Where to buy in London on a budget: new shared-ownership homes within London's luxury towers with roof terraces, gyms and 24-hour concierge

Buying a shared-ownership home does not mean compromising on quality or location.

Homes are available in posh postcodes as well as up-and-coming, grittier parts of inner London and suburban high streets; at fashionable riverside developments, in glamorous new skyscrapers, converted heritage buildings and smart housing estates in the commuter belt.

Increasingly, city planners are demanding affordable housing is integrated with more-expensive private housing, so flats are for sale at swish developments where open-market homes cost seven-figure sums.

Often shared-ownership homes are built by the same private developer for the housing association and are identical in specification to the ones for outright sale.

Queensland Road, Highbury
Dr Elisabete Cidre knows more about this than most first-time buyers, being a lecturer in urban design and planning at Bartlett School of Architecture, part of University College London, in Euston.

From Portugal, and now in her 40s, she has lived in London for 18 years, mainly in shared rented accommodation with Mario, her husband, a “mixicologist”, creator of exotic cocktails, who works for celebrity and corporate clients.

“We had more or less given up hope of buying in central London; our incomes are decent but weren’t keeping pace with fast-rising property prices, and a home of our own seemed out of reach” she says.

Shared ownership provided the lifeline. The couple bought a 50 per cent equity share (£200,000) of a two-bedroom apartment at Queensland Road, a 352-home development in Highbury.

Their stylish 800 sq ft tower home has an open-plan kitchen and living space and a generous-size balcony with views across the capital. The block has a communal terrace and sky garden plus a play area for children. For further details, call Newlon Housing Trust on 020 7613 8080.

“I was a little sceptical of shared ownership but after looking at the small print we decided it was workable. It’s an amazing location and the design quality is excellent. Our flat is spacious, light and warm. We’re not paying rent into a black hole and, above all, we have secure ownership.”

251 Southwark Bridge Road, near Borough Market in zone one, is a new 41-storey skyscraper with 335 apartments that have glazed winter gardens for year-round living.

The building boasts high-speed fibre-optics plus a wifi-enabled homeworking lounge, a private cinema, gym and concierge. Private apartments start at £655,000 and rise to more than £1.7 million, but a number of flats are available for shared ownership through Hyde Housing Association. Prices from £133,500 for a 30 per cent share. Call 0345 606 1221.

Fabulous duplex penthouses with roof terraces overlooking Poplar Dock marina near Canary Wharf are on sale for up to £1,314,000. But you can buy into a 26-storey skyscraper called Horizons Tower for just £151,000. This is for a 40 per cent share of a one-bedroom apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony. It includes underground parking, gym and 24-hour concierge. Call 020 3815 1234.

Swish high-rise flats are also for sale in Rotherhithe, a convenient midway point between Canary Wharf and the West End. Notting Hill Housing and Sellar Group, developer of The Shard, are soon to unveil a neighbourhood of 1,046 homes alongside restaurants, shops, cinema and dock basin.

The Canada Water scheme has been designed by renowned international architect David Chipperfield.

Quebec Quarter is one of the area’s new builds, a mix of 151 shared-ownership and private apartments. Prices from £127,500 for a 25 per cent share. Call L&Q 0844 4069800.