New Mill Hill Homes Reflecting World-Class City Living

Jury Cheng of Poly UK tells us why London will remain a world class city for living and working and reviews the developer’s Plaza Collection, a design-led development in Mill Hill with interiors by global interiors’ specialist, Michaelis Boyd.

Jury, can you give us a brief overview of your career experience to date?

I worked in Asia for a number of years in marketing for Panasonic Asia Pacific at the regional headquarters, before making the move to property in the UK in 2012. During this time I managed project sales for the developer Fairview New Homes and helped to grow their team, before joining Poly in 2020 to lead the sales and marketing function.

Poly Global is a successful global developer that's now launched Poly UK's first UK site, Plaza Collection, in Mill Hill East, which forms part of the old Inglis Barracks' transformation. Tell us more!

Plaza Collection is an exciting design-led development which occupies a prime position at the front of the Millbrook Park site and acts as a gateway to Mill Hill East station. There is a real focus on design, quality and placemaking – it is a truly collaborative effort from the entire project team.

The initial response has been excellent. We officially launched the first release of homes around eight weeks ago and I’m delighted to say that 75% have been reserved already – with first completions this summer.

Plaza Collection will eventually house 700 one- and two-bedroom homes set in communal gardens, and will feature a new landscaped plaza, commercial and retail space – what sort of community are you hoping to create?

We want to create a vibrant and inclusive community with green space that has wide-ranging appeal, from first-time buyers using Help to Buy to families and older residents, as well as the wider community who can benefit from the new plaza and retail space. Mill Hill is an excellent area but to date has been lacking a commercial hub – we hope that the new boutique cafés and shops that form part of our development will bring new energy to the area.

As a mixed-use project with retail and commercial space, we think this is a great opportunity when more and more Londoners will be working from home on a part-time basis. Latest industry reports suggest people are tending to work two days at home. As a result, people spend more time in their community – so it’s important to have good amenities on the doorstep.

Do you feel this style of living will attract Londoners who've worked through the pandemic and realise they want to have access to green spaces yet retain a foothold in the capital?

Certainly. Mill Hill offers the best of both worlds – you are surrounded by parks and woodland like Arrandene Open Space and Darland’s Nature Reserve, yet have easy access into central London on the Northern line is less than half-an-hour should you need it. The development itself is also set amongst beautiful landscaping which will soon be taking shape and can be enjoyed by all.

We hear you've been working with Michaelis Boyd, a global interiors' specialist who were responsible for Soho Farmhouse's design, to create some exceptionally designed interiors at the scheme – what are the details you can share with us?

We’re very excited to have Michaelis Boyd bringing their hospitality experience to a residential scheme. There is a focus on textures and materials that step away from the clinical all white finish that many new build schemes offer.

We have a beautiful entrance lobby with 12-hour concierge, finished in exposed brick which is very sought-after, while in the light-filled homes themselves there are nods to the site’s former military usage – with a palette that uses soft greens, including glazed tiles in the kitchen and dark bronze fittings. Herringbone parquet flooring adds a touch of classical style, while the beautifully crafted bathrooms include smart terrazzo flooring set against warm green-grey metro wall tiles.

Are the apartments offering good eco-credentials?

The homes meet Level 4 Code for Sustainable Homes and the building materials include sustainably sourced timber. We are recycling a large volume of construction waste on-site and there is also a district heating system which is much more efficient that local gas boilers.

Will you be offering any incentives to buyers at Plaza Collection?

We are offering Help to Buy scheme at the development which allows buyers to purchase with just a 5% deposit and will also be offering Stamp Duty incentives on certain homes.

Will Poly UK continue to focus on London sites for development and, if so, where are the next hot spots you've identified?

We firmly believe in the value of London as a world-class city for living and working – you only have to look to see how things are already springing back to life as we exit lockdown. We’re currently assessing new opportunities in boroughs like Ealing, Southwark and Waltham Forest which are popular with young professionals. We would also like to integrate smart/digital-led placemaking in future projects.

How do you think the London property market will perform over the next year or so – there's talk of the bubble bursting, do you think that's accurate?

Samuel Johnson’s historic quote famously says: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.” I think London will always perform well – it offers a good quality of life with everything you need, from retail to hospitality, education and work prospects. Ultimately there is still a shortage of quality homes and extremely high levels of demand at all tiers of the market.

And finally, where is Poly UK going to be in ten years from now?

In ten years’ time we expect to have further London projects underway and will continue to push the boundary with our developments, never losing sight of our mantra; designed thoughtfully, built responsibly. By then, all phases of Plaza Collection will be fully occupied and it will be a thriving community in its own right.

Find out more at plaza-collection.co.uk.

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