First-time buyer homes in north-west London: Alperton to be transformed as part of "golden triangle" of regeneration zones

Set on the Grand Union Canal as it wanders out of the capital, low-key Alperton is shaping up as the third point in a powerful "golden triangle" of north-west London regeneration zones.

Two miles to its north is Wembley Park where a £3 billion rebirth is well under way. At Old Oak Common, three miles east, a £26 billion transformation of a swathe of industrial land is on the books.

In Alperton a very different kind of change is happening. New homes — including thousands of genuinely affordable first-time buyer properties — are being inserted into an area that is already an established residential suburb with a busy high street, good schools and decent commuter links.

A milestone in the changing face of Alperton was passed earlier this year when work began on Minavil House. At 26 storeys, this will be the tallest building in Brent, a fact which has not delighted some local residents who are concerned that it is the shape of things to come.

In a prime position opposite Alperton Tube station, Minavil House replaces a derelict shop in Ealing Road and will contain a new supermarket, café and workspace.

There will also be 251 flats, of which a resounding 215 will be sold on a shared-ownership basis by the Clarion Housing Group. The rest will be rented at discounted rates when the building completes — scheduled for 2022.

Those who cannot wait that long might consider The Rise, with 125 apartments newly completed on another site also close to Alperton Underground.

Housing association Metropolitan Thames Valley has already sold out of the first phase of the scheme, and is now offering one-bedroom flats from £349,500 and two-bedroom flats from 469,500 (metropolitansales.org.uk).

As an incentive residents will be given three years' free car club membership.

For buyers without the means to pull together a 10 per cent deposit or raise a large enough mortgage to buy outright, there are also shared-ownership homes on sale at The Rise through SO Resi, priced from £75,000 for a 25 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat (soresi.co.uk).

Housebuilder St George certainly scents potential in HA0. Its canalside Grand Union development is transforming a former industrial estate with some 3,000 new homes, of which around a third will be lower cost and aimed at middle- and low-income buyers and renters, all set in 11 acres of gardens and waterside walks.

The first residents are due to move in during 2022 and when complete Grand Union will have a piazza lined with cafés, restaurants and bars, plus workspaces and private amenities including a residents lounge and bowling alley.

Prices start at £350,000 for a one-bedroom flat and from £474,000 for a two-bedroom flat (berkeleygroup.co.uk).

The residents of all these new homes will find themselves in an area which is by no means a blank canvas.

Alperton already has plenty going for it. Commuters can choose between Alperton Underground station, in Zone 4 on the Piccadilly line, or Stonebridge Park Overground station in Zone 3, with links to Euston from 20 minutes and Paddington in about half an hour.

For the more active, a cycle ride along the Grand Union Canal towpath to Paddington also takes about half an hour and will give EastEnders fans a thrill, since this stretch of canalside has been the scene of many of the BBC soap's huge "Den Watts moments", such as the revelation that he fathered Michelle Fowler's baby, his subsequent shooting and his return to the show 14 years later.

Alperton's high street is far from hip but the area's strong Asian community means it has some great Indian restaurants, and enough useful shops to keep you going.

Local schools include Perivale Primary and Vicar's Green Primary, both considered "outstanding" by Ofsted, while Alperton Community School, for seniors, is rated "good" by the government education watchdog.

And, given the suburban vibe, green space is plentiful with One Tree Hill Recreation Ground and Sudbury Golf Club.

All these plus points have helped Alperton to survive the current housing market dip. "It has been tough, but prices are still going up," says Chirag Parekh, assistant manager of Wembley-based Right Home estate agents. "The area is very family friendly, and people stay for 30 or 40 years."

He hopes that the new homes in the area will bring in a different demographic — the new flats will inevitably appeal to singles and young couples as well as investors and downsizers — and that this will help boost the high street.

"The St George development looks really good, with new shops and restaurants. We really need some big companies like Costa and Marks & Spencer to come into the area, because the younger people will want these facilities close by."

The only downside he can see to the changes happening in Alperton is increased traffic. "The roads are already really congested and parking is a problem," he says.