Game changer: Brentford is set to get a new waterfront district with shared-ownership flats from £106k

Near some of London's best parks, and with a new waterside district on the horizon, Brentford is west London's Next Big Thing. 
Regenerating TW8: plans to open up the River Brent waterfront are in the mix at Brentford, which is well connected with half-hour Waterloo trains
Alamy Stock Photo
Ruth Bloomfield2 March 2018

Most Londoners only visit Brentford briefly, roaring above it on the M4 flyover. But though the town is blighted by having a motorway slicing through its heart — and by the Heathrow flightpath above — the TW8 postcode is still a genuine regeneration hotspot with thousands of new homes being built, along with plans for a badly needed upgrade to its high street and the opening up of the River Brent waterfront.

First-time buyers can get in on the action with a share of a flat priced from just over £100,000 at Reynard Mills, a new development by Notting Hill Sales.

There are many reasons why Brentford is ripe for a rebirth. West London’s Next Big Thing is already well connected for commuters. Trains from Brentford station in Zone 4 take about half an hour to Waterloo, and an annual season ticket costs £1,960.

This is also an area blessed by proximity to some of London’s best major parks. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Syon Park and Gunnersbury Park are all within walking distance, as is the River Thames.

​Reynard Mills is in Windmill Road — a broad and reasonably leafy street of handsome period houses — and close to a local pub, The Globe.

However, while about a dozen different housebuilders are now actively investing in bringing new homes to Brentford, which already has a good stock of Victorian and Edwardian houses, there has so far been a disappointing lack of investment in local amenities. The town’s arts centre, Watermans, offers theatre, cinema, Friday night cabaret and exhibitions, and is undoubtedly the highlight.

Beyond this, though, there are some basic shops and not a lot else. Most locals head to nearby Chiswick, Kew or Richmond for their fun.

Game changer: Brentford Waterside is planned, with 900 homes, shops, cafés and a leisure centre

A game changer for Brentford will be Brentford Waterside, Ballymore’s big mixed-use development featuring about 900 homes on a site south of the High Street. The scheme will also include new shops, cafés and restaurants, a gym and leisure centre and waterfront walkways.

It was approved by then-mayor Boris Johnson back in 2014 but has been delayed, most recently while Hounslow council pursued Compulsory Purchase Orders on a series of buildings and parcels of land on parts of the site.

Those, it emerged this week, have now been approved and work will start immediately.

From £106,500: for a 30 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat at Reynard Mills, Brentford

For home seekers who are willing to buy into the future of Brentford, the shared-ownership flats at Reynard Mills are certainly affordable.

A 30 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat starts at £106,500. Buyers will need to budget £569 a month for rent and £120 a month for service charge, as well as their mortgage repayments.

A 25 per cent share of a two-bedroom flat starts at £113,750. Monthly costs include rent at £782 and service charge at £164. Contact Notting Hill Sales.