Bring it on, Brentford: first-time buyer flats with fast train links and some of west London's best open spaces

First-time buyers can get on the property ladder in fast-changing Brentford, where shares of flats cost from £108k with a five per cent deposit. 
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Ruth Bloomfield27 September 2018

With the majestic River Thames on one side and the roaring M4 on the other, Brentford is very much a location of two sides: part leafy, lovely west London suburb and part polluted, run-down backland.

Brentford is, however, well connected in terms of transport and now housebuilders have moved in to take advantage of the area’s many pockets of brownfield land and its quick links into central London.

First-time buyers priced off the traditional housing ladder can invest in Brentford from just under £110,000. A tranche of flats at the Brentford Lock West development, set beside the Grand Union Canal, is being sold on a shared-ownership basis through So Resi, part of Thames Valley Housing association.

The homes are in a low-rise building with landscaped communal courtyard gardens and each flat has a terrace or balcony — some enjoying views over the canal.

A 30 per cent share of a one-bedroom apartment starts from £108,000 and buyers will need to come up with a five per cent deposit. Monthly costs will include service charge at £103, mortgage repayments of around £540 and rent of £462, bringing the total to just over £1,100.

ASPIRATIONAL HOMES

Transport links from Brentford Lock West are good. The site is a 15-minute walk from Brentford station, and trains from there to Waterloo take about half an hour. The nearest Tube station is Northfields on the Piccadilly line in Zone 3, about a mile away.

“Many people would consider it impossible to afford a new home close to Chiswick and Kew, with quick links to central London and the bonus of a stunning waterside setting, but shared ownership makes it possible,” says Esaiyas Mollallegn, head of marketing at So Resi.

“From a one-bedroom starter home to a luxury penthouse, we are making it possible for people in different situations to afford the home they aspire to, and in a very desirable part of London.”

Aside from good transport connections, Brentford’s plus points include its proximity to some of west London’s best open spaces. Syon Park, which leads on into Kew Gardens, is half a mile to the south, while Gunnersbury Park with its café, ornamental ponds and sports facilities is a mile in the opposite direction.

Soak up the views: local loveliness includes the Thames, Kew Gardens and Brentford Ait from Kew Bridge
Alamy Stock Photo

GAME CHANGER FOR BRENTFORD

Don’t expect to find interesting shops, restaurants and bars for young Londoners in Brentford High Street. It is a long, drab drag featuring a couple of supermarkets, basic shops, and not a great deal else.

The future looks brighter, however, thanks to Brentford Riverside, a newly started development by Ballymore which will bring 900 more homes to the area and, crucially, improvements to the High Street including a new public square, an extension of the Thames Path and some much-needed new shops and restaurants.

WHAT ELSE CAN I BUY?

The average London first-time buyer spends £420,000 on their starter home, and in Brentford this would comfortably stretch to an almost new two-bedroom flat in one of the area’s younger developments.

At Brentford Lock West, one of the biggest sites, Dexters estate agents is selling a two-bedroom flat for £425,000. Call 020 8939 6070.

If you are happy with an older building then you could cut entry costs considerably. In Boston Manor Road, Helliwell & Co estate agents is selling a two-bedroom flat in an Art Deco-style block, priced at £375,000. Call 020 8799 3810.

If you are in the market for a new one-bedroom home, Townends estate agents has a second-floor flat in a prime location, Kew Bridge West, in Pump House Crescent, TW8, priced at £415,000. Call 020 8012 2152.