Imagine the prestige of living within view of a Royal residence such as Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or Kensington Palace. Not only will the immediate vicinity be exceptionally historic and beautiful, your property will also be of a particularly high architectural standard and value.
In recent years, the Mayfair property market has outperformed other prestigious locations in the capital, with both average price rises and sales transactions higher than those across prime central London (according to research by Knight Frank). This makes the neighbourhood an ideal choice for investors in the UK and internationally. This summer marked the completion of Clarges Mayfair, the landmark development by British Land in the heart of Mayfair. It comprises 34 premium residences with superb views of Green Park and Buckingham Palace.
Designed by award-winning international architect, Squire & Partners, the development complements the surrounding architecture of prized Piccadilly landmarks, including The Ritz and The Wolseley hotels, through the use of traditional Portland stone with contemporary detailing. James Taylor, head of Clarges Mayfair, comments, “The success of Clarges Mayfair to date is testament to the international appeal of this beautifully designed residence with a quintessential British address.”
Over in Kensington, London developer Fenton Whelan has unveiled details of its new £450 million development known as Park Modern. A 190,000 square feet mixed-use development, it will include 57 residences and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. Residents will be neighbours of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex as its large site directly borders Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace.
Royal gateway
The Park Modern project will spearhead a multi-million pound transformation of Queensway into Bayswater Village, triggering a range of public realm improvements including a new Royal Gateway for Kensington Gardens. Sanjay Sharma, co-founding director at Fenton Whelan says, “Prime London mixed-use schemes don’t get any better than this, a unique offering of Royal neighbours, a park-side address and palace and garden views. The new Royal Gateway will provide a unique opportunity to join Hyde Park to Queensway and deliver a legacy monument for the area.”
In the heart of Westminster, Northacre, London’s ultra-prime developer, and Abu Dhabi Financial Group have unveiled The Broadway, a new residential and commercial destination. Located at the former New Scotland Yard headquarters, The Broadway is on the doorstep of the capital’s most iconic landmarks.
Superbly connected, the underground stations of Westminster and St James’s Park neighbour the scheme, with Victoria Station, the centre of London’s travel network close by. As the area becomes a new thriving business and leisure district for London, The Broadway will add 118,000 square feet of state-of-the-art office space alongside its 27,000 square feet retail collection. Jassim Alseddiqi, CEO of ADFG, comments, “The Broadway represents the future of urban living, a thriving destination to live, work and play in a world class address surrounded by unparalleled views of London’s most famous landmarks.”
Over the last few years, Westminster has been transformed into a vibrant commercial and retail centre, supported by extensive investment and redevelopment. Historically, any new build schemes in the borough have been small-scale, boutique projects and over the last five years, only six per cent of completed new developments have been more than 100 units in size. The Broadway is now aiming to be the final piece of the Westminster puzzle.
