Great teamwork How neighbours transformed their street: Page 6. PETER RABBIT The star of home interiors: Page 14

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1 Wednesday 14 March 2018 PETER RABBIT The star of home interiors: Page 14 FIRST-TIME BUYERS A chance to live in a Zone 2 hotspot Page 9 AREA WATCH: CAMDEN Canalside homes Page 10 GUIDE TO RECYCLING We sort out the plastic confusion Page 13 SPOTLIGHT ON MAIDA VALE Stucco homes and painted barges Page 30 Great teamwork How neighbours transformed their street: Page 6 JULIET MURPHY

2 4 Homes Property News THIS WEEK IN... Property s search A street transformed and recycle your plastic Janice Morley EDITOR HOMES & PROPERTY is used to talking about redesigns but they are not normally our own. This week we re pleased to be part of the Evening Standard s fabulous new look. H&P s aim is always to be innovative so we are excited by this week s feature on a community that transformed a street, adding a new floor to every home: enough new space to house an elderly parent or a twentysomething. The launch on Friday of the film Peter Rabbit has given our design guru Barbara Chandler the chance to make him an interiors star, too (Page 14). And don t miss Helen Bird s top tips on recycling (Page 13). She tells us why plastic is not easy to recycle but is far too precious to waste. VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk/rules for details of our usual promotion rules. When you respond to promotions, offers or competitions, the Evening Standard and its sister companies may contact you with relevant offers and services that may be of interest. Please give your mobile number and/or address if you would like to receive such offers by text or . Editorial: Advertisement manager: Ann Finan Advertising: Homes & Property, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, London W8 5TT. Life changer of the week your guests in an eco-pod 500,000: this character cottage in Bethersden, Kent, is set in lovely gardens that contain an innovative Armadilla eco-pod, already doing a roaring trade as an Airbnb holiday let. The pod has a neat little kitchen, a double bed and shower room, while the Grade II-listed cottage boasts a mass of exposed beams, bespoke oak joinery throughout and an inviting wood burner in the sitting room. There are three bedrooms, a wet room and bathroom, and Ashford International station nearby has fast trains to London and the Continent. Through Jackson- Stops ( ). Trophy home of the week total stunner in Surrey 6.95 million: on the exclusive Crown Estate in Oxshott, Surrey, Belgrave House has views over Prince s Coverts woodland, with its hundreds of acres perfect for jogging, walking and riding. Designed to impress, the mansion showcases light, space and rich materials across four floors. A cavernous entrance hall with double-height ceilings and marble floors leads to several reception rooms including a library, dining room and drawing room, laid with dark wood floors to contrast with pristine white décor. There s more wow factor in the kitchen and family room, framed by sliding glass walls to the gardens, outdoor pool and fields beyond, while the lower floor is home to a cinema room, bar, wine cellar and gym. Seven luxe bedroom suites are upstairs and there are also staff quarters above a garage that s fit for supercars. Through Savills ( ). London buy of the week high-spec W9 flat with a patio garden for cocktail parties 525,000: Elgin Avenue, Westbourne Park is the prime W9 location of this smart new collection of flats. Our choice, on the ground floor, feels fabulously spacious and light thanks to big picture windows and sliding glass doors that lead out from the open-plan living/kitchen/dining areas and sleek double bedroom to a decent-size patio garden perfect for summer cocktail parties. Solid wood floors, bespoke glass worktops, glossy cabinetry, a wine cooler and energy-efficient lighting are among high-spec details, along with a spa-style porcelain-tiled bathroom. Through Hamptons ( ). News: Record 1bn handed out in Help to Buy London A NEW breed of five per centers is taking over the new homes market in parts of London, according to a study published today. Using the Government s subsidised Help to Buy London scheme and a five per cent deposit to get on the ladder, these buyers are now responsible for more than half of all new homes sales in a halo of postcodes around the capital. West Wickham, near Croydon, leads the way, with 85 per cent of new homes sold in the last two years going to buyers bolstered by a 40 per cent government equity loan. The average price of a new home in the BR4 postcode is 421,000, up 14 per cent in two years. Other Help to Buy hotspots identified in the Hamptons International study include Becontree in Barking & Dagenham, where Help to Buy London was used in 79 per cent of all new homes sales and prices rose 27 per cent, and Rainham in Havering, where 71 per cent of new homes were bought under the scheme and prices are up 23 per cent. Most top 10 Help to Buy locations are in the outer suburbs, including Edmonton in north London, Erith in the east, Peckham in south London, and Feltham and Southall in west London. The figures show that after almost five years the flagship scheme to assist first-time buyers is finally penetrating the capital, with more than 1 billion in Help to Buy 379,950: twobedroom flats are available with Help to Buy at Rivermill Lofts, Abbey Road, Barking through Ernest-Brooks ( ) equity loans handed out in London in that period. However, the 600,000 price cap means much of central London is too expensive to qualify, while there has been resistance from some housebuilders concerned about cheapening their brand by adopting the scheme. Nevertheless, the slowing market since 2014 has forced some developers to begin offering Help to Buy after struggling to sell. David Fell of Hamptons, author of the report, says Help to Buy has been slow to impact the capital. Londoners are less than half as likely to use it as someone buying a new home almost anywhere else in England. Help to Buy is typically offered in less-affluent neighbourhoods, on big regeneration schemes or to sell the final few homes in a development, adds Fell. Read Ruth Bloomfield s story in full at homesandproperty.co.uk

3 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH homesandproperty.co.uk powered by News Homes Property Making millions does not please everyone JAMIE THEAKSTON has won planning permission to build a four-bedroom house in the garden of his Chiswick mansion, much to the distress of his neighbour Michael Attenborough, son of the late film director Richard. The new house could be worth up to 2.5 million but theatre director Michael, who has lived next door for 30 years, says building work may force him to move out. Heart Breakfast radio host Theakston, above, will be obliged to ensure the design preserves the character of the conservation area. Follow the yellow brick house ACTRESS Emma Roberts, inset, has spent 2.8 million on a Mediterranean-style villa in the laid-back hillside enclave of Los Feliz in LA. Spread across three floors, the yellow brick three-bedroom house, right, is the stuff of dreams for one of the movie scene s coolest young stars. Set in tropical gardens, it has walnut wood floors, a skylight-topped lobby, a beautiful fireplace and French doors which lead on to a terrace. Of course, there is a pool and outdoor bar area, too. The American Horror Story star is very much at home in Hollywood. Her aunt is Pretty Woman star Julia Roberts and her dad Homes is film actor Eric Roberts. gossip HAMILTON KING By Amira Hashish Got some gossip? GETTY Cool café is made in Chelsea Hot spot FROM style icon Millie Mackintosh, left, and fiancé Hugo Taylor to Tatler cover girl Lady Sabrina Percy, Chelsea s finest are flocking to the new Farm Girl Café just off Fulham Road, the third London branch of the healthy-eating restaurant run by Rose Mann. With showbiz fans including pop heart-throb Harry Styles and film actors Margot Robbie, far left, and Jamie Dornan, no wonder Mann is already seeking more premises. This 90-seater in Park Walk is the biggest and most beautiful so far, with interiors by Beata Heuman, and Benoit Marmoiton, the Beckhams ex-private cook, behind the menu. Book a table at thefarmgirl.co.uk Lovegrove doesn t do things by halves INDUSTRIAL designer Ross Lovegrove is selling his Notting Hill home, right, for 9.5 million through The Modern House a whopping 2.5 million less than he was asking in It also serves as his studio, and it s where Lovegrove helped create the Sony Walkman, Apple computers and the Renault concept car he s seen with, above. The striking building in a cobbled mews is on the site of David Hockney s first workspace. As well as an expansive studio, there is a three-bedroom home of 5,400sq ft over four floors. The property showcases Lovegrove s experimental and industrial architectural work, including a dramatic white-gloss spiral staircase. GETTY

4 6 Homes Property New homes pioneers homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Use your imagination A pioneering idea by one London street is being followed by new ways to solve the housing shortage across the city, says Lee Mallett GROUP of 12 north London homeowners got together and persuaded Camden council to let them build a one-storey roof extension on each of their homes in a single daring construction project. The Fitzroofs scheme in Fitzroy Road, Primrose Hill, is a pioneering example of how neighbours can come together to successfully build upwards to create both an appealing streetscape and extra space for new homes. It s an idea that is now gathering momentum in London and the city s lower-density outer suburbs to help solve the housing shortage. It offers the prospect of financial gain as an incentive to homeowners, while benefiting others at the same time. A REWRITING PLANNING LAWS Sajid Javid, minister for the renamed Housing, Communities and Local Government department recently floated the idea of allowing homes to more easily extend upwards and for suburbs to be densified, particularly around transport hubs. At the same time, Prime Minister Theresa May ticked off developers for not doing their duty, vowing to rewrite the laws on planning and take a tougher line with councils that fail to meet housing targets. Although Mrs May did not refer directly to extending permitted development rights so that people can build up without needing planning consent, some think the new draft National Planning Policy Framework, launched the day after the PM had spoken, offers encouragement to local authorities to promote regeneration and change in addition to maintaining an area s prevailing character. Other groups, including housing pressure group London Yimby Yes In My Back Yard are calling for Better Streets whereby if residents agree, densification and beautification can take place, bypassing planning gridlock. FORESTDALE TODAY Looking for a home that offers the potential to extend? Start your search on THE FITZROOFS PROJECT Retired architect Bernard Hunt helped drive the Fitzroofs project and himself lives in Fitzroy Road. The whole thing took us five years when it should perhaps have taken three and a half, he says. I think the planning process should be easier. But the real issue is how to persuade people to do anything. Sticks are not very good. Carrots are. If it is significantly in people s interest to collaborate, then they will. The business case for densification is phenomenally strong. Hunt s neighbour in the street, animations company director Jonathan Bairstow, was appointed to chair the residents group: It was an incredibly productive process. We live in the same street. We are a thoughtful, knowledgeable and sensitive group. We had a common interest. Residents were spurred to pursue the scheme after one couple implemented an historic consent for a mansard roof storey, which disrupted the identical appearance of the street s 12 homes. We decided to turn that negative into AFTER 15 YEARS a positive, says Bairstow. We felt that as a group we were the community and we communicated this to Camden council in a brochure based on local archive research and architecture references. We added to the urban housing stock with sensitivity, without increasing the footprint. He thinks it is a collective approach that might work on other projects. I think there are quite a lot of people out there who would like to try something similar, or for co-housing projects, for example. EVOLVING CROYDON All grown-up: these illustrations show how Forestdale, part of Addington in the Croydon suburbs, could evolve steadily over 15 years following an intensification programme, with individual plots identified for expansion. Many buildings might grow to twice the current prevailing heights, with new public space added and a greater variety of uses for new buildings. The idea of densifying neighbourhood centres is being pursued by Croydon council, which is finalising new guidance called Evolution of the Suburbs that should become policy in October. The guidance is a product of the new draft London Plan that sets Croydon a

5 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH New homes pioneers Homes Property Negative into a positive: left, Fitzroy Rd, where one resident s mansard roof extension led to 12 homeowners unifying the look of their houses and increasing living space In it together: far left, retired architect Bernard Hunt with neighbours in Fitzroy Road, NW1, who joined him in adding a single storey to a row of homes in the street Super Supurbia: HTA Architects identified potential sites for 364,000 affordable new homes around transport hubs Densification bonus: allowing a new home on the roof could mean a bonus of up to 190,000 for a homeowner target of 3,000 homes a year to be built by 2028, doubling its existing target. We want to make sure these homes are deliverable. So we met residents in the north and the south of the borough in January, says the director of planning and transport for Croydon, Heather Cheesbrough. We re pleased we got a receptive audience and acceptance that we need to deliver more housing and intensify some areas, but it s obviously a different issue when a block of flats is proposed on the house next door to yours. We are lucky we have a lot of large detached houses on large plots in the borough. When you assemble several plots you can get a better solution. If residents did get together to densify their street or block we would welcome and facilitate that and it is something that s happening. We have several developers here in Croydon who specialise in that market. We feel we are ahead of the game with this policy which shows residents how their neighbourhood might evolve. It is all about placemaking. We re not about cramming homes in. We have to show people how everyone will benefit from intensification, and how it can support them with more shops and better transport, giving them a better place to live in. YES IN MY BACK YARD Page 8 Pictures Juliet Murphy THE SUPURBIA PROJECT Building up near stations THE architecture practice HTA Design, co-founded by Bernard Hunt, inset, has developed the concept of Supurbia, partly as a consequence of the Fitzroy Road experience. This proposes incremental densification of selected low-rise suburban neighbourhoods near transport hubs, to create more homes and make lacklustre low-density suburbs more vibrant, affordable and better places to live. We re advocating a more permissible planning regime supported by design coding for the densification of suburban neighbourhoods, says Riette Oosthuizen, HTA s head of planning. The Supurbia project team studied areas surrounding 173 rail and Tube stations in 15 outer boroughs. It claims potential for 364,000 new homes to be built in this way, based on a 50 per cent take-up of the idea. It also calculates possible windfalls of up to 190,000 for some owners a NIMBY-to-YIMBY incentive for residents. There is value in there for homeowners and we all need somewhere for our children to live, Oosthuizen points out. The extended home could be developed as self-contained homes for children or elderly parents. We need to make the development and planning process simple so it can happen. It would encourage so much more creativity. We also need to look at major commercial sites where this sort of thing could happen large retail parks, industrial estates.

6 8 Homes Property Interview Yes In My Back Yard: London Yimby wants councils to get behind its campaign to let residents agree collectively to bring new flats and townhouses to their streets The planners don t always get it right Yimby stands for Yes In My Back Yard. Lee Mallett meets the leader of a housing pressure group WE VE all heard of Nimby the Not In My Back Yard brigade. Now they ve got some opposition. London Yimby is the acronym for Yes In My Back Yard. It is campaigning for Better Streets, where residents can collectively agree to more homes in their street, known as densification. London Yimby is led by lawyer John Myers, 44, who works in the US but is on a career break and using his savings to fund the campaign. He studied at Harvard and worked in law and finance in New York and London, before being inspired by the American Yimby movement. Lee Mallett: how old is London Yimby? John Myers: 18 months. We saw the movement in the US take off and now there are 40 groups in 40 cities. They ve launched a Bill in California to build up to 85ft high within half a mile of a railway station. We thought, why don t we try that here? People love it. Nobody wants to be a Nimby. LM: lots of people harbour Nimby feelings. JM: but nobody wants to be called a Nimby. We can work with that, find the positives and get as many people behind high-quality housing as possible. LM: why are people Nimbys? JM: people worry about shadow [from new buildings], change, congestion, schools, hospitals, public services. They worry new buildings will be ugly, that neighbours will change. And frankly people worry about their house price. The challenge is to find a way to address those concerns and let the community and homeowners benefit. LM: what do you call your campaign? JM: we call it Better Streets. London is very spread out. Half the homes are one or two floors. Bloomsbury is incredibly attractive, yet it has five times the housing of a lot of London. Densification works when done well. If you take a typical suburban street, you can build a lot more housing there and let residents pick a style they want. You can make the street more walkable, more beautiful and have more people to support shops, services and public transport. LM: what do Londoners think? JM: we ve organised many focus groups. People were concerned Nobody wants to be called a Nimby : John Myers is behind the drive to let Londoners be proactive in densifying their streets, perhaps with homes for extended family about design, overshadowing, what would happen if the street around the corner did this. If this takes off, there needs to be a concerted effort to make sure infrastructure is built to cope with additional people. The beauty of doing one street at a time is that it is gradual and you have time to adapt. The Fitzroofs project in Primrose Hill [see Pages 6-7] has been done very well. LM: but are you usurping planning control? JM: most planners are in favour of more density so long as it makes sense, and it s not too far from public transport. The challenge planners face is the backlash from neighbours. So if the community are all in agreement that you can find a way to make their lives easier, maybe provide homes for their children and elderly relatives, they see the sense. LM: do you think people understand the benefits of extra density? JM: some homeowners understand that if they can build a couple of terrace houses or add height, it not only makes sense but makes their property worth more. Some just don t get it until they see it. LM: the Supurbia idea, to densify suburban neighbourhood blocks, has not met with much success yet. Have you experienced the same response from local politicians? JM: local authorities worry about political backlash. It s important to minimise that. That s why we came up with the single street idea. If you think about what is on the corners of the street and have controls on what s being done in the back gardens, then you can limit the effects to just that street. LM: what s the next step? JM: we re in talks with government, looking to improve our ideas, and for feedback from residents, homeowners, civic societies, politicians. We d like to demonstrate this working. There are areas where people are enthusiastic, especially if they have larger plots of land. Then you could generate much more housing, create stunning streets. LM: as the Victorians did in Kensington? JM: absolutely. The last general election showed young people care. In forthcoming council elections, we will endorse candidates who are pro-housing. Unless councils wake up to this, they are going to get wiped out. What might be most effective is allowing residents to set their own design codes and giving them permitted development rights.

7 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH homesandproperty.co.uk powered by First-time buyers Homes Property DANIEL LYNCH Left: Kennington Road shops. Right: popular Oval Farmers Market at St Mark s Church opposite Oval Tube station is a five-minute walk away from new shared-ownership apartments at Hillingdon Street and could become your Saturday must-visit WEARECCFM.COM From 101,250: 25 per cent of a one-bedroom flat in Hillingdon Street, Kennington, through Wandle For sale nearby: a one-bedroom flat in Welsford Street, SE1 is 385,000. Call Acorn ( ) Location: Hillingdon Street flats are within a mile of Elephant & Castle s growing range of restaurants Buy in Zone 2 for 101,000 First-timer flats are for sale near the Elephant & Castle hotspot, discovers Ruth Bloomfield W ITH a huge shortfall in the number of affordable homes being built in London, any shared-ownership launch is a cause for celebration. Throw in a Zone 2 location and you ve got a real rarity. This month a selection of flats goes on sale in Hillingdon Street, Kennington, ring-fenced for first-time buyers priced out of the market and costing from just over 100,000. The deposits needed are barely more than the down payment renters have to make when they move home. The homes are being sold by Wandle Housing Association and expressions of interest are being taken at hillingdonstreet.com. An impressive collection of 20, one-, two- and three-bedroom flats is for shared-ownership sale. In terms of location these homes are hard to beat. Hillingdon Street is just east of Kennington Park, while Burgess Park is also nearby and it s a five-minute walk to Oval Tube station on the Northern line. Elephant & Castle regeneration zone, with its growing range of good restaurants and a new shopping centre on the horizon; the Kia Oval cricket ground and Vauxhall station are all within a mile. For going out, all roads lead to Kennington Lane with its Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cafés and bars, as well as the excellent traditional Kennington Lane Café. Walworth Road has a cheap-and-cheerful range of useful shops, plus the traditional East Street Market. The only downside is that Hillingdon Street is surrounded by some less-than-beautiful council housing, and the area can feel a little desolate at night. But the sheer affordability of these homes is likely to sweep away most objections. A 25 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat starts at 101,250. Buyers will need a minimum deposit of 5,053, and a minimum household income of 46,000. They will also need to budget for rent each month, mortgage repayments estimated at about 481, plus monthly service charge of This comes to a grand total of 1, per month. A 25 per cent share in a two-bedroom flat is priced at 125,000. Buyers will need a minimum household income of 60,000 to be eligible, and will need to pay a deposit of 6,250. The monthly costs come in at 1,540.90, made up of rent at just over 859, mortgage payments estimated at 594 and service charge of just over 87. London s property market has had a tough two years, but prices in SE17 just keep on growing, boosted by new homes sales at Elephant & Castle plus the area s affordability compared with most of the rest of Zone 2. An average flat in the Kennington postcode has breached the 500,000 mark at 513,818 according to the latest figures from Rightmove, up from just under 470,667 in October However, buyers with a 500,000 budget have plenty of choice in the district, and could pick up a two-bedroom period flat in rather grand Surrey Square, just off the rather less-grand Old Kent Road, for sale with Garrett Whitelock for 499,995. Bargain hunters could adjust their search east of the Old Kent Road where prices are a little lower. There is also a huge amount of new-build and newish-build on offer locally.

8 10 Homes Property Area watch From 820,000: loft-style apartments at The Maple Building. Through Savills ( ) Green space meets the city: Hampstead Heath, with unrivalled London skyline vistas from Parliament Hill, is on Camden Town s doorstep GETTY A Camden comeback Canalside factories provide a rich architectural mix for designers of new homes, discovers David Spittles LONG before Clerkenwell and Shoreditch became creative hotspots, Camden was luring ad agencies, architects, fashion and film companies. After a few years out of the spotlight, the area is on the up again, partly due to a backlash against the spreading corporate character of the City fringe. Camden was best-performing borough on property prices last year with a 13.7 per cent jump, according to property consultant CBRE. It s a community with a rich mix of homeowners, from bankers to actors, struggling writers and drop-outs. The area has a back door to leafy Primrose Hill, while the famous Camden Market and quirky high street shops attract 25 million visitors a year. Regent s Canal and its linked industrial backdrop, together with close proximity to King s Cross and St Pancras, were once negatives, but now the waterfront and train lines attract opportunities for imaginative regeneration of old canalside warehouses and industrial buildings, while the Eurostar terminal puts Paris two hours away. There are still undeveloped canalside factories, small industrial premises, cobbled courtyards and mews ripe for transformation into new homes. A former electricity substation is becoming Arlington Lofts, with 16 warehouse-style flats behind the Thirties brick façade. These boutique homes from developer Fabrica have high ceilings, cool concrete walls and molten silver-finish splashbacks. From 699,950. Call Marsh & Parsons ( ). Mixed-use MOY S offers eight flats and two offices in the converted engineering works where the world s first electric camera was made. In a quiet backstreet, the new architecture is a modern take on a classic London mews, with crisp brick façades, factory-style windows, and dormers that hide sheltered roof terraces. The swish flats are future-proofed for home automation and tastefully designed with industrial-style parquet flooring and dark metal finishes. Prices from 895,000. Magnet: tourists flock to Camden Lock for Camden Market s 1,000-plus fashion, music, art and food stalls Below: Scandistyle XY Apartments from 600,000. Savills ( ) Call Hamptons International on Camden Courtyards is a former optical works turned into 164 flats. It s clad in patterned brick with a Corten steel two-storey roof extension, two internal courtyards and residents roof terraces. From 770,000. Call Barratt on Neighbouring Kentish Town has come a long way since the 1820s when Frankenstein author Mary Shelley called it an odious swamp. Today the area has music venues, cool bars and eateries, a French school, a restored listed Victorian baths and pool, plus a growing buzz created by arty Londoners. The Furlong Collection is a gated scheme of eight houses in cobbled Little Green Street, one of London s oldest Georgian terraces. These compact homes have light-filled, open-plan interiors, underfloor heating and air conditioning. Prices from 1,495,000. Call Nearby, a former furniture factory, The Maple Building holds 57 loft-style flats with original Crittall windows, steel columns and exposed-brick walls. The restored entrance foyer is now a smart concierge lobby and there s a basement gym. The building butts up against workspace for creatives with a kitchen run by Soho House. Prices from 820,000. Call Savills ( ). Camden council, once renowned for architectled housing, is spawning 3,000 new homes itself by selling off land and bulldozing old estates as part of a community investment programme. Projects include XY Apartments, a scheme of 273 Scandi-style flats at Maiden Lane priced from 600,000. Call GETTY Looking for a hotspot? Start your search on

9 12 Homes Property Homes abroad From 403,000: freehold apartments with one to three bedrooms at Regent Pool Residences, Porto Montenegro, for sale now with completion due in summer next year, will have access to the five-star Regent Porto Montenegro hotel spa, gym and rental pool MONTENEGRO is one of Europe s newest sovereign states, yet it s already a tourist heavyweight. The Balkan nation with a 180- mile Adriatic coastline emerged from the remains of Yugoslavia and Serbia in It s smaller than Wales with a population of just 620,000 yet it welcomed two million visitors last year. Top of visitors must-see list is Boka Bay, where steep mountains surround calm, emerald water dotted with atmospheric stone towns such as Kotor, a Unesco World Heritage Site. There is 2.1 billion investment currently under way in Boka Bay, says Kieran Kelleher of Dream Estates, Savills local associate. Large-scale developments include Porto Montenegro, Lustica Bay and Portonovi, all with residential and leisure components and international five-star hotel brands. Porto Montenegro is a marina, hotel and residential scheme that opened in 2009, transforming the down-at-heel town of Tivat with super-sized leisure boats and a palm-lined waterfront. There are 450 berths with plans for 400 more, to create Europe s largest superyacht marina. Porto Montenegro marina was named Superyacht Marina of Distinction at last year s London Boat Show. Around the marina are boutiques, restaurants and bars and a five-star hotel, Regent Porto Montenegro. Ten minutes away, Tivat airport has direct easyjet flights from London. Porto Montenegro has 310 completed flats in six buildings around the marina, with resales from 338,800 for a onebedroom flat that rents for 308 a night in high season. New Regent Pool Residences are one- to three-bedroom freehold flats in three buildings, from 403,000. These handsome homes have water views and access to the Regent hotel s spa, gym and rental pool. At From 145,000: flats, houses and villas at Marina Village, Lustica Bay, 15 minutes from Tivat airport. Savills ( ) Fall for a wild Balkan beauty Billions are being invested in little Montenegro where a holiday flat need only cost 52k, says Cathy Hawker FOCUS IS ON FAMILY MICHAEL and Amra Ward from Richmond bought an old stone house in Boka Bay as a holiday home in Both City investment managers, they were drawn to the lifestyle and business opportunities, and moved there full-time in 2004, extending to create the perfect family home for them and children Tara and Teo, now 14 and 10. Montenegro truly is a wild beauty with a very Mediterranean way of life focused on the family, says Michael 52. We love walking in the mountains and swimming in the sea on our doorstep. We re all members of the Porto Montenegro Yacht Squadron. The children attend the Arcadia Academy, a wonderful school offering a British education. The couple set up MoHo Montenegro, acting as property managers and developers. Amra, 50, is from Mostar in Bosnia, arriving in London as a refugee at the height of the Balkan Wars. She holidayed in Montenegro as a child and speaks the language fluently. Lustica Bay, on the Adriatic side of Boka Bay, there are plans for a championship golf course, two marinas, seven hotels and 2,000 homes. There will be sports, medical and retail facilities and even its own police and fire station. Phase One, Marina Village, opens this summer with a five-star Chedi Hotel, 176-berth marina and 220 flats, townhouses and villas priced from 145,000. Already 160 buyers from 33 different countries have moved in. Smaller schemes around Boka Bay include Lavender Bay Residences with studio to three-bedroom flats around a communal pool, gym, café and playground, from 66,000 to 230,600 with annual service charges from 800 and furniture packages from 5,200. In walking distance of the Venetian architecture of Kotor Old Town, Dobrota Apartments are 40 new managed studios to two-bedroom homes, from 52,000 to 140,000. Through Savills. Savills: savills.com ( ) Regent Pool Residences: porto montenegro.com From 66, ,600: studio to three-bedroom flats at Lavender Bay Residences, Kotor Bay. Through Savills

10 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Cleaner London Homes Property THE simple truth is that if every one of us reused or recycled just one item each day, London would become a much cleaner and more efficient city. For example, if we all recycled just one extra aluminium can each, that would release enough energy to power a television set constantly for the next 63 years. Here are my Top 10 ways to be a better recycler: 1 If it s plastic and bottle-shaped, recycle it In the UK, on average 16 million plastic bottles a day are not making their way into recycling bins. We can do better. Empty bottles and crush not flatten them and replace the lids before recycling. Bleach and detergent bottles can be recycled like any others. The trigger sprays on many household bottles can be left in place. 2 Don t forget about the bathroom If everyone in the UK recycled one toothpaste box, it would save enough energy to run a fridge in over 2,000 homes for a year. As well as toothpaste boxes not toothpaste tubes, which can t be recycled loo roll tubes, aerosols and shower gel containers, soap, shampoo and conditioner bottles can all be recycled. Take the pump dispenser off liquid soap bottles first. 3 Give it a quick rinse For pots, tubs and trays, give them a quick rinse before recycling them. There s no need to get every last spot of food off, and dishwashing them is definitely a step too far and a waste of energy. Sadly, film lids can t be recycled. 4 Leave the lid on When recycling glass, leave the lid on, including the metal lids on jam jars and the caps on bottles. Glass reprocessors separate them and are very grateful for them, too. Pyrex cookware cannot go into the recycling bin. The good recycling guide Helen Bird of website Recycle Now offers tips for recycling in London Easy to tell: if something is bottle-shaped and plastic, its destination should be the recycling bin ALAMY 5 Don t recycle greasy pizza boxes Don t put greasy pizza boxes, takeaway boxes, or other cardboard or paper covered in food into the recycling, as tempting as this may be on a Friday night. The grease can t be removed and it causes defects in new products made from recycled cardboard. 6 Use the scrunch test Not sure whether a piece of paper can be recycled? Try scrunching it up in your hand. If it doesn t spring back, then it can be recycled. It s a good test to use with wrapping paper. And if you re recycling birthday cards, tear off any glitter. 7 Give it a quick squish Give cans and plastic bottles a quick squish that ll save room in your recycling bin and make them more efficient to transport. Scrunch foil items together to help them get through the sorting process without getting lost. 8 If you re not sure, check If you re not sure if, how or where you can recycle an item, visit the Recycle Now recycling locator recycleforlondon.com/local-recycling. Just put in your postcode and the answer will pop up. 9 Look at the label Look out for the labels that now appear on all sorts of packaging everything from soft drink cans, to bread bags and plastic toiletry bottles. The symbols you see there will tell you whether the packaging is likely to be collected for recycling or if the item can be taken to your local recycling centre. You ll find further explanation regarding recycling labels when you look online at recyclenow. com/recycling-knowledge/packaging-symbolsexplained Clean up first: butter tubs can be rinsed before recycling but greasy pizza boxes are a recycling no-no 10 Think about your recycling space A survey conducted with 2,000 London residents highlighted a lack of space in homes as the biggest challenge to staying on top of recycling. For some quick hacks to tackle this problem, see recycleforlondon.com/one-binrubbish And never, ever... Put a dirty nappy in the recycling bin. Put medical supplies such as syringes in the recycling. Mix textile recycling with other recycling. Cloth can wrap itself around the machinery and cause hours of downtime in recycling sorting plants. Put your recycling in a black bag chances are high that it will be mistaken for rubbish. GETTY

11 14 Homes Property Easter interiors Left: cotton Rabbit & Cabbage cushion with duck feather pad, 45 (thornbackand peel.co.uk) Below: corkbacked placemats, 35 for a set of four, from Thornback & Peel (as before) Left and below: WOW ceramic pendant lamp by Matteo Ugolini, 498 at Dark Light Design (darklightdesign. com) Lop-eared and lovely: this bunny pattern, fresh in for Easter, is on cotton cushions, 30, melamine trays, 8.40, bone china mugs, 7, and sets of four placemats, (lauraashley.com) We re all ears Ahead of the new Peter Rabbit film s UK release on Friday, Barbara Chandler goes big on bunnies in time for Easter Above from left: 15cm-tall flocked bunny table decoration, 7 (talkingtables.co.uk); melamine placemat, 12 (handpickedbykate.com); limitededition collectible alpaca Peter Rabbit toy, 29cm tall, by Steiff, handcrafted with gold-plated ear button, 199 from Harrods, SW1 (harrods.com) Above: white rabbit cake/biscuit plate, 39, and handmade rosy rabbit pot with lift-off lid, 65, both from outthereinteriors.com Above: resin bunny-and-carrot kitchen roll holder, 35, from Alessi in Brook Street, W1 (alessi.com) Right: Racing Rabbits cotton cushion with feather pad, 49, at misterberwyn. com and at handpickedbykate.com

12 18 Homes Property Sustainable design Passionate recyclers turn rubbish into stunning homeware London designers lead the way in radical recycling that cares for the planet, says Barbara Chandler LONDON is starting to deal with its plastic waste, with commitments from the Mayor, charges on plastic cups, reductions in takeaway food packaging, the shunning of plastic drinking straws and even a Foreign Office pledge to ban avoidable use by its staff of single-use plastics by the end of this year. Such measures can work imposing a 5p charge for carrier bags has slashed their use by 85 per cent. The way we care for the world is literally rubbish. At one end we are running out of materials and resources, yet at the other we are throwing them away. This is the stark warning contained in a justpublished book called Radical Matter (Thames & Hudson, 32) by Kate Franklin and Caroline Till, co-founders of London trend and insight consultancy FranklinTill. We must reject the take-makediscard model of consumption, they say. Manufacturers make recycling difficult and users can be profligate wasters and lazy recyclers. But here s the hope: designers can and are creating innovatory materials and alternative systems of production. The book takes an optimistic global view, exploring experimental new material uses for newspaper, sawdust, corn husks, seaweed and even shit and house dust. It re-evaluates old crafts and spotlights new ways of production. Many ideas are on the fringe, but their practitioners are pioneer inventors, working often for very little reward. The nation was appalled when Sir David Attenborough s TV series Blue Planet revealed the destructive horrors of ocean waste. London-based designer Brodie Neill has been perfecting a robust ocean terrazzo from plastic waste washed up on beaches, showing his large pieces of furniture at the London Design Festival upscaling waste into wonder. Now he s tackling discarded ghost fishing nets adrift in our seas. Neill spoke recently at the UN s International Marine Conference and at an event on Innovation for the Circular Economy hosted by the European Parliament. LUKE EVANS Fired up: above, at The People s Brick Company in North Greenwich local building waste has been used to fire kilns and build brickdrying racks Toughened glass: Micaella Pedros makes furniture from chunky timber, using repurposed glass bottles to form tough glass joints, right Saw it here first: far right, designers Marjan van Aubel and James Shaw mix waste sawdust from their London studio with soya bio-resin, which produces a foaming reaction they can harness to create tables, right, and chairs In a south London workshop, furniture maker Sebastian Cox has a new material made from fresh wood waste bound together with fungus. He s already grown lamp shades, and made a lightweight board for insulation, working with RCA graduate Ninela Ivanova, also London based. It s early days yet, says Cox, but we are passionate about new uses for wood, which is super-sustainable when harvested correctly. Also using waste wood is London designer Conor Taylor, to make Foresso, his composite timber terrazzo. Solomon & Wu, makers of contemporary architectural elements in Hertfordshire, are upping production, collecting Forest Stewardship Council-certified waste from local timber merchants. Design duo Adam Fairweather and Rosalie McMillan of Smile Plastics turn plastic waste into boards for manufacturing. They make tabletops and storage boxes from a surprisingly beautiful, fragmented mix of plastic bottles and yoghurt and plant pots. Waste not: Conor Taylor reclaims quality waste wood to make Foresso, his composite timber terrazzo for uses from countertops to café tables Opendesk is a new on demand way of making furniture, largely for offices at present, without a central factory and with no shipping needed. Instead, paid-for digital files for easy-assembly designs are

13 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Sustainable design Homes Property Look, no factory: the team at Opendesk in London Fields, far left, sends out paid-for digital files to local makers with easyassembly designs for office furniture built on demand, left. Greenpeace, Nike and Google are on the client list, as mega brands get the sustainability message Far left: Zurichbased design studio Pour les Alpes has rekindled the Swiss craft of straw plaiting to create homewares Dutch design: Luc van Hoeckel and Pim van Baarsen of the Netherlands have launched their Super Local campaign to turn tourism waste in Zanzibar into beautiful marble-like objects, right Left: Adidas has turned ocean plastic waste into its Ultra Boost Uncaged trainers Home-grown: left, furniture maker Sebastian Cox with a lamp shade he has grown in a new material using fresh wood waste bound with fungus materials and bespoke design. Let s replace factories with independent faces. Essays by prominent workers and campaigners feature in the book Radical Matter, with London colleges showing the way. Caroline Till cites the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, and the Centre for Circular Design at Chelsea College of Arts. At Central Saint Martins Maison/0, professor in design for sustainable futures Carole Collet nurtures sustainable intelligence. Imaginative and passionate Daniel Charny, curator and co-founder of Fixperts, heads up design at Kingston University, where he champions repairing rather than chucking away. Outside of the book, there are many more Londoners making new materials out of waste, and/or creatively recycling existing materials and upcycling furniture. Last week Ecobuild the sustainability showcase attracted 24,500 visitors at ExCeL, where Brixton s Adam David Ge-Saelis, founder of Ongéan, built the registration and seating area from discarded fittings and materials in his railway arches depot. He plans a waste open event for World Earth Day on April 22, and hopes ultimately to build a waste village. sent directly to local fabricators. At about 400, an Opendesk is not the cheapest, but increasingly customers are buying into the sustainable message. Opendesk has supplied mega brands including Greenpeace, Nike and Google, along with start-ups such as Camden Town Brewery and coworking hub WeWork. Joni Steiner, Opendesk co-founder and chief executive, says: Local making has superfast lead times, sustainably sourced The mass market is getting the message, too. M&S launched Plan A for a sustainable future in Now comes Plan A Chief executive Steve Rowe says: We will engage 32 million customers, 85,000 colleagues and 20,000 shareholders in a massive movement for sustainable change. Meanwhile, flat-pack furniture maker Ikea has manifestos for environmental and social change in its new catalogue, and is making kitchen unit fronts from reclaimed wood, with a foil made from discarded plastic bottles. If bottles are recycled responsibly, they can be put back into use.

14 20 Homes Property Outdoors Sow seeds of your summer garden now Start on a sunny windowsill then move your crops to outside pots. A balcony s big enough and the fresh flavour burst will be amazing Alex Mitchell W RITER Lewis Grizzard said: It is difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a home-grown tomato. You learn to appreciate amazing fresh flavours when you grow your own food and with no plastic wrapping it is a guilt-free trip. Even if you only have a narrow 10th-floor balcony or a small concrete patch out back, you can grow so much in pots, including sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy lettuce and fiery chillies. It s time now to start sowing your crops inside. In about a month when the seedlings are bigger, you can plant them outside in larger terracotta pots to grow on to maturity. For now, a windowsill, counter top or bit of floor is fine as long as it s warm and gets lots of natural light. Any small pot will do, from small 9cm plastic ones from garden centres to recycled yoghurt pots and coffee cups, as long as you make a few drainage holes in the bottom. Plastic lids from food pots make good drip trays to save your windowsills. Use any multipurpose peat-free organic compost from the garden centre. New Horizon Peat Free Compost ( 5 for 50 litres, Homebase) is excellent or, if buying online, try Wool Compost for Seeds ( 7.99 for 12L plus delivery, Dalefoot Composts), made in the Lake District from bracken and wool. With all seeds, sow roughly as deep as the seed is large, then keep the compost moist after sowing. I use an old plastic water bottle with holes pierced in the lid to sprinkle the surface every day or so. You could also cover the tops of the pots with clingfilm to keep the moisture in until the seeds germinate. Then take it off so they can get some air. TOMATOES If you sow only one seed, make it a Sungold tomato ( 2.99, Suttons). The orange, cherrysized fruits, in a different class to anything you can buy in the shops, are sweet but with just the right balance of acidity. Classic red cherry-sized Gardener s Delight ( 1.95, Sarah Raven) is also a winner. Each plant will eventually need a 30cm diameter pot and a cane or railings to tie to as it grows. CHILLIES Just one plant will keep you in fiery fruits for a season. Chilli fruits look beautiful when ripening and don t need a big pot if you choose compact varieties. Try Apache and Thai Hot ( 3.00/ 2.40, South Devon Chilli Farm). A 20cm diameter pot is big enough and an average window box could fit three. As you d expect, chillies like a hot spot. THOMPSON+MORGAN Choose with care: not all aubergine varieties grow well in pots. Good choices are Pinstripe and Patio Mixed for stripes and unusual colours, or Money Maker No 2, above, for the familiar dark purple fruits It s a classic: left, cherry-sized Gardener s Delight tomatoes are heavy cropping and easy to grow. Sow now and plant out later in 30cm pots with canes for support One-pot wonder: left, chillies, aubergines and tomatoes are ripening here in one big outdoor barrel, making an attractive mini kitchen garden display with the promise of mouthwatering produce AUBERGINES Baba ganoush fans, choose carefully. Many varieties of aubergine don t grow well in pots, but these do: try Pinstripe ( 2.99, Suttons) or Patio Mixed (99p, Thompson & Morgan) for stripes and unusual colours; Money Maker no 2 ( 4.95, Sarah Raven) or Ophelia ( 2.99, Marshalls) for your classic dark purple version. You ll need a really sunny, sheltered spot outside. Each mature plant will eventually need a 30cm pot, or squeeze two in a large, deep window box. PERPETUAL SPINACH The key is in the name. This isn t the usual summer spinach but one that s in it for the long haul. Sow this delicious leafy green now, sometimes called spinach beet ( 2.99, Thompson & Morgan), and you ll be picking off leaves from the same plants until the end of autumn to stir-fry, steam or throw into salads. Sow five seeds in small pots then plant outside into window boxes, hanging baskets or larger pots. LETTUCE No crop is as versatile for small spaces as lettuce. Sow any variety 1cm apart and cut the leaves when small. Or start off each seed in its own pot and grow it on to maturity. A 30cm pot will fit about five mature plants. Great for pots is the compact Little Gem, a mini cos lettuce with crunch ( 1.75, Suttons) and also Salad Bowl ( 1.95, Sarah Raven). SARAH RAVEN SEEDS thompson-morgan.com suttons.co.uk marshalls-seeds.co.uk sarahraven.com southdevonchillifarm.co.uk MARSHALLS COMPOST AND KIT dalefootcomposts.co.uk burgonandball.com For more vegetable container tips: The Edible Balcony, by Alex Mitchell, is published by Kyle Books (kylebooks.com)

15 24 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 Homes Property Our home Right: the smart living and kitchen space with white metro tiles, bamboo ply on the island, black basalt worktops and industrial-chic pendant lighting Left: Ed and Sarah Burgess, with two of their three children Ralph and Nell. Oak flooring is used here as wall cladding Pictures Rachael Smith So many satisfying ideas under one roof Ed Burgess and his wife Sarah wanted a home near good schools and no listed building barriers to hamper their vision. They found just the place in Peckham. By Philippa Stockley G EORGIAN houses often pass on the history bug to their owners. Not in the case of Ed and Sarah Burgess. In 2012, after 10 happy years enjoying the period charm in the top half of a tall Georgian terrace in Kennington, they were desperate for a whole house with a garden. They did look at late-georgian houses in Dulwich, but Ed wanted to transform something. He knew it would be tricky with a period property. With three children Clive, now 15, Nell, 13 and Ralph 10 and having identified the Peckham-Dulwich border as their sweet spot, they got a map, marked two preferred secondary schools with pins, then drew circles round them. Their search focused where the circles intersected, so the children could cycle to either school. That s precise, but then Ed, 44, who worked for starchitect Richard Rogers and other big practices before going solo three years ago, is precise. The sixth agent they saw suggested a house on the street he d grown up in. It was slapbang in their target area, so Sarah went to look. It was a Thirties brick semi with a long back garden, a garage, four bedrooms and a view of Peckham Rye. Extended decades earlier with a basic, boxy sun room, it wasn t listed and it had a generous attic that Ed knew he could convert under permitted development rights. I told Ed it was in a perfect location but it was absolutely hideous, says Sarah, 46. The couple reel off the horrors of avocado bathroom suites, an ancient pine kitchen, plastic windows and an old recessed porch. Downstairs, the solidly built two-storey house had three good-sized rooms down one side including the sun room and a hotchpotch of little rooms down the other: kitchen, scullery, loo, hall. Oddly, the addition of the sun room made the former garden room, now the middle room, dark. Ed knew that he could open it all up and draw in light from the top. So they bought it. He got stuck into the loft conversion first and in just four months, added 540sq ft of habitable space. He fitted in a big double bedroom with views across the back garden. Behind the bed, a row of Ikea wardrobes fronted with solid oak makes a huge, modern bedhead a practical, clever and cheap divider. The bathroom off the bedroom is enhanced by Transformed: from hideous Thirties brick semi to a great modern family home. Ed and Sarah Burgess went for total reconfiguration a window that juts outwards, giving terrific views when bathing. Off the dressing room behind the bed, Ed tucked a small office. He designed the staircase to this new floor in birch ply, with a wall of books down one side for the family library. That was already transformative, but the couple had only just started. They went for a complete reconfiguration to open up and brighten everything and give them the smart living and cooking space they really wanted. Ed kept the front sitting room and hall, but knocked most of the rest together. Sarah s brief to him was that she didn t want a wall of glass or boring bifold doors. His solution was to turn the back wall of the house into a run of windows and glass doors punctuated by a window seat, a bookcase and an innovative sliding screen that covers the French windows to the garden. Breaking up what would have been a huge square living space, a sort of box takes up one quarter, dividing the remainder into an L shape. The box has oak along one side, which conceals jib doors to a utility room and cloakroom. Round its other side is the kitchen area. With bright orange cupboards spraypainted Ikea, Sarah says black basalt work

16 EVENING STANDARD 25 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Our home Homes Property Cool, yet so cosy: the ground floor was opened up into a family living-kitchen-dining space WHAT IT COST Two-storey, 2,150sq ft house in 2012: 910,000 Total money spent: 230,000 excluding all fees Value now (2,690sq ft): 1.5 million (estimate) GET THE LOOK Architect: Ed Burgess at burgessarchitects.com/practice Builder: plentaeffect.co.uk Bricks on back façade: ibstock.com Oak floorboards used as vertical cladding: tedtodd.co.uk Bamboo ply on kitchen island: stantonsuk.co.uk Light bulb fitting over island: urbancottageindustries.com Metro tiles: lauraashley.com Basalt worktops: geologyltd.com Black floor tiles: domustiles.co.uk Bespoke dining table: commission from Ed Burgess (as before) All windows: velfac.co.uk surfaces and a vast, bamboo-topped island, it is chic. The living-dining area, now ultralight thanks to a long overhead glass light down one side, has a big circular table that Ed designed, mid-century modern chairs with new pads screen-printed by Sarah and the children, and a huge pendant lamp. Artist Sarah, who calls herself an at-home mum, oversaw the interior design. Her choice of paint colours is very good. Strong colours, she says. What I ve learned about colours and patterns is that you can be braver than you think, because there s nothing so boring as doing the safe thing and then being disappointed. Her mantra has paid off, with a striking chain-link wallpaper used on Ed s prototype sliding screens over the glass door, and a jungle print in the small downstairs loo. With no trouble from the planners, the family only had to move out for a month and the whole build, which included inserting massive steels and relaying the slab, took eight months. There are so many good ideas to inspire and delight here, developed with care and executed with brio. It all proves that it s how you use space, rather than how much there is, that really counts. Customise-ityourself: kitchen cupboards from Ikea, right, spray-painted a bright and lively orange Left: with her passion for bold colours, artist Sarah put Little Greene s Reverie-Jungle wallpaper in the downstairs loo Right: Ed s first task was to convert the loft into a big double bedroom with a bathroom off it that gives terrific views out from the tub

17 26 Homes Property Reader offers Bargain news By Alison Cork Storage solutions for the trickiest of spaces TREAT yourself to everything from made-to-measure sliding and walk-in wardrobes to hinge doors with Bluefield Wardrobes. Specialising in elegant design solutions for your home, Bluefield uses accent colours for wardrobes and matching drawer units, and helps to make the most of awkward spaces and maximise storage. Quote BLUE 3 at bluefieldwardrobes. co.uk or when calling by March 31 to get 20 per cent off. For a free no-obligation design and planning service, sales@ bluefieldwardrobes.co.uk. Includes 10- year guarantee and no-hassle installation. The perfect garden retreat, designed with you in mind A BEAUTIFULLY crafted studio can be designed just for you by Smart Garden Offices. UK-made and delivered and installed by professional craftsmen, these stylish studios with double-glazed windows and full thermal insulation come in over five ranges in seven sizes, for the perfect office, art studio, hideaway or hobby room. Prices from 7,788. Visit smartgardenoffices.co.uk or call for a free site consultation. Readers get a free mini library with up to three bookcases in white, beech or walnut. Use code SMARTOFFER before April 10. Banish limescale and cut your bills You ll be Havana great garden get-together LIMESCALE can build up in your water system, leaving your boiler and appliances underperforming and pushing up fuel bills. ScaleGuard s electronic water conditioner saves energy and money. You need just one unit fitted to the incoming main for a running cost of 10 per year. Recommended by Thames Water, ScaleGuard is easy to fit and proven to help control hard water scale or your money back. Get 23 off, cutting the price from 118 to 95. Call or visit scaleguard.co.uk and quote ES before March 22. MAKE your garden more welcoming this spring with Out and Out Original s exclusive 300 discount offer on the Havana eight-seater garden dining set, reducing the price from 799 to just 499, including free two-man UK mainland delivery. This modern dining set in aluminium includes eight stackable chairs and a sleek 200cm table, perfect for entertaining friends and family. All of the materials used are maintenance free and weather resistant, making this goodlooking set ideal for outdoor use. To claim, quote code Sunny499 at outandout.com or call before April 4. Smart shutters put you in control of light, shade, heat and noise PREPARE for spring with window shutters from Appeal. They let in the sunlight, guard your privacy, keep the room cool in daytime and cosy at night. The great thing about louvres is they make it simple to control the light, while also reducing noise from outside. Choose from a variety of designs and colours. Enjoy 10 per cent discount and the Buy Now Pay in 12 Months offer at appealshading.com/esbargainnews offer or call quoting ES Bargain News Offer before April 8 to claim. The companies listed here are wholly independent of the Evening Standard. Care is taken to establish they are bona fide but we recommend you carry out your own checks prior to purchases and use a credit card where possible. To offer feedback on any of these companies, homesand property@standard.co.uk with Bargain News in the subject line. For more bargains, visit alisonathome.com or homesandproperty.co.uk/offers

18 30 Homes Property Property searching Spotlight on Maida Vale 1 This pretty central district is prized for its white stucco houses and bright canal barges. It s cheaper than Notting Hill, discovers Anthea Masey THE Little Venice area of Maida Vale, with white stucco villas overlooking Regent s Canal and its neat rows of colourful barges, is one of the most picturesque in all London. This is where Oasis and High Flying Birds star Noel Gallagher has failed to find a buyer for the mansion he put up for sale two years ago for 11.5 million having bought it for 8 million in Historian John Julius Norwich was luckier. He recently sold his larger mansion in the same street for 12 millionplus, having paid 7,200 for it in the Sixties. Not that Gallagher can complain when he can hang out with his children at the Puppet Theatre Barge on Browning s Pool, named after poet Robert Browning who lived locally. This romantic stretch of water where Regent s and Grand Union Canals meet is also home to a cosy café on a barge with outside seating in the summer. Maida Vale takes its name from the Hero of Maida, an Edgware Road inn that honoured Sir John Stuart, a British lieutenant-general in the battle of Maida in southern Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. King Ferdinand IV of Naples honoured him with the title Count of Maida. In Delaware Road, BBC Maida Vale Studios, converted from an Edwardian roller skating rink, is the BBC Symphony Orchestra base and hosted the John Peel Sessions from 1967 until the DJ s death in It opens to the public for frequent classical concerts. Visitors to Maida Vale comment on how quiet the area is compared to other Today in Maida Vale Rightmove has 669 homes to BUY and 696 to RENT central London locations. This is partly down to the lack of large areas of shopping, although there are local shops, including independent cafés, delicatessens and boutiques, in two spots along Clifton Road and Formosa Street. Once a bohemian enclave, rising house prices have put Maida Vale s prime roads beyond the reach of all but the very wealthy these days. However, the neighbourhood is still less expensive than St John s Wood or Notting Hill and is often overlooked, according to James Westendarp from the local branch of Chestertons estate agents. Maida Vale has some lovely communal gardens which are not as well-known as those in Notting Hill but which I personally think are even lovelier, adds Westendarp. Maida Vale is only three miles northwest of Trafalgar Square with Kilburn and St John s Wood to the north; Marylebone to the east; Paddington to the south and North Kensington to the west. WHAT ELSE THERE IS TO BUY 1.15 MILLION A TWO-BEDROOM flat on the top floor of a popular classic mansion block in Grantully Road in the heart of Maida Vale, with the Tube a third of a mile away. Call Chestertons ( ). 2.3 MILLION THIS three-bedroom townhouse in Little Venice has an integral garage and sits in quiet, gated Robert Close, moments from Regent s Canal. Through Sandfords ( ) MILLION A THREE-BEDROOM maisonette forming part of a fine Victorian terrace house in Randolph Avenue, Maida Vale, with Maida Vale Tube only a five-minute walk away. Savills ( ). 895,000 A PERIOD three-bedroom garden flat in Lydford Road, W9, with its own entrance and planning permission in place for an extension. Through Braithwait Estate Agents ( ). To find a home in Maida Vale, visit rightmove.co.uk For more area guides, visit homesandproperty.co.uk/area-guides

19 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Property searching Homes Property 2 3 homesandproperty.co.uk powered by 5 STATS CHECK What homes cost Buying in Maida Vale (Average prices) One-bedroom flat 534,000 Two-bedroom flat 816,000 Two-bedroom house 1.25 million Three-bedroom house 1.51 million Four-bedroom house 2.98 million Renting in Maida Vale (Average rates) One-bedroom flat Two-bedroom flat Two-bedroom house Three-bedroom house Four-bedroom house 1,614 a month 2,882 a month 3,055 a month 5,000 a month 7,681 a month Source: Rightmove Maida Vale in pictures: 1 Formosa Street shops; 2 stone lions guard the entrance of stucco-fronted houses 3 Jamie Thorpe, assistant manager at Everyman Cinema in Sutherland Avenue 4 Muji Chipperfield, owner of Elgin Blooms traditional florist in Elgin Avenue; 5 as well as painted barges, tranquil Little Venice is now home to canalside cafés 4 TRANSPORT WARWICK AVENUE, Maida Vale and Edgware Road (Bakerloo) Tube stations are all on the Bakerloo line with trains to Oxford Circus. Edgware Road (Circle) station is on the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines. Paddington main line station connects with the Bakerloo, District, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines. Warwick Avenue and Maida Vale are in Zone 2 and an annual travelcard to Zone 1 costs 1,364. Edgware Road and Paddington are in Zone 1 and an annual travelcard also costs 1,364. The Elizabeth line Crossrail arrives at Paddington in December. Trains will run from Paddington to Abbey Wood and also to Heathrow airport before the full service starts a year later. Two useful commuter buses run through the heart of Maida Vale along Shirland Road. The No 6 goes to Aldwych via Piccadilly Circus and the No 414 goes to Putney Bridge via Marble Arch and Knightsbridge. PROPERTY SCENE THE local housing stock is mainly white stucco houses, villas and terraces and red-brick Edwardian mansion flats. The most expensive Maida Vale house currently for sale is a seven-bedroom double-fronted white stucco property in Randolph Road, at 25 million. However, there are 13 times more flats than there are houses for sale locally. Prices fall in Maida Hill off Harrow Road, with onebedroom flats from about 425,000. NEW-BUILD HOMES The biggest development is Berkeley Group s West End Gate, on a two-anda-half-acre former car park in Newcastle Place at the corner of Edgware Road and Harrow Road, the edge of Maida Vale. The scheme of 812 homes includes 169 affordable, in five buildings by architects Squire and Partners. The tallest is Westmark, a 30-storey block that will have a gym, swimming pool and private cinema. The other four buildings are being built in mansion block style to mirror the local architecture. A new phase launches on April 7 with prices from 749,500 and the whole scheme completes in summer Call for more. On the northern edge of Maida Vale opposite Paddington Recreation Ground in Kilburn Park Road, Network Homes housing association has built Park Terrace, a block of 52 one-, two- and three-bedroom flats. The project, part of the Kilburn Quarter regeneration of the South Kilburn Estate, is three quarters sold and the flats are move-in ready. Onebedroom flats start at 525,000, with two-bedroom homes from 720,000 and three-bedroom flats at 789,000. Visit parkterracenw6.com or call agents Stone on or Marsh & Parsons on In Blossom time: brightly painted boats of Little Venice moored on Regent s Canal Elgin Avenue, 12 Elgin is a scheme of 15 one-, two- and three-bedroom flats, ready to move into. One-bedroom flats start at 525,000, with twobedroom homes at 650,000 and three bedrooms at 1.27 million. Visit12elgin.com or call Goldschmidt and Howland on Westbourne Place is a Redrow development in a converted Victorian police station on the corner of Harrow Road and Woodfield Road. One threebedroom flat remains, at 850,000. See westbourne-place.co.uk or call Parker House, a period building in Cuthbert Street off Edgware Road, has been converted into 19 apartments by the Linton Group. Nine remain, all ready to move into, with one-bedroom flats priced from 570,000 and twobedroom homes starting at 875,000. Call for more information. AFFORDABLE HOMES Westminster City council operates the Westminster Home Ownership Accelerator with housing charity Dolphin Living, offering up to 50 households a deposit of 21,800-54,500 to buy a home anywhere in Greater London after living for three years in local intermediate rental homes. In Maida Vale, Westminster has studio flats at 719 a month, onebedroom flats at 901, two-bedroom flats for 1,239 and three-bedroom flats from 1,408. Call WHO RENTS HERE? Chestertons lettings director Mags O Grady says City workers, writers and musicians enjoy the peace and quiet. Her bread and butter are twobedroom mansion flats that rent for a week. She thinks the Elizabeth line at Paddington will bring many more corporate lettings.

20 34 Homes Property Ask the expert Our new flat and a puppy dog s tale By Fiona McNulty OUR LAWYER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS Q MY BOYFRIEND and I hope to buy our first flat. We also want a puppy. My boyfriend s mother says we won t be able to live in a flat with a dog, as landlords do not allow it. Surely if we get a ground-floor flat with a garden the dog will not be a problem? A ANY flat you buy will have a leasehold title. The lease should list restrictions, covenants and obligations by which you as the leaseholder would be bound. The lease may prohibit keeping a dog in the flat, or it may say one can be kept with the prior written consent of the landlord. It could say the landlord s consent may not be unreasonably withheld, but also that it may be revoked at any time. The lease is likely to include covenants stating that the leaseholder must not do or allow anything to be done on or at the WHAT S YOUR PROBLEM? legalsolutions@ standard.co.uk or write to Legal Solutions, Homes & Property, London Evening Standard, 2 Derry Street, W8 5EE. Questions cannot be answered individually, but we will try to feature them here. Fiona McNulty is a solicitor specialising in residential property. property which would constitute a nuisance. If the puppy makes a lot of noise barking, that could amount to nuisance. In such circumstances the landlord is likely to revoke any consent for a dog. At the outset ask the estate agent to confirm the position regarding dogs and for a copy of the lease so you can see precisely what it says about keeping pets. You do not want to commit yourself to buying a flat and then find that your puppy is not allowed to live there. Q I HAVE just bought a new-build detached house on a new estate. The house has two allotted parking spaces but the developers have now put in another parking space which is close to my window and is for anyone to park on. I feel that my privacy is being put at risk. Are the developers allowed to do this? A More legal Q&As: visit homesand property.co.uk THE parking space seems to be a communal or visitors parking space for the development. Before you purchased your new home, you would have had the opportunity to visit the site and/or look at the marketing materials and sales brochures published by the developer which would have included plans showing the proposed layout of the development. Furthermore, once your offer for the property was accepted your solicitor would have received from the developer s solicitor a contract pack containing a variety of documents. One of these documents would have comprised a contract, draft transfer and a plan of the property. Usually such a plan would show not only the property being sold but also any neighbouring land. When buying a property, the principle caveat emptor applies meaning buyer beware. Before you exchanged contracts and subsequently completed the purchase you really should have ensured that you were happy with the property you were buying and its surroundings. Subject to planning and building controls, the developer should be able to construct the parking space on its land and indeed it may very well be a condition of planning that visitors and/or communal parking space has to be provided. In any event, most contracts for newbuild property allow the developer leeway to make changes to layouts, boundaries and the like, provided the value or amenity of the property being sold is not affected.

21 36 Homes Property Inside story On board with anti-money laundering Diary of an Estate Agent MONDAY NEW legislation seems to be coming at us thick and fast. Fortunately, I sit on the Propertymark board for the National Association of Estate Agents so I get to hear about what s coming in advance. Anti-money laundering has been with us for a number of years now but the new fourth directive means there are even tighter controls on so-called dirty money which historically has been used to buy property. I head to a meeting in Fitzroy Street about the clever tech our client is putting into their scheme nearby. It lets you operate heating, cooling, lighting, music, entry-phone and blinds from a tablet, either inside the property or on an app from anywhere in the world. It s what discerning buyers want now in a West End flat. TUESDAY AFTER all the snow disruption, buyers and tenants are back out viewing again this week. We re noticing a growing theme that we call Facetime viewing. This time a buyer from Singapore insists my colleague, Simon, shows her around the flat via Facetime. She is looking to buy for her son and daughter who are coming to study at University College London. Neither flat she views from a distance hits the mark on this occasion but this type of viewing is definitely becoming more popular. Only yesterday a German couple came to London to see a lovely flat in the Hanway Gardens development, having put down a rental deposit a week earlier. Happily, they liked it even more in the flesh. WEDNESDAY I M meeting one of our property developers today to run through the final show suite on a new scheme of flats. A video with information about the developer, commentary from the architect and computer-generated images are all included. Samples of the carefully chosen finishes are expertly displayed to give buyers as much detail as possible before they are able to get on-site. Many flats will be sold before that stage, so it s great to have plenty to show them. At the moment the sales market is relatively slow. People are still keen to buy but some sellers are holding out for prices that often are not achievable at this time. With interest rates still historically low and stamp duty so costly, we are at something of an impasse. We are finding that the only people moving home right now are those with motives, such as a job move, a break-up or probate sales where family are selling. THURSDAY WE have a problem today with tenants due to move into a property. They sent the money two days ago from Germany but it still hasn t arrived in our account. They are distraught as they are due to fly off on a day trip tomorrow. Nicole, our head of accounts, is chasing the banks to find out where the money is and when it is likely to arrive as cleared funds. When 3pm hits and the likelihood of it arriving today fades, I step in to try to find a solution, but the tenants are upset at the thought of missing their day trip. They will be flying back late so they won t be able to collect the keys, but I suggest they should still go on their trip and we will get the keys to the airport as I don t live too far away assuming the monies arrive tomorrow. FRIDAY GREAT news the monies arrive in our account first thing so we message our tenants with the good news. They are due back around 10pm so very kindly the concierge at the Charlotte Street Hotel near our office agrees to hold the keys for them and will release them on proof of ID. The tenants are delighted. Now I m finalising everything before I go away skiing. The clock is ticking, so I have a takeaway at my desk, write a list for my colleagues, put the Out of Office on, and head for France. Jonathan Hudson is founder of Hudsons in Charlotte Steet, Fitzrovia W1 ( ).

22 40 Homes 650 a week: a two-bedroom, two-bathroom flat with two winter gardens, on the eighth floor of Halliday House at Battersea Power Station, is available to rent through John D Wood ( ). Residents facilities include a 24-hour concierge, on-site gym, swimming pool and spa, cinema, games room, meeting room and all-day restaurant. Property Letting on You re dead so what? You are still liable for the rent The accidental landlord A boss offers to guarantee her nanny s rent but there is a problem the contract legalese locks her in forever. Who d agree to that, asks Victoria Whitlock THE phone rings. It s a selfemployed taxi driver who wants to know if I accept tenants ie him claiming housing benefit. He tells me he s good for the rent because he earns more than 40,000 a year, but as he only declares less than half his income on his tax return, he s entitled to benefits. So you re a tax dodger and a benefits cheat? I ask him. He replies: You get what you can, everyone does it. I tell him not to bother coming to view my flat, as I don t want to get embroiled in someone else s fraud. Mind you, so many people are now part of the so-called gig economy that most of my tenants tell me their actual earnings are higher than indicated on their tax returns. I don t know if this means almost everyone is cheating the system, or they re just bigging themselves up. Whatever, many of my tenants don t earn enough on paper to pass a credit check, so I usually ask them for a guarantor. While this isn t generally a problem for students and young professionals, whose parents are happy to guarantee their rent if only to get them to leave home, it can be awkward for those who don t have relatives who can help. I recently had a low-waged nanny whose employer offered to act as her guarantor, until she scrutinised the tenancy agreement and realised she could potentially be locked into the deal for the rest of her life. The agreement, supplied by the online letting agent I was using, stated the guarantee was not limited to the term specified and would apply during the initial term or any extension, renewal or continuation of the agreement. She couldn t even get out of it by dying: a clause said the guarantee would continue after that. The guarantor wasn t comfortable signing an agreement that might last long after the nanny had left her. I didn t blame her. I d naively assumed all guarantors were automatically released from their obligations at the end of the initial fixed term, but I ve since discovered that the agreement my agent provided was not at all unusual. Many deeds of guarantee continue until the tenant leaves or the landlord changes the terms of the contract, such as by increasing the rent. Who d agree to that? The nanny s employer was happy to act as a guarantor for the initial 12- month contract, after which she wanted the option to say yes or no to an extension, so I asked the agent to amend the agreement. Not possible, they said. It was a standard contract and any changes they made might not be legally sound. Their attitude was, if the guarantor couldn t trust the tenant to guarantee their rent indefinitely, I shouldn t trust her either. This was naïve and unhelpful. In the end, I added my own clause releasing the guarantor from her obligations at the end of the initial term. Let s hope we never have to find out whether it s legally sound. Victoria Whitlock lets four properties in south London. To contact Victoria with your ideas and views, 595 a week: a three-bedroom flat in Castellain Mansions, Castellain Road, W9, an easy walk from Maida Vale Tube, is available through Marsh & Parsons ( )

23 44 Homes Property New homes How cool, a camera in the fridge THE so-called internet of things, a network that allows digital devices, gadgets and domestic appliances to remotely speak to each other, is making its mark in new housing developments for the computersavvy generation. Homes at Wembley Park, below, a new neighbourhood ringing the famous stadium, now have state-ofthe-art appliances such as Samsung fridges with a built-in camera that can message your fridge stocks to your mobile phone. With a connected fridge, residents can also order groceries directly from a panel on the appliance door. About a third of the 5,000 homes here are for private rent through a company called Tipi. Rents start at 1,650 a month including utility bills, plus there is free fast broadband and shared social spaces such as a cinema screening room. Call Smart moves By David Spittles Best Boat Race seats guaranteed THE Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, this year on March 24, will take place against a backdrop of head-turning housing schemes that have sprung up along the banks of the Thames between Putney and Mortlake with big terraces offering wide river vistas, while new promenades with bars and brasseries, boutiques and galleries have made the waterfront a more convivial place. Riverbank regeneration has created a new homes sub-market, one of the most resilient sectors says estate agent Knight Frank, which has launched Boat Race House, right and far right, a block of understated design with 16 flats overlooking the finishing line at Mortlake. More than 250,000 people are set to watch the race from the riverbanks, but this stretch of the Thames is usually tranquil. Prices range from 595,000, up to 2.35 million for a penthouse with a wide, sheltered terrace. Call Looking for a new-build home? Start your search on

24 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH homesandproperty.co.uk powered by Get Help to Buy the best in the block at Deptford Foundry New homes Homes Property HELP TO BUY homes are often the less attractive flats in a development in terms of size, floor plan and position within the scheme but they are acceptable to cashstrapped buyers desperate to get on the property ladder. So full marks to developer Anthology for launching Casting House, an entire block of 40 Help to Buy apartments priced below 600,000 that are as good as any at its Deptford Foundry scheme of 316 homes, right. With Help to Buy, first-timers need only a five per cent deposit as they can use an interest-free government loan of 40 per cent, making it easier for them to get a mortgage for the remaining 55 per cent. So here is a good chance to buy into improving SE8 from an affordable 375,000. Deptford is raw and arty, with enviably quick transport connections to central London and Docklands. Call GETTY RUST IS ON A ROLL Dramatic lateral homes in SW18 ON-TREND Corten steel has made an appearance in the unsung Wandsworth suburb of Southfields. In Revelstoke Road amid a terrace of Victorian bayfronted houses, this scheme of nine homes, pictured, is a dramatic architectural intervention. What looks like a row of modern townhouses with front gardens is in fact a scheme of five duplexes and four laterals with double-height glazing, white-walled interiors and winter gardens. Prices from 779,000. Call Dexters on