The WhatHouse? team recently took up an invitation to visit Beaufort Park in Colindale, north London, to see what has been done there, take a tour of the site and see the show homes for the current range of new homes for sale.
Launched in 2005, by the time it completes in 2024, Beaufort Park will have brought 3,200 apartments to the transformation of Colindale. These homes are in blocks that surround a number of residents-only landscaped gardens and are connected by pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly roads. There’s far more to it than just homes though, including a number of places to eat and drink, a dry cleaner’s, Tesco Express, hair and beauty salon and the residents’ gym/pool facilities. Marketing manager Lois and sales manager Radhika met us at the marketing suite and led us around the site.
The current Block F of homes offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units (with one exception, a four-bedroom property). The final phase, Block D, is set to launch in May 2022.
With St George being part of Berkeley Group – former WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year – the standard specification and upgrade and top-end versions at Beaufort Park are all of high-quality with big names such as Bosch and SMEG kitchen appliances, Villeroy & Boch sanitaryware and Vado bathroom fittings. The higher specs include things like chrome/brushed aluminium light and power sockets, composite kitchen worktops and fitted bathroom cabinets, with the ‘Premier’ level having comfort cooling, Siemens/Miele appliances, wine cooler and demister mirrors.
We look around both the current show homes, which are three-bedroom apartments fitted by experts Hatch Interiors, each having its own private outside space. They both come with the Premier specification as well as a few upgrades to demonstrate to house-hunters the variety. The first has fitted wardrobes to bedroom one – which is standard – but also in bedroom two, which is an upgrade that many buyers will find useful in this second double room. Bedroom three is also a double which could be put to many uses.
The second show apartment is also beautifully decorated and demonstrates some of the standard features such as plentiful kitchen worktop space and storage, and the utility cupboard which houses the washer/dryer, keeping the noise out of the kitchen. This particular unit is dual-aspect and has two balconies. Bedroom three has been made into a nursery, illustrating the appeal to families who are attracted here by the wealth of local amenities and high-quality schooling.
As well as the homes, Beaufort Park has some great exclusive facilities for residents to use, which have been very popular even under the restrictions of lockdown. We see the private spa, pool and gym facilities which have only been able to take a strictly limited number of guests at any one time but they have a steady stream of visitors who can book ahead through an app to ensure their time slot.
There is also the offer of secure underground parking. It is an extra charge on top of the purchase price, but has to date been taken up by some 80% of buyers.
An array of homes currently available right now at Beaufort Park and there’s a special offer to buyers with free broadband for the first year. Prices start at £302,450 for Property 2776, a first-floor studio in Farington House that would make a good first step on the property ladder, an excellent pied-a-terre or an investment property to rent out. As well as the open-plan kitchen/living/bedroom, there’s a shower room, a storage cupboard and a door out to a private balcony. This home will be ready to move into Q3/Q4 this year.
For more space, Property 2638 is a one-bedroom ‘Manhattan’ unit on the ground floor of Foxglove House, which is ready to move into right now. Priced at £399,950, it qualifies for Help to Buy, the government-backed assistance scheme for first-time buyers. Through the front door and to one side is the fitted kitchen which opens out to a dining and living room. At the end of this is a glazed door to a generous private terrace. Off the open-plan interior space is a shower room, useful storage space and, through sliding doors, the double bedroom with fitted wardrobe.
Demand for two-bedroom apartments has been very strong recently and there are still some available from £544,950. But for buyers looking for more space, there are a number of three-bedroom apartments similar to the show homes which are for sale on the 7th and 8th floors of Fairbank Apartments and scheduled for completion this summer/autumn. Prices for these start at £819,950.
Top-of-the-range right now is Property 2635 on the 8th floor, which offers a very generous amount of indoor and outdoor space for £894,950. Off the corridor from the front door are three double bedrooms. Two of them come with an en suite shower room and fitted wardrobe, the third could quite easily function as a home office, hobby room or guest room. Bedroom one has the bonus of a door to the private terrace which runs the full length of this property.
This apartment comes with several very useful, spacious storage cupboards – key to many buyers. It all leads to the hub of the home, an open-plan kitchen/dining/living room which like the bedrooms, benefits from full-height windows. This room has a door to the 265-sq-ft terrace too, making it a great place to sit out and enjoy the weather and fresh air, or to entertain guests with a view over the landscaped park of Beaufort Square.
The sales and marketing suite and show homes at Beaufort Park are open to visitors by appointment only, seven days a week, Monday to Saturday from 10.00am to 6.00pm and Sunday from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Alternatively, for those who cannot or would prefer not to visit first-hand, the sales team can offer phone or video calls and some virtual tours.
Find out more about Beaufort Park from St George.
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