Waterfront homes in Greenwich: derelict riverside Enderby Wharf transformed for first-time buyers

The gracious, historic maritime town of Greenwich is sailing forward at full speed. Basking in “royal borough” status since the 2012 Olympics, it’s also a Unesco World Heritage Site, having the “finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape assembly in the British Isles”.

The town centre is getting a facelift too. Last month, its medieval market square reopened after a delicate refurbishment. Next year Greenwich will have a new cruise liner terminal, allowing midsize ships with up to 1,600 passengers to dock at Enderby Wharf, where 700 new homes, a hotel, shops and riverbus pier are also being built.

Nine-acre Enderby Wharf was derelict for decades but is now part of a fast-changing riverside strip between the historic town centre and Greenwich Peninsula, a former gasworks where a 15,000-home district is rising alongside the O2 arena.

For years, the “Thames Path” has been inaccessible here, but local planners aim to create a continuous pedestrian route with attractions along the way, including the liner terminal. Enderby Wharf has 220 yards of waterfront.

First developed in the 18th century by a whaling company, it was later used to manufacture the first transatlantic telecoms cables and a cross-Channel petrol pipeline to support the D-Day invasion. Barratt is selling flats from £435,000 to £815,000, with a three per cent stamp duty contribution on three-bedroom homes.

Call 0844 811 4334. For those on lower budgets, housing association L&Q has shared-ownership flats at £98,750 for 25 per cent of a home with a full price of £395,000. Call 0844 406 9800.