Brentford: new homes from £300k in the west London hotspot set to get a new high street and waterfront

Regeneration will transform Brentford’s high street and waterfront while new homes include factory and warehouse conversions with loft-style flats for young Londoners.
From £300,000: flats at The Market Building, carved from the old Brentford Nylons factory, are of a generous size and have Crittall-style windows, underfloor heating and movable walls for flexible space
David Spittles7 April 2016

Cheap and nasty bed sheets with a static charge from the factory of Brentford Nylons helped put this corner of west London on the map in the Seventies. Back then, despite the electrostatic crackling and the cheesy TV ads fronted by DJ Alan “Fluff” Freeman, Brentford Nylons was one of the UK’s most recognised retail brands.

The business went bust but the factory lives on as 44 new loft-style flats that will appeal to young Londoners seeking a home not too far from the West End — Brentford is eight miles from Charing Cross — and content to live with some aircraft noise from Heathrow.

View full map: price growth tipped for every station

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Regeneration is set to wake up the high street and open up the River Brent waterfront. Up to a dozen residential developments are under way, and even the local football club is getting in on the act, building a new stadium complex that includes 648 new homes.

Starting at £300,000, homes in the former bed linen factory, now The Market Building, cover from 398sq ft to 1,114sq ft, with movable walls, tall, Crittall-style windows and underfloor heating. Developer Verve Properties has replicated the ceramic and concrete cladding of the original Fifties building and picked up on mid-century interior design.

Mr Poly-cotton: DJ Alan “Fluff” Freeman was the Seventies TV face of bargain bed linen makers Brentford Nylons. The factory is now The Market Building — 44 loft-style flats


There is a 15-seat private cinema and residents’ club room, an open courtyard with living green walls and giant pebble seats, and most of the flats have outside space. The penthouses, at £575,000, are light corner units with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Call estate agent Quilliam on 020 8847 4737.

A TASTE OF THE AREA

The scheme lies between the High Street and The Butts conservation area with its historic market square dominated by the old town’s listed former magistrates court, built in 1850, which has been refurbished into nine flats, a café and restaurant.

Visit the Sunday farmers’ market for a taste of the area, and the National Trust’s Osterley Park and House for local grandeur. Brentford sits at the confluence of the Thames and the River Brent, while the Grand Union Canal also runs through.

Waterside living: Brentford Lock West, on Grand Union Canal


Coming next year is 900-home Brentford Waterside, by developer Ballymore, which is taking on a neglected stretch of the High Street to integrate with the waterfront. Brentford Lock West is a scheme of 530 flats and townhouses on the canal banks.

One of the development partners is Canal & River Trust, formerly British Waterways. As well as commercial and leisure space, new moorings, pontoons and a footbridge are being created, the towpath is being widened and Art Deco warehouses refurbished. A new phase is launching soon. Call 020 8569 7449.

New build: Heritage Walk in Brentford, next to the London Museum of Water & Steam


Heritage Walk is another Brentford new build, with 74 flats next to the London Museum of Water & Steam. From £462,500. Call St James on 020 3740 1397. Meanwhile, in Great West Road, WestSide offers 137 flats arranged around courtyard gardens. Prices from £504,995. Call 0333 2025149.

From £462,500: 74 new-build flats at Heritage Walk in Brentford