Estates, says: “I recently sold a acres along the River Cray, is on the two-bedroom flat in The Fold for market with JDM for £3.5 million. Call £335,000 — there were four offers and 020 8012 2398 for details. it went for above the asking price.” Sidcup is 14 miles south-east of cen- The local shops are around the station tral London with the major shopping in Station Road and also half a mile centre of Bexleyheath to the north, away in the town centre, which has open Kent countryside to the east, Building a future: Sidcup High Street has had a £1.8 million recently benefited from a £1.8 million Cask ales specialist: Ben Brooks at Chislehurst to the south and New makeover. Young buyers love the town’s affordable homes face lift. Sidcup and nearby Foots Cray The Hackney Carriage Micro Pub Eltham to the west.

The Green: enjoyed by Sidcup since the early 1800s, when development of what was then a village began to accelerate

Buy a new bike — or fix up your old one: Martin Luffman, senior mechanic at Browse awhile: co-owners Jane Elsden and Veronica Kelly Sidcup Cycle Centre. The shop has offered bike sales and servicing for 23 years at Indian Rose, for household items, fashion, gifts and toys

£550,000 £785,000 £700,000 A LOFT-EXTENDED four-bedroom A FOUR-BEDROOM detached bungalow in North A FIVE-BEDROOM family house in Melville Road, semi-detached house in Boundary Rd, Cray Road, Sidcup, refurbished throughout and Sidcup, extended to give larger-than-average Sidcup. Call Hunters (020 8012 0017). extended. Park Estates, Bexley (01322 535048). living spaces. Village Estates (020 8012 5586). To find a home in Sidcup, visit rightmove.co.uk For more about Sidcup, visit homesandproperty.co.uk/sidcup EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 27 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Property searching | Homes & Property

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STATS CHECK WHAT HOMES COST BUYING IN SIDCUP (Average prices) One-bedroom flat £231,000 Two-bedroom flat £288,000 Two-bedroom house £345,000 Three-bedroom house £418,000 Four-bedroom house £574,000

RENTING IN SIDCUP (Average rates per month) Top with young City types: flats at One-bedroom flat mixed-use scheme The Fold, Station Rd £888 Two-bedroom flat £1,097 Two-bedroom house £1,192 Three-bedroom house £1,350 Four-bedroom house £1,840

Source: Rightmove FOR MORE, VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk O Use our School Checker to find catchment areas and inspection reports for local schools O The best Sidcup shops and restaurants O Local arts, leisure and sport O Sidcup’s best streets — and local Sidcup Manor House: the open spaces to enjoy listed former country house used to be a register office and stands with more of the town’s oldest buildings in The Green conservation area High Street favourite: Portia Seymour owns popular SweetP The Florist HAVE YOUR SAY: SIDCUP THE PROPERTY SCENE LOCALS TWEET THEIR TIPS

THE range of Sidcup property is bedroom flats and a penthouse in @Mdj1960 The Hackney Carriage wide, from one-bedroom modern Granville Road that are ready to micro pub is like having a village pub! flats to five-bedroom detached move into, with prices from Mario’s Italian, Chez Pascal restaurant houses. The predominant local £345,000 to £620,000 for the (BYO). Sidcup is the centre of house type is the Thirties semi, but penthouse. Call Your Move on 020 performing arts with Rose Bruford and there are also Victorian and Sixties 8302 7711. Bird College. Plenty decent eateries houses. One of the most expensive McCarthy & Stone is selling Sydney and 30-min train to central London. homes currently for sale is a seven- Court in Lansdown Road, a scheme Great countryside within 10 mins. bedroom double-fronted Victorian of 50 one- and two-bedroom flats for @natalie_hudson Lots of nice things house in St John’s Road, priced at the over-70s close to Waring Park. — @HelloBurgerUK for burgers and £1,695,000. One-bedroom flats start at £361,950 cocktails, @THC_Micropub for craft ale The Hollies conservation area and two-bedroom flats at £458,950. and beautiful countryside nearby :) around Rowanwood Avenue was a Frying tonight: Call 0800 153 3716. @amyfunston There’s a great little children’s home where at one time Ozzy Ramdan of In nearby New Eltham, Linden café called Walnuts and a lovely gift up to 500 youngsters lived in a award-winning Homes is building Waterford Place shop called India Rose, both on the number of fine early 20th-century Hook & Line fish in Avery Hill Road. On a 13-acre High Street. red-brick Arts and Crafts-influenced and chip shop in former private sports club, the buildings. The children’s home Main Road development comprises 132 two-, closed in the Eighties and the three-, four- and five-bedroom family buildings have been converted into homes. In the current phase, three- TRANSPORT houses and flats. The school is now bedroom terrace houses start at Burnt Oak Juniors, and the old £594,950, with four-bedroom semis swimming pool has been trans- at £754,950. The first residents formed into The Hollies Countryside moved in late last year and the Club. A four-bedroom house, once scheme will complete in 2020. Call part of the children’s home, is for 020 3131 0513. sale in Rowanwood Avenue for Photographs: £949,950. Daniel Lynch ■ AFFORDABLE HOMES There will be 40 shared-ownership ■ NEW-BUILD HOMES Tea and homes at Waterford Place (see After a concentrated burst of activity homemade above) through housing association there are not many new homes cakes: Mel Bull, Optivo. Visit optivo.org.uk or call SIDCUP is close to the A20 London to currently being built in Sidcup, manager at The 0800 012 1442 for more. Dover road. Sidcup station has trains although locals are petitioning Chunky Teapot in to Cannon Street via London Bridge, against a proposed development of Station Road and also to Charing Cross via London 136 flats in three tower blocks next to ■ RENTAL HOMES Bridge and Waterloo East. Trains to the station which it is feared could in the pipeline. A Victorian school office-to-residential conversion of The presence of performing arts London Bridge take between 22 and threaten the future of The Iron Horse building in Birkbeck Road is due to Oceanic House in Sidcup Hill, colleges Rose Bruford and Bird, and 33 minutes. The station is in Zone 5 pub. be converted into six flats, while proposing to create 50 or so one- and of Queen Mary’s Hospital, guarantees and an annual travelcard to Zone 1 Local estate agent Brett Northover housebuilder Shanly Homes is trying two-bedroom flats. There is a small a busy rental market that has costs £2,328. mentions a couple of other projects to get planning permission for an development of nine one- and two- attracted buy-to-let investors. EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 29 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Inside story | Homes & Property Doggone! No sign Diary of an estate of an illicit pet … agent

MONDAY The landlord suspects the tenant has FRIDAY Our lettings team enjoyed a record- gone ahead and moved Fido in anyway On the way in today I spot a whole raft breaking January with a string of great — cue Joanne to arrange an inspection of horses and carriages and about 30 results, and there’s real momentum as to try to sniff out any evidence. How- foot soldiers in all their regalia near February gets under way. ever, all seems in order: no dog hair, Fitzroy Square. Turns out they’re film- Today I’m out with a colleague to no bowl, no lead. Hmm. ing a period drama. Where could be value a two-bedroom apartment just better than here with its amazing Geor- off Oxford Street. The owners are over WEDNESDAY gian architecture? from Austria where they now live and Site meeting first thing — when will I Good news this morning — we’ve the property has been passed through learn not to wear my best clothes for received an offer on a 3,000sq ft house three generations of the same family such things. It’s a small site of four flats in Fitzrovia. There are not many of since the early 1900s. The two ladies up near Baker Street and work is com- these on the market, and although the that we meet certainly have a story or ing along well. This will really intrigue offer is a bit below the asking price I am two to tell about how the area has my overseas buyer consultant when I hopeful we can gain an increase to changed during this time. The meeting see her later in the week. The top-floor close the gap. Offers are taking a little goes well and we get the nod to proceed unit is split-level with a great west-fac- time to tie together nowadays. in four weeks’ time. ing roof terrace. And as someone who I have a lunch meeting at Kazu, the lives in the area, I know how good the newest Japanese cuisine addition to TUESDAY transport links are. Charlotte Street. I’m meeting my over- Off to a meeting first thing with David I’m out with some architects this after- seas buyer contact there and discussing at Connaught Wines. We’re working noon for a second viewing at two offices the Baker Street development I saw with nearby businesses to offer exclu- we previously shortlisted. At the last earlier in the week. Central London sive incentives to our database of resi- minute I receive news of a third option isn’t quite as attractive to overseas buy- dents and promote good local retailers. overlooking a Georgian Square in ers right now as they are uncertain of We agree a wine-tasting event at his Bloomsbury. The existing tenant is keen the Brexit outcome, but when buyers Connaught Cellars, just by Connaught to move out quickly and offer a pre- senior partner seeing it next week, it client is off to live in Asia to set up a new sit on the fence, others see it as an Square where Tony and Cherie Blair ferred deal. looks like a deal will be on. strand of the multibillion-pound enter- opportunity. have a home. After reviewing the shortlist we head tainment company she works for. She Another week gone, the nights are I head into the office and there is over to Bloomsbury and this new option THURSDAY is considering selling, but may let her drawing out and there is life in the cen- some commotion around Joanne, our blows my clients away. The views, the A visit to a Sixties block in Regent’s Park apartment instead. These flats are very tral London housing market. property manager. She’s just back from celling height and the character are just east side, with underground parking, popular and my colleague has been an inspection where the tenant asked perfect. They are very excited and we is first up today. It turns out we sold the involved in the last three sales in the O Jonathan Hudson is founder of the landlord if he could move in with head to Gail’s in Bayley Street for a quick owner’s father’s place in Fitzrovia a few block, so I’m hopeful we will get the Hudsons in Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia his dog, and his request was denied. discussion over a coffee. Subject to the years ago, so he recommended us. My instruction. (020 7323 2277). 32 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Letting on

FTER years of vetting tenants, I thought I was a pretty good judge of character, but one young woman almost managed Angel Face is Ato pull the wool over my eyes. She seemed so sweet when she and her husband viewed my flat that even though she admitted their combined income was a little shy of the amount lying through needed to pass the credit check, I really wanted her to have the place. Moved by her story of how she’d been desperately saving to afford a home for her family, I agreed to her teeth reduce the rent. To be honest, it wasn’t entirely altruistic on my part. I was struggling to let the flat and I Victoria Whitlock agrees to slash the rent for thought it better to take a lower rent a young woman who wants her flat but smells than leave it empty any longer. The woman also agreed the owner a rat when there’s a delay with the credit check of the restaurant where her husband was a chef would guarantee the rent payments. I think she said he was her fine,” he said, “so let’s sign the uncle, or cousin or something. contract now. There’s no need for you The to do any credit check, we’re all good Several days later, while I was still people.” When someone tells you waiting for her to fill out the forms for a accidental there’s no need for a credit check, you £2,250 a month: this smart three-bedroom house in Birchwood Road, Dartford, credit check, she contacted me to say know they’re hiding something, so of near Swanley and Bexley train stations, comes with a good-sized garden and her guarantor wanted to see the flat landlord course I insisted on it. Surprise, plenty of parking. It’s available to rent through Park Estates (01322 535087). before signing the paperwork. No surprise, they found the couple’s guarantor has ever asked to see any of income was a third of what they had my properties, but it wasn’t a problem didn’t know what I’d done wrong. claimed. They didn’t earn enough to would have been liable for the rent if irresponsible to take a tenant for me to show him round so I agreed Breaking the awkward silence, he told cover the rent, let alone the bills. the couple didn’t pay, I’d got the knowing that they would struggle to to meet him that evening. me that the flat was lovely, the couple distinct impression from our brief pay the rent. It would be heart- When he arrived, he strolled into the would make excellent tenants, but When I called the woman to explain meeting that he would try to wriggle breaking to evict a young couple with living room and indicated that I they couldn’t afford the rent. He more that I would have to reject their out of it. a child, so I decided I would have to should sit on the sofa. How nice, I or less instructed me to knock application, she told me she was Most importantly, I didn’t want to keep looking for a tenant. thought, to be invited to sit in my own another £100 a month off the price. looking for a better-paid job, that let a property to someone who I flat. He sat on the chair opposite, I forced a smile, told him I had they would manage somehow and knew was dishonest. This woman O Victoria Whitlock lets four pressed his fingertips together and already agreed the rent with the her guarantor would step in if they had the face of an angel, but she was properties in south London. nodded silently at me. I felt like I’d tenants but if it was still too high, they fell behind with the payments. While a liar and I could no longer trust her. To contact Victoria with your ideas been hauled before a headmaster but should find somewhere else. “Fine, it was true that her husband’s boss Not only that, but it seemed and views, tweet @vicwhitlock 34 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | Ask the expert What good is a garage we can’t get to? Fiona WHAT’S WE OWN a very dilapidated property which YOUR we would like to sell at auction. But apart McNulty PROBLEM? Q from being big fans of Under the Hammer on IF YOU have a the telly, we haven’t got a clue what to do. OUR LAWYER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS question for Can you at least tell us what is the first step? Fiona McNulty, please email USE property auctioneers experienced in selling WE ARE trying to buy a legalsolutions@ similar properties. Ensure there is enough time semi-detached property. standard.co.uk A for your property to be marketed properly and for QEach of the two houses or write to Legal the necessary legal paperwork to be prepared has a garage at the back, Solutions, Homes before the auction. The auctioneers should advise you but the single driveway at the front & Property, regarding the value of your property, the guide price and is used to reach them. The estate London Evening the reserve price they propose. agent has admitted there is a Standard, 2 Derry Appoint a solicitor to act for you and to work with the problem, in that the driveway Street, W8 5EE. auctioneer to produce an auction contract which includes belongs to the neighbour’s house We regret that particulars of sale describing the property, conditions and there is no formal “easement” questions cannot relating to the terms of the sale, and a memorandum showing on the title deeds. be answered which will be signed by the buyer, or on their behalf, at Apparently, this means we would individually, but the auction. have no right to use the front drive we will try to There is often insufficient time for prospective buyers to to access the garage. What is an feature them investigate the title to property being auctioned, so your easement? And what can be done here. Fiona solicitor should prepare a legal/auction pack to to sort out this mess? McNulty is a accompany the auction contract containing title solicitor documents such as an official copy of the register of title AN EASEMENT is where a specialising and a title plan, replies to general enquiries, a local property owner, for the in residential authority search, a drainage and water enquiry, an A benefit of their land, has a property. environmental search plus any other searches relevant to right to make use of someone your property — for example, a flood risk report else’s property. An example of an The auctioneer will provide interested buyers with easement is a right of way. into a deed of easement to grant a complaining, then a right of way may copies of the contract and auction pack prior to the To use the driveway to access the right of way over the driveway but it have been acquired. Your solicitor auction and your solicitor should attend the sale to garage at the rear, there should be an has not yet been registered at the needs to make detailed enquiries of answer any queries from prospective buyers. easement over the driveway in favour Land Registry. the seller’s solicitor to establish if of the property you propose buying. Alternatively, your seller may have there really is a problem. The This should appear on the title to been using the driveway without situation should be resolved before More legal O These answers can only be a very brief commentary on both properties. authority. If this is so and that use has you exchange contracts because you Q&As the issues raised and should not be relied on as legal advice. However, it is possible that your continued for a long period of time do not want buy a property subject Visit: homesand No liability is accepted for such reliance. If you have similar seller and their neighbour entered without the neighbour objecting or to a neighbour dispute. property.co.uk issues, you should obtain advice from a solicitor. 36 WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property | New homes By David Spittles SmartSmSmamartmarartrt momovmmoveoovevev Crystal Palace is glittering again

RIME MINISTER Theresa up the property pecking order, with May’s recent trade mission a steadily gentrifying town centre to China has reignited a and a spate of new housing schemes. Beijing billionaire’s plan to “The steep slopes and dramatic build a new Crystal Palace views remind me of San Francisco,” Pon the SE19 site where the old one says local resident Natasha Ashton, burned to the ground in 1936. 27, a communications executive In 2013 Ni Zhaoxing’s ambitious working in central London. £500 million proposal, backed by “There’s something special about then mayor of London Boris Johnson, being able to look over the city from foundered on planning issues and a distance. The park is a fantastic concerns from local people about amenity space and there are so many how much of Crystal Palace Park beautiful period houses.” From £627,500: would be sacrificed to the project. Vista Collection comprises eight above and right, However, the ambitious idea may yet upper-floor flats of Alto, a scheme by flats including see the light of day, with hopes that a developer Hill in an attractive penthouses in sensitive multi-use redevelopment, woodland setting at the summit of the Vista including new homes, will be Sylvan Hill. It’s a neat piece of Collection at acceptable to all parties. architecture, slotting into a sloping Alto, Crystal The original palace was first built in site and cleverly incorporating a car Palace Hyde Park to house the Great ramp to undercroft parking. Exhibition of 1851 before being Apartments include penthouses, dismantled and rebuilt in south one with a fabulous domed living London. Meanwhile, buoyed by the space that opens on to a huge private Overground link, the high-lying terrace. Prices from £627,500. Call wider district is continuing its rise 020 3006 0042.

Finchley’s great for downsizers

FINCHLEY has been easy commuting territory since the 1820s, when a daily stagecoach ran to the City. The building of Finchley Road, bypassing Hampstead, made the journey quicker and more convenient. The area never looked back, with trains and later the Tube forging even closer links with Quick SUTTON had a purple patch in the central London. 18th and 19th centuries when This prosperous suburb has had a links in magnificent lavender fields feeding low profile in recent years due to the off the chalky, free-draining soil of regeneration spotlight shining brightly clean, the North Downs became the centre on inner-city districts. But developers of a worldwide industry. are back and, in keeping with the green Today the focus is on the outer tradition of the area’s Victorian and London suburb’s town centre, interwar housing boom, are creating Sutton which, despite a prized conservation spacious homes in these leafy quarter, lost its allure in the Seventies surroundings. With its gabled red- due to some planning disasters but is brick and rendered façade, The now enjoying a makeover. Halley, above, in a tree-lined road In travel Zone 5, Sutton is close to Finchley Central station, affordable territory for young first- offers large apartments with high time buyers who want a quick ceilings. Ranging up to 2,669 sqft, commute into central London, with these homes would suit downsizers 25-minute trains to Victoria and 33 leaving a Hampstead house, plus there minutes to Blackfriars. An extension are communal gardens and to Sutton of the Croydon-to- underground parking. Prices from Wimbledon tram service is on the £999,999. Call 020 3828 0128. agenda. too. Sutton Point, above right, next to the train station, is one EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2018 37 New homes | Homes & Property

Looking for a new-build home? Start your search on

THAMES VIEWS FROM A HANDSOME TERRACE

A FORMER no-go zone for many home buyers has become a coveted address with smart flats, a new riverside promenade, a park and a of the key new developments, with community boat club to keep 332 flats, shops, a hotel and a fitness traditional Thames scullers and centre grouped around a new public oarsmen happy. square. Prices from £280,000. Call Craven Cottage, Fulham Football Knight Frank on 020 3826 0673. Club’s riverside stadium, is an The local council’s mission is to turn incongruous yet untroubling Sutton borough into the “UK’s first presence, and the famed River Café sustainable suburb, one of the is a neighbourhood restaurant. greenest places in the country to live”. Now, award-winning developer New Mill Quarter, above left and top Octagon has built Bishops Row, left, being built on the banks of the above, a terrace of nine handsome River Wandle, follows this ideal. townhouses aimed at equity-rich A new neighbourhood of 750 Chelsea movers tempted by a new homes moments from Hackbridge house with a luxurious, family- train station, it has its own district friendly interior, a watery outlook heating system, while green walls of and all mod cons. urban vegetation help regulate air The homes range between temperature, combat pollution, 4,375sq ft and 6,150sq ft and come absorb rainwater and increase with roof terrace, front and rear biodiversity. Houses cost from gardens and courtyard patio. From £584,995. Call David Wilson Homes £4,995,000. Call 020 7731 7100. on 0844 556 6155.