First shared-ownership homes launch at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford

New shared-ownership homes have been launched at Stratford's iconic 2012 Games site. With 25 per cent shares available from £115,000, homes in this well-connected regeneration zone have been tipped as a good move for those priced off the mainstream housing ladder.
Special reserve: L&Q’s Chobham Manor flats where 25 per cent shares start from £115,000
Ruth Bloomfield25 February 2016

The first affordable homes at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, scene of the 2012 Games, are up for grabs to young Londoners priced off the housing ladder.

Starting at just £115,000, the new shared-ownership flats are at Chobham Manor, one of five new neighbourhoods being built at the site in east London.

Chobham Manor, which will have almost 900 homes when developer Taylor Wimpey completes it next year, recently won a top prize at the National Housing Awards.

Housing association L&Q will be selling 92 shared-ownership apartments on the site over the next two years.

The price of £115,000 buys a 25 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat in this first tranche. A quarter share of a three-bedroom flat starts at £161,250. Two-bedroom flats will be made available in later launches.

Initially, priority for these first homes will be given to people who already live or work in the Olympic boroughs of Waltham Forest, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney. From April, however, housing associations will not be able to prioritise local residents, which means that later phases at Chobham Manor will be available to all.

Chobham Manor is at the north of the park close to the Lee Valley VeloPark — the former Olympic Velodrome, now open to the public — and cycling is at the heart of its transport strategy. All of the homes will have access to secure cycle spaces and there will be cycle paths and traffic-calming measures throughout.

For those who prefer to take the Tube or train, the brilliant connections of Stratford are within about 10 or 15 minutes’ walk, while Zone 2 on the public transport map was recently extended eastwards to bring in Stratford from Zone 3, making fares cheaper.

Once complete, Chobham Manor will also have shops, restaurants, a health centre and nurseries. An all-through school, Chobham Academy, opened in 2013. Last year it was given an “outstanding” Ofsted report.

In terms of being a good investment bet, Homes & Property recently revealed that the Stratford regeneration zone is enjoying extraordinary price growth. Research by LonRes found average prices near the Olympic Park have jumped 71 per cent since 2005. Across Newham borough prices rose 47 per cent in the same period, while across Greater London prices were up 36 per cent.

Richard Blakeway, London’s deputy mayor for housing, land and property, said shared ownership is a “brilliant” option for those priced off the mainstream housing ladder, adding: “This is a fitting Olympic legacy and a great boost to a housing model that’s incredibly popular with consumers, and which we need to see more of in London.”

Snapped up: all outright-sale homes in Chobham Manor’s Phase 1 have gone, but L&Q has 92 shared-ownership flats available


Rings of confidence: why Chobham Manor is a winner

  • On the doorstep is Number 90, Hackney Wick’s hugely popular canalside bar & kitchen.
  • Chobham Manor will have shops, restaurants and a health centre.
  • An unmissable landmark is Robert the Tank Engine, a 1933 locomotive now parked in Meridian Square as a nod to Stratford’s industrial heritage.
  • Try a beer and a slice at CRATE craft brewery and pizzeria in Hackney Wick.
  • Families are welcome, with a new local school recording outstanding results, and five-bedroom houses included among new homes at Chobham Manor — all sold in Phase 1, so look out for the launch of Phase 2 this summer.

What homes cost in Stratford
The average is £365,000, up £40,000 in the last six months, says Rightmove.