A showhome is set to be unveiled this month at a new development on a former school site in Forest Hill. Bellway London Partnerships will be opening the doors to a showhome at Dacres Wood Court – a 59-apartment development on the former home of Our Lady and St Philip Neri Infant School – on Saturday 6 November. The homes, off Mayow Road, will be one, two and three-bedroom apartments, 20 of which will be provided as affordable housing for local people through rent or shared ownership. “Viewing the showhome at Dacres Wood Court will provide the perfect opportunity for buyers to visualise what it would be like to live in one of these brand-new apartments. This will be the first time visitors have the chance to look inside a completed home and we expect there to be a lot of interest in doing so. Sales are already going well and we anticipate that high level of demand to continue. The showhome, which is the first property to be completed on site, is a perfect example of the quality apartments on offer at Dacres Wood Court,” said Amie Triphook-Cole, Head of Sales for Bellway London Partnerships. The show apartment features an open plan living space off an entrance hall, with two bedrooms – one of which includes a suggested home-working zone, and a family bathroom. “The open-plan kitchen has integrated appliances and flows seamlessly into the dining and living area, which leads onto a terrace. All apartments will have a private outdoor space, giving buyers the option to work outside if the weather is kind or just to enjoy relaxing in the fresh air. All the homes within this development are below the London Help to Buy price cap and are proving to be extremely popular with first time-buyers. Work continues to progress well and we hope to see our first completions later this year, when we’ll welcome the first residents onto the development,” added Amie. London Help to Buy enables first-time buyers to secure a new-build home in the capital with a five per cent deposit and a 55 per cent mortgage. The remaining 40 per cent is provided in the form of a Government-backed equity loan, which is interest free for the first five years. The scheme, which runs until 2023, is now only available to first-time buyers and on homes under the regional price cap – which for London is £600,000. There are one, two and three-bedroom apartments currently on sale at Dacres Wood Court, with prices starting from £354,495.

Affordable housing provider St Arthur Homes has acquired its largest number of private units on one site to date, for Shared Ownership between Southampton and Portsmouth in a deal in excess of £25M with The Vistry Group. The purchase of 95 affordable homes at the Whiteley Meadows development in Winchester, comes as part of St Arthur Homes’ focused expansion programme, as it aims to deliver at least 2,000 new homes over five years. The first phase of 45 Shared Ownership homes at Whiteley Meadows will be launched for sale soon, including a range of two and three-bedroom houses and two-bedroom apartments, providing affordable opportunities for buyers to get onto the property ladder for as little as a 5% deposit on the share they buy. Buyers will initially be able to purchase a share of the property, with the opportunity to buy further shares up to outright ownership in the future. “We are delighted to have acquired the site at Whiteley Meadows, which is our largest Shared Ownership development to date. Working alongside Vistry, we are pleased to play our part in delivering this fantastic new community in an outstanding countryside location while helping make homes more affordable for our buyers. The increasing awareness and demand for Shared Ownership homes puts us in a strong position to continue to grow our business,” said Chief Executive Officer for St Arthur Homes. St Arthur Homes specialises in delivering premium shared ownership housing, without compromise on specification and is taking its place in the market as the aspirational RP. St Arthur works with a range of partners to acquire affordable housing across London and the South of England through S106 and grant-led schemes, with plans to expand into The Midlands. The deal with Vistry Group is the latest in a series of partnership deals with leading housebuilders as St Arthur increases its portfolio. Whiteley Meadows is a multi-phase development where the overall masterplan will deliver more than 3,000 new homes from a group of leading developers led by The Vistry Group. The plans also include new schools, a care home, community centre, green spaces and shops, along with associated infrastructure. The new neighbourhood is well situated between Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester, and surrounded by countryside, making it an attractive and sustainable place to live.

There is a great demand for rental homes that have been designed to suit family life and a leading example of just such a development is Canada Gardens in Wembley Park. Operated by Quintain Living – the award-winning management company that is expertly looking after the rental of more than 3,000 homes – the pet-friendly apartments deliver family focused living in the heart of the exciting Wembley Park neighbourhood. For Canada Gardens resident Loide Azinheiro, who has lived in Canada Gardens with husband Joao and baby Benjamin since January 2021, it was the building’s family focus that was the attraction. Canada Gardens has something for everyone – there’s a pirate ship themed children’s play area and water feature, a beautiful indoor playroom, an acre of private podium gardens with outdoor kitchens and BBQs, a huge roof terrace and a serviced clubhouse for indoor relaxation. Loide and Joao have both enjoyed working from the clubhouse, while Loide has joined Pilates and yoga classes, art and painting lessons and baking classes with local artisan bakery Bread Ahead, all organised by the Quintain Living team through its dedicated app. The Wembley Park neighbourhood also has plenty to appeal to families. Loide loves all the new developments that are appearing, while the CCTV, on-site security and well-lit boulevards make her feel safe and confident when out and about. Working just outside Marylebone (when not home-based), the location is also ideal for her commute as the overground train reaches Marylebone in just nine minutes and both the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines run from Wembley Park station. And for little Benji, attending the local, bilingual (English/French) nursery is perfect. Working from home also played into the couple’s decision to move to Canada Gardens. They had lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Quintain Living’s Alameda development since April 2019, but with Benji now in tow and the pandemic likely resulting in long-term remote working, they switched to a three-bedroom home in Canada Gardens, using the third bedroom as a home office. For families in the same situation, Canada Gardens offers not just the clubhouse as a place to work but designer work-from-home sheds surrounded by greenery, a rooftop lounge and work from home area, study and a phone booth over the super-lobby. Meanwhile, families who want to get back to nature can hire allotment beds to grow their own fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables. There’s a tool shed for storing pots and tools, with information on growing seasons. Quintain Living’s estates team is also on hand to provide expert advice on planting and nurturing. Children growing up in Wembley Park have plenty of primary and secondary schooling options close by, including the Lycée International de Londres Winston Churchill, which is immensely popular. There are also all the on-site shops, theatre, cinema and playparks available at Wembley Park itself, including LDO and London’s largest Boxpark. There’s even a new public park next to Canada Garden’s entrance, complete with a children’s playground, paddling area, water features, a games area, and an outdoor gym. With a dog park and acres of greenery to come, it’s the icing on the cake in terms of local attractions for families. Available in one to three-bedroom layouts, Canada Gardens’ apartments can be rented furnished or unfurnished, to suit families’ varying needs. All homes provide free, superfast WiFi, which is set up ready to use the moment families move in. Utilities are also set up and ready to go, with one monthly bill that breaks everything out for total transparency, with families only paying for what they use. Co-designed with John Lewis & Partners and Samsung, with Kohler bathroom fittings, the apartments offer a high standard of contemporary comfort and style – perfectly for modern family life.

Quintain Living, the award-winning management company overseeing the rental of more than 3,000 cosy apartments in Wembley Park, is certainly ready for autumn. At Canada Gardens, the heated work-from-home sheds amongst the acre of podium gardens provide remote-working residents with the ideal set-up, while those looking for a spot of company can drop into the warmth and welcome of the clubhouse. The children’s playroom comes with its own fairy-tale-esque lighting that feels perfect for the change of season, while the plush armchairs, individual lamps and mellow shelf lighting in the library couldn’t be more autumnal if they tried. Meanwhile, for those families that have hired the on-site allotment beds, it’s time to start harvesting. The homes themselves at Canada Gardens are also ideal for autumn. Properties range from studios to three-bedroom apartments, all with spacious open plan areas that create the perfect family hub for the cosiest season of the year. Furnished apartments provide a choice of options when it comes to colour schemes, with rich browns, deep blues, soft greys and even warm splashes of dark purple creating homes that feel welcoming and comforting the moment you set foot through the door. The autumnal vibe can also be felt strongly at Ferrum, where New York-inspired warehouse interiors feature exposed brick and concrete in an homage to industrial chic. With outstanding rooftop social spaces and a state-of-the-art gym, the cosy apartments are popular with Londoners looking for Brooklyn loft-style living. The huge residents’ lounge at Ferrum – The Foundry – is packed with comfortable sofas, fireplaces and armchairs you can sink into after a long day, with fabrics and cushions that feel custom-designed for snuggling up. Rich tones of brown, deep yellow and burgundy, alongside a natural feel from the use of brick, wood and exposed concrete, create a haven of warmth and comfort, while floor to ceiling windows flood the space with light. As life outdoors gets colder and less inviting, a host of curated events within Quintain Living’s social spaces, as well as online, will keep residents feeling connected and inspired. Between Wembley Stadium, The SSE Arena, Wembley and the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, there is also a plethora of sporting, musical and theatrical events for Wembley Park residents to enjoy this autumn.