Flats for sale in west London: Maida Vale's smart new homes include a three-bedroom duplex with roof terrace — priced from £600k

Parisians would feel at home in Maida Vale, an entirely residential district centred on wide avenues of flats, rather than houses, carved from imposing stucco terraces.

This west London neighbourhood's intact character is largely due to the area's long-term ownership by the Church Commissioners.

Most flats used to be rented, but Eighties leasehold reform helped tenants buy their homes, developers moved in and prices soared.

Here, the garden-level maisonette replaces the house and can be bigger and better than whole houses in other areas, while purpose-built red-brick mansion blocks have big shared gardens, some with tennis courts and backing on to the canal.

A rare new-build block, 12 Elgin Avenue, in a main road through Maida Vale, brings 15 smart flats with leafy outlooks, including a three-bedroom duplex with roof terrace. Prices from £599,995. Call Hamptons on 020 3451 1544.