The Sky Is The Limit At Canary Wharf Development
Posted 10 January 2022 by
Lizzie LeighCanary Wharf’s South Quay Plaza proves that the sky’s the limit when it comes to living well, and we discuss with Louis Aldred, sales and marketing director of Berkeley Homes, how a balanced lifestyle and wellbeing are key for homebuyers…
You’re currently marketing a scheme in Canary Wharf, South Quay Plaza, which recently won a silver award for Best Luxury Development at the WhatHouse? Awards – congratulations! What are the stand-out features of the development for you?
South Quay Plaza sets a new standard for both design features and wellness amenities. It has proved extremely popular, with only a few homes remaining in its first phase.
The shimmering glass exterior by Foster+Partners houses a collection of beautifully designed apartments and penthouses but it’s the amenities that really make a difference.
Residents automatically become members of The Quay Club, providing access to a double-height panoramic swimming pool overlooking the South Dock, extensive gym facilities and studio space, screening room, private dining room and meeting room and the iconic 56th floor bar and terrace. The facilities have also recently won an award for ‘Best Leisure Development’ at the International Property Awards and we always receive fantastic feedback from our residents; it’s great to see these exceptional facilities start to get the acclaim they deserve.
The development is incredibly green, set amongst 2.6 acres of leafy gardens. There are also a range of outside terraces filled with trees, flowers and plants every 19 floors within the latest phase Harcourt Gardens, which is something you might not expect to see in Canary Wharf historically.
At the moment you’re focusing on the latest phase of South Quay Plaza, Harcourt Gardens, which has been built around the ethos of ‘Life in Harmony’ – what does this mean for buyers?
A balanced lifestyle and wellbeing were important pre-pandemic but now I think they are non-negotiable aspects for buyers. Purchasers want developments with spaces that allow them to live well with a full suite of on-site amenities. An example of this is the Bamboo Sanctuary on the 18th floor, which will be an urban sanctuary comprising a state-of-the-art gym, health suite and spa, leading to hot tubs on the outdoor terrace overlooking the skyline. It is also about the balance of being within easy reach of your work or place of study so you are not losing hours a day commuting. That is all part of the appeal.
The scheme features the iGarden and the Sky Meadow, can you tell us more about these?
With many people now hybrid working and spending more time at home, it’s important that they have the right environment that allows them to focus. The iGarden will form an expansive resident co-working space with indoor and outdoor options, with a games room and sound proofed karaoke studio.
The Sky Meadow is a roof garden on the 56th floor complete with a BBQ area, which will provide unrivalled views of the London skyline at almost 200m high.
Who do you think will be buying these apartments?
We are seeing interest from UK owner occupiers, mostly working in the financial and tech industries around Canary Wharf, as well as overseas buyers attracted to the secure and globally renowned location. The first phase, Valiant Tower, is almost sold out now with a real sense of community, which we look forward to further building on with Harcourt Gardens.
Are interested buyers able to put their own design touches on the apartments at the point of build?
At Harcourt Gardens we offer a choice of three colour palettes that have been expertly designed by acclaimed interior designers ID:SR. If any further changes are required, meetings with Berkeley's in-house technical design team can be arranged via the customer relations team for further discussion.
Are new homebuyers in cities such as London now demanding more access to green space as a consequence of the pandemic, do you think?
Berkeley has always been an advocate of ensuring its developments include outside space and have easy access to green space, however the pandemic has certainly shone a light on this with it now becoming a ‘must have’ for most buyers.
Do you see London in full recovery mode from the pandemic or do you think the model of hybrid working is here to stay?
We are seeing the buzz coming back to Canary Wharf and the City again. Despite short term uncertainty, the long-term appeal of these global business hubs will always remain. That said, there is an evolution and I think hybrid working in one form or another is here to stay with many people working at least one day from home now. Even some of the large traditional financial institutions have brought in flexible policies for staff which is not something we could have ever imagined 10 years ago.
What else is coming up at Berkeley in the New Year?
Within Berkeley SEL we will be launching a new scheme in the New Year in South East London and continuing the strong momentum of sales at Harcourt Gardens. Within the Group, we are progressing construction across our Group portfolio of 64 live projects and have a near-term pipeline of 7,000 homes, so we will be incredibly busy for the foreseeable!
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