New live-work homes in Hornsey: commercial hub with 270 homes launches near Alexandra Palace Park for London's self-employed

Duplex homes at Smithfield Square in Hornsey boast two entrances - one for a studio and one for a one-bedroom apartment. 
From £575,000: self-employed Londoners can take advantage of duplexes in Smithfield Square
St. James Urban Living
David Spittles1 November 2016

Developers are responding to the boom in self-employment by tailoring homes for people who want to live and work under one roof.

At Smithfield Square in Hornsey, duplex live-work homes have up to 1,278sq ft of space and two entrances — one for a dedicated studio or office space on the ground floor and another for a one-bedroom apartment on the upper floor.

Back in the Eighties, self-employed creatives such as architects and designers were among the first to spot the lifestyle benefits of livework and the savings to be made over paying for separate office accommodation and commuting costs.

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Often it was an ad hoc, one-off arrangement, involving building an extension to the main home or converting a garden shed.

Then came the dotcom boom of the late Nineties, which triggered a spate of formal live-work developments, particularly in arts-and-crafts strongholds such as Shoreditch.

The market lost its fizz due to a planning clampdown, but live-work is flourishing again as people reevaluate their lives and career options, and choose home working as a flexible, healthy and cost-effective way forward.

The number of Britons working from home jumped from 800,000 to 4.2 million during the last decade.

Hornsey, an old London borough, slipped off the radar in 1965 when it was swallowed up by newly created Haringey council. But it is regaining its identity with bold regeneration.

Built on the site of a former council refuse depot, Smithfield Square, a new commercial hub with 270 homes, has helped ro revitalise this underrated north London suburb.

It sits at the foot of splendid Alexandra Palace Park, one of the capital's highest points, and has fast trains to Moorgate. Owners pay business rates on the workspace, plus council tax on the residential part.

From £575,000. Call St James on 020 3411 9880.