Press release
Press Release: 01 September 2022
Hillingdon, Newham and Ealing top rankings of London boroughs based on accessibility for city makers
- Hillingdon tops ranking for second year running, with access to over 60 Green Flag parks, 5 Elizabeth line stations and strong bus links
- City of Westminster takes the top spot for cheapest council tax, while Barking & Dagenham boasts lowest average house price at £344,989
Innovative housing developer Pocket Living, which this year delivered its 1,000th new home, has analysed each borough to reveal the most accessible locations for first-time buyers.
Pocket delivers homes for city makers living or working in London at a 20% discount to the local market with 100% ownership. City makers are classed as middle earning Londoners who contribute to their city, and for whom factors such as transport links, green spaces and costs associated with getting on the property ladder are all significant.
Following an analysis of a host of considerations*, including annual house price growth, access to Cycle Superhighways and Green Flag parks, as well as the number of tube stations and bus stops in each of London’s boroughs, Pocket Living’s latest research reveals Hillingdon in west London as the most accessible borough for the second year running. The London Borough of Newham in east London placed in second, with Ealing, home to five new Elizabeth line stations and strong house price growth, taking third position.
Greenwich, which next year will be home to Pocket’s 48-apartment development in Charlton called The Heights SE7, ranked in the top five with an average house price of £419,437 – 20% lower than the London average, access to 19 tube stations, including two new Elizabeth line stations, and more than 700 bus stops.
Ranking in 10th place overall, Barking & Dagenham scored highly for having the lowest average house prices across London, access to a Cycle Superhighway and an annual house price growth of more than 11% - making it a prime location for those looking to buy their first home in an area with strong growth potential.
For first-time buyers wanting to be within close proximity to ‘Green Flag’ parks, which is the benchmark national standard for publicly accessible parks and green spaces in the UK, Hillingdon has the highest number of any local authority in the Capital, with a total of 63 award-winning green spaces for 2021. The City of Westminster, Hackney and Southwark also have access to a significant number of Green Flag parks.
As well as having the cheapest council tax for 2022-23, the City of Westminster has the highest number of Underground and DLR stations, with access to 32, as well as three stations on the Elizabeth line. Tower Hamlets and Newham currently both have access to 26 stations, with Brent following closely behind with 21.
According to the TfL website, only 11 of London’s boroughs have access to a Cycle Superhighway. This includes Barking & Dagenham, Hackney, Haringey and Lambeth.
Jenny Anson, Head of Sales at Pocket Living, comments: “There are hundreds of thousands of hard-working people trying to get their foot on the housing ladder, who are currently hampered by limited choice, cost and a lack of quality homes in London. Our aim has always been to help these people find a place of their own in their local area and as we enter a cost-of-living crisis, where rents, energy bills and the price of every day services are increasing, genuinely affordable housing in accessible areas will become even more vital.
“With the average property in London now selling for over £500,000, up 8% annually according to the ONS, many city makers will be feeling priced out of the capital and considering uprooting their lives and leaving London to achieve the goal of homeownership. This is why we work hard to deliver homes such as those at Harbard Close in Barking, where apartments started from £192,000 and Addiscombe Grove in East Croydon, where prices start at £240,000, to help people take that first step onto the property ladder.”
Pocket schemes are available to those living or working in a London borough who do not already own a property. All buyers must earn under the Mayor of London’s income threshold for affordable housing and additional criteria may apply for a set period of time.
Apartments at Pocket’s Addiscombe Grove scheme in East Croydon are available, with new homes at the developer’s Osier Way scheme in Waltham Forest and Woodside Park development in Barnet launching later this year.
Ends
Example developments
The Heights SE7, Charlton, Greenwich
Ranked in 5th place
Launching next year
Pocket Living: www.pocketliving.com/projects/development/35-The-Heights-SE7-Greenwich
The Heights, scheduled for completion at the end of 2023, will provide 48 new homes, including 45 one-bedroom and 3 two-bedroom Pocket homes. Every home will be available at a 20% discounted rate compared to the local market exclusively for first-time buyers who live or work in Greenwich and earn under the Mayor of London’s income threshold for affordable housing. The development offers secure cycle storage, communal outside space and some homes will have private terraces and is located just a short walk from Charlton Station.
Woodside Park, Barnet, N12
Ranked in 9th place
Launching Autumn 2022
Pocket Living: www.pocketliving.com/projects/development/33-Woodside-Park-N12-Barnet
Woodside Park N12 is located adjacent to Woodside Park Station in Barnet and will provide 86 Pocket one-bedroom homes. Everyone living at Woodside Park N12 will have access to a rooftop garden with lush planting and allotment beds for residents to grow their own produce. Woodside Park N12 will be sold to Barnet’s first-time buyers at a 20% discount to the local market. Secure cycle storage will also be provided.
Table 1. London’s top 15 accessible boroughs for 2022, according to analysis from Pocket Living*
|
Ranking |
Borough |
House price1 |
Annual house price growth (%)1 |
Access to Green Flag parks2 |
Council tax3 |
Number of tube stations and DLR stations4 |
Elizabeth line station4 |
Overground stations4 |
Bus stops4 |
Cycle superhighway4 |
|
1 |
Hillingdon |
£455,346.62 |
7.3 |
63 |
£1,658.87 |
15 |
5 |
0 |
770 |
0 |
|
2 |
Newham |
£409,412.52 |
6.9 |
4 |
£1,532.26 |
26 |
5 |
3 |
530 |
1 |
|
3 |
Ealing |
£542,222.76 |
9.1 |
23 |
£1,735.48 |
14 |
5 |
2 |
700 |
0 |
|
4 |
Greenwich |
£419,437.44 |
4.7 |
15 |
£1,710.25 |
17 |
2 |
0 |
715 |
0 |
|
5 |
Havering |
£422,526.77 |
9.4 |
16 |
£1,970.97 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
870 |
0 |
|
6 |
Southwark |
£538,599.13 |
5.1 |
31 |
£1,594.54 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
620 |
1 |
|
7 |
Hounslow |
£446,032.70 |
5.3 |
25 |
£1,774.18 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
680 |
0 |
|
8 |
Bromley |
£498,720.83 |
8.3 |
6 |
£1,736.72 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1060 |
0 |
|
=9 |
Barnet |
£599,325.95 |
11.4 |
1 |
£1,746.29 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
855 |
0 |
|
=9 |
Tower Hamlets |
£475,397.10 |
4.3 |
13 |
£1,519.98 |
26 |
2 |
5 |
430 |
1 |
|
10 |
Barking and Dagenham |
£344,898.52 |
11.4 |
6 |
£1,784.83 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
385 |
1 |
|
11 |
Bexley |
£396,992.01 |
10.6 |
1 |
£1,922.99 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
610 |
0 |
|
12 |
Wandsworth |
£641,589.45 |
8.5 |
5 |
£872.55 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
510 |
1 |
|
13 |
City of Westminster |
£881,375.26 |
-1.1 |
35 |
£865.78 |
32 |
3 |
0 |
495 |
0 |
|
=14 |
Brent |
£538,731.66 |
6.2 |
0 |
£1,815.07 |
21 |
0 |
12 |
600 |
0 |
|
=14 |
Enfield |
£451,073.06 |
8.3 |
1 |
£1,841.71 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
570 |
0 |
|
=15 |
Croydon |
£419,335.15 |
6.5 |
0 |
£1,965.66 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
990 |
0 |
|
=15 |
Lambeth |
£535,870.04 |
-0.5 |
20 |
£1,660.24 |
10 |
0 |
2 |
560 |
1 |
ENDS
Methodology
Pocket ranked each London borough using a points-based system for the following factors: annual house price growth, house prices, number of bus stops, overground stations, underground and DLR stations, and Elizabeth line stations, access to Green Flag parks and Cycle Superhighways and Council Tax.
1. UK House Price and House Price Growth statistics for May 2022 (ONS, published July 2022)
2. Green Flag Award winners for 2021 (Keep Britain Tidy, published 2021). Please note, the rankings also include parks and green spaces not managed by a council.
3. London Council tax website - LondonCouncils.gov.uk
4. TfL website - Example: www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/boroughs-and-communities/city-of-london – ‘Our assets in the City of London’
About Pocket Living
Pocket Living is an innovative housing developer, supported by the Mayor of London and Homes England, delivering well-designed, sustainable and affordable homes for London’s first-time buyers.
Pocket is currently the only UK developer dedicated to building and selling grant-free affordable homes.
Established in 2005, Pocket sells one-bedroom homes to those on moderate incomes, people who are essential to London’s economy but who cannot afford to buy on the open market and earn too much to qualify for social housing.
Pocket homes are sold outright to buyers at a 20% discount to the local market. Purchasers must live or work in the local area and will own 100% of their property from day one. Buy-to let investors are excluded and Pocket leases ensure the homes remain affordable in perpetuity by asking Pocket owners to prove they are residents in their homes and are not sub-letting.
For more information on Pocket homes visitwww.pocketliving.com or Pocket’s YouTube channel:https://youtu.be/vaso1tUlxt4
Twitter: @Pocket_Living
Instagram: @pocketliving
For further information, please contact FTI Consulting:
Emily Smart – 07971 953 273 – emily.smart@fticonsulting.com
Millie James – 07970 606 303 – millie.james@fticonsulting.com