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Representing an exciting milestone, Friday 29th September saw the topping out of the desirable new west London address, Chiswick Green, which is transforming a former office building and revitalising a prime stretch of Chiswick High Road, opposite Turnham Green.
To celebrate the launch of the first show apartment at our latest development, Chiswick Green, we teamed up with a curated selection of local artisans and businesses to showcase the very best of Chiswick.
Since launching to the market earlier this year, our latest development, Chiswick Green, has been a hot topic in the global press.
The unique offering at Chiswick Green – which brings together leafy, village living in a well-connected London location – sparked the interest of Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, which described the project as a “rare opportunity to live in one of the capital’s most soughtafter neighbourhoods”.
Chiswick might be known as one of London’s leafiest villages, but there’s far more than meets the eye in the west London neighbourhood.
It’s well established as a family-friendly destination, with great schools, proximity to the River Thames and an abundance of green space. But with shifting priorities post-pandemic, buyers from all over the world are now uncovering the opportunity Chiswick presents and as such the area is seeing a notable uptick in demand. Here, we take a closer look at why Chiswick is worth a closer look for buyers…
Recently, we launched our latest campaign, Chiswick Chronicles. An alternative guide to the London village, we celebrate what makes it such a great place to live, exploring its hidden gems and local hotspots, from the perspective of the people who know it best: its local residents and workers.
Great Marlborough Estates has secured £76m in debt funding for the redevelopment of Empire House in Chiswick, W4.
GME co-founder Grant Lipton said: “Whilst COVID-19 has undoubtedly created some uncertainty, we remain committed to the long-term outlook for London and the capital’s property market thanks to strong underlying fundamentals. London will remain a preeminent global hub for business, culture and leisure, all of which will feed
into demand for housing in the city.”
Grant Lipton and Dean Clifford’s firm has acquired the one-acre swathe from Lendlease for an undisclosed sum, in a move described as “a major vote of confidence in the London property market”.
Grant Lipton said “Whilst Covid-19 has undoubtedly created some uncertainty, we remain committed to the long-term outlook for London and the capital’s property market thanks so strong underlying fundamentals”.
Great Marlborough Estates buys vacant office building in Chiswick from Lendlease for a new housing scheme.
Grant Lipton discusses why people are wrong to call time on the capital’s place as the centre of the UK economy.
Dean Clifford pointed out that London is a city with a lot of development potential, convenient time zone,
mature financial and professional services, emerging technology center and so on.
Dean Clifford said “These reforms to move towards a simplified, streamlined planning system that values
green spaces, great design and homeownership are a welcome step forward and will
undoubtedly help level the playing field for smaller developers and in time, boost the
supply of new housing.
Dean Clifford said: “It is crucial that the government commits
funding to traditional affordable rented housing and social infrastructure such as new schools and
hospitals as the revenue raised by the new single levy alone won’t be enough, especially if
developments below a certain size are exempted from contributing.”
Local authorities need to keep an eye on developers to ensure standards of construction
are kept up says Dean Clifford, co-founder of London luxury developer Great
Marlborough Estates.
Dean Clifford commented “it’s unsurprising that London remains the
top investment destination post-pandemic. Whilst lockdown may
have seen some people move to the countryside or suburbs in
search of space, many will no doubt end up returning to the capital
as they miss the metropolitan lifestyle. Whilst technology has
helped us all navigate through these difficult times, it is no
substitute for real interaction.”
Dean Clifford discusses how Help to Buy is not enough and planning reform is needed in order to bring the housing market back to life and boost.
Dean Clifford discusses the investor hunt for assets where they can protect value and find some certainty and helps to explain why there are still major property deals being done.
Dean Clifford agrees that what he calls the “soft fundamentals” of London’s
attractiveness remain.
With public places and workspaces embracing the wellness trends, housing developers need to play catch up, says Grant Lipton, co-founder of Great Marlborough Estates.
Grant Lipton said “The housing market re-starting is obviously positive news, but it will
need more than a press release to give buyers and sellers confidence and so the
government needs to look at a range of measures to kick-start activity including a stamp
duty holiday.”
Despite the implications of the global pandemic on the housing industry, Great Marlborough estates secured approval from the Secretary of State for Vauxhall Cross Island. Construction activity has also continued at Regent’s Crescent, where building works are in their final stage.
The £600m 52- and 42-storey towers were designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and will be
delivered by developer Great Marlborough Estates.
Vauxhall Cross Island, as the development is called, is and is being developed by Great
Marlborough Estates.
Great Marlborough Estates’ Vauxhall Cross Island will consist of 52-storey and 42-storey
towers – some of the tallest in the city and linked by a ten-storey podium, the developer
said.
Developer Great Marlborough Estates plans to build two towers rising to 54 and 42
storeys in an area known as the Vauxhall cluster.
Dean Clifford said “The real estate market in the capital is the most globalized of all the cities in the UK . Although there have been many criticisms of developers selling off-plan properties to overseas investors, the fact is
that they provide an important source of financing.”
Dean Clifford comments that the surcharge is likely to “turn the Boris bounce into a belly
flop” — referring to the recent surge in market demand after Johnson was elected prime
minister in December.”
Dean Clifford, co-founder of Great Marlborough Estates: “The Boris bounce could
easily turn into a belly flop by damaging policies such as extra stamp duty for foreign
buyers, and it is London will end up worst affected…”
“No politician wants to create a long-term body they can’t control.” – Dean Clifford, Great Marlborough Estates
Grant Thornton: “We are in support of a fundamental review into
the future of business rates”
Dean Clifford said London’s economy would be damaged by the “punitive” new tax. “The capital has the
most globalised housing market of any UK city and while there has been a lot of criticism
of ‘off-plan’ sales to overseas investors, the fact is they provide a crucial source of
development finance.”
Dean Clifford, co-founder at London developer Great Marlborough Estates, added: “At a
time when Londoners are crying out for good quality rental accommodation, the Mayor
is effectively looking to try and slam the brakes on the built to rent sector in the capital.
Dean Clifford, co-founder at Great Marlborough Estates said the policy, if enacted, would
effectively slam the brakes on the built to rent sector in the capital. He said: “If we want
London to be fit for the 21st century, we need to encourage more home building. Rent
controls will have the opposite effect and force large investors to think twice before
committing to projects in the capital.”
Dean Clifford, co-founder at Great Marlborough Estates said: “At a time when
Londoners are crying out for good quality rental accommodation, the Mayor is effectively
looking to try and slam the brakes on the built to rent sector in the capital.
According to Dean Clifford, co-founder of the development company Great Marlborough
Estates, the Housing Delivery Test numbers show “the scale of the challenge facing
London in particular”. Yet bashing local authorities isn’t the answer: “Many council
planning departments are underfunded and under-resourced after nearly a decade of
cuts.”
Dean Clifford discusses the role played by the new governor of the Bank of England and how implicit he is in helping fix the housing crisis.
Dean Clifford, co-founder at Great Marlborough Estates, said: “It is no secret that London
needs more homes so today’s figures are good news for the capital, even if the number
of completed homes fell last year, and the national picture is looking rosier too even if
we are some way off meeting the government’s house-building targets.”
Fast-tracking planning for more beautiful buildings will do “little to tackle the housing
crisis”, according to Dean Clifford, co-founder of developer Great Marlborough Estates.
Dean Clifford, co-founder of Great Marlborough Estates, said there were
dangers in the state dictating any sort of definition for beauty. “Few could argue that
many of today’s housing estates are soulless and uninspired or that a lot of modern
architecture grates against what most people consider ‘beautiful’ but there is a real
danger here in having the government become an arbiter in what is beauty and what is
not…”
Dean Clifford, co-founder of Great Marlborough Estates, said: “Few could argue that
many of today’s housing estates are soulless and uninspired or that a lot of modern
architecture grates against what most people consider ‘beautiful’ but there is a real
danger here in having the government become an arbiter in what is beauty and what is
not…”
Grant Lipton discusses the London housing market and the need for the Conservatives to reverse their proposed stamp duty surcharge for foreign buyers in order to see a return of overseas investors. Grant also talks about the need to pursue quality over quantity in the delivery of new homes in the coming year.
Dean Clifford, co-founder of Great Marlborough Estates, said: “Planning application fees can run as high as £300,000 for very large schemes. Any initiative which increases accountability on local authorities to deliver their part on time is to be welcomed.”
Dean Clifford, co-founder at Great Marlborough Estates, says: “There’s no doubt higher- quality, better-designed homes would help overcome opposition on the ground of new housing. However, it is important that the new design code doesn’t act as a cover for Nimbyism or add yet more complexity to the planning process.”
Dean Clifford, co-founder of Great Marlborough Estates, discusses recent initiatives to bring back beauty in housebuilding.
The time it takes to sell a home has stopped slowing, while asking prices across the capital are levelling out.
Housing secretary James Brokenshire wants to stop all leasehold houses being sold through the Help to Buy scheme, according to an interview in The Times.
A national audit of new-built housing is launching this summer to examine how design quality has changed in the past decade.