The Olympic Eyeful Towers
Evening Standard, 2nd November 2011New high-rise homes with views over the Olympic Park will be launched before and after the 2012 Games, says David Spittles
They are the residential developments Stratford has been waiting for – architectural showpieces boasting spectacular views of the Olympic Park.
First off the block was Lett Road – 64 new apartments in a tower with a distinctive cantilevered elevation. There are 360-degree direct views over the park from the block’s communal roof terrace. Prices from £235,000. Call Currell on 020 7226 4200. And now, looming over the main entrance to the park, with 704 homes including penthouses is Stratford Halo, east London’s tallest tower. Sadly this scheme won’t be ready in time for next summer’s Games, but apartments to buy off-plan are launching next week. Prices start at £249,950, with cheaper shared-ownership homes coming later.
This development might have been better named Phoenix. Genesis, the housing association developer, halted work in 2009 following financial difficulties, having paid £47 million for the former industrial site in 2007. The scheme is now back on track, with the main tower due for completion in 2013. The address, 150 High Street, is 50 yards from the park’s main entrance, linked by an old bridge over the River Lea. The stadium fills the horizon at this point and the view is impressive.
Architect Stock Woolstencroft has designed a striking “curvi-linear” tower, crowned by a programmable LED light installation that illuminates and throws a halo around the building, seen for miles. Residents will have access to three triple-height communal sky gardens in the tower, while low-rise blocks have courtyards A riverside promenade, park and children’s play area are being created. Lower-cost hot water is supplied by a district heating system and there will be a 24-hour concierge services and underground parking. Apartments have floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise views.
Prices in this part of east London have risen 25 per cent since Stratford was awarded the Games in 2005 – lower than some other London hotspots, according to Liam Bailey of property consultant Knight Frank. “Westfield shopping mall demonstrates confidence in Stratford. Further investment is expected, which will improve housing market performance in the area,” he explains.
Many more homes are in the pipeline. The Athlete’s Village will have 2,800. About 50 percent of these will be released for private sale early next year, with occupation a few months after the Olympics because the “dormitory-style” interiors have to be converted. To register, email athletesvillageinfoatlendlease.co.uk. For affordable housing, including shared ownership, visit triathlonhomes.com. The Pigeon is a rare heritage building amid the Stratford new builds – a listed former Victorian hotel converted into apartments by Indigo Interiors. Prices from £230,000.
Ikea has also unveiled plans for a 26-acre waterside development, called Strand East, with 1,200 new homes, offices and a hotel. After Westfield, it is the second-biggest private sector development near the Olympic Park. Down-at-heel Canning Town, where housebuilders have feared to thread – until now – is worth watching as it is sandwiched between Stratford and Canary Wharf.
Vermilion is the first phase of a £3.7 billion, 10,000-home regeneration project at Canning Town. Much is being made of its “sustainable” architecture, which includes green walls and roofs that supply a watering system for fountains, ponds and eco-gardens. The 21-storey tower will have 271 apartments, available before July’s Olympics opening. At East City Point, one-bedroom apartments costs from £132,000 using developer Countryside’s shared-equity scheme.