A dream start on London’s Golden Mile

A trip down Brentford’s Golden Mile in the 1940s and 1950s would have been an extraordinary one.

The Great West Road which leads into London was home to some of the world’s most famous companies of the time, such as Lucozade, Macleans and Coty Cosmetics and later Beecham Pharmaceuticals and Firestone, from which Barratt has drawn inspiration for its latest releases at Great West Quarter, where the past, present and future meet.

With its exceptional transport links - central London in half an hour and Heathrow Airport only seven miles away – the regeneration of the Great West Quarter is proving to be an extremely popular place to live, work and relax. The centrepiece of the development is the Grade II Listed Wallis House, formerly the BOAC headquarters, whose architecture is echoed throughout the development.

Beecham House, the latest phase at Great West Quarter which provides the development’s first newly-built homes, has a total of just 27 studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, whose curved balconies echo the art deco lines of the neighbouring Wallis House.

Barratt’s own customer feedback over recent years has shown that city dwellers prize private outdoor space and so Beecham House was designed to address these needs, with the extensive wraparound balconies and terraces being a real feature of these properties. Opposite Beecham House is Firestone House, a collection of 30 one and two-bedroom apartments, many of which benefit from glorious views over Carville Hall Park.

Unusually for new-build apartments, properties at GWQ are generously sized. Apartments range from 350 sq ft for a studio up to 954 sq ft for the two-bedrooms and when you add in full-height windows and high ceilings, the amount of light and space purchasers will enjoy is rare in such a development.

Barratt has introduced its popular Dream Start package at GWQ to assist those first-time buyers who are mindful of the economic climate yet want to take advantage of low interest rates and get on the property ladder. Dream Start enables them to purchase an apartment in Beecham House or Firestone House for just 75 per cent of the price, while still owning 100 per cent of the property.

It is not a shared ownership scheme – there is no rent or interest to pay on the remaining 25 per cent – and the deferred amount is simply paid back as 25 per cent of the property’s open-market value up to the point of resale or within 10 years, whichever is the sooner. An added attraction of Dream Start is that some lenders will accept Barratt’s 25 per cent share as the deposit, opening up more attractive mortgage deals to purchasers without deposits.

New-build properties are proving extremely attractive at the moment, especially to first-time buyers, as they are built to high energy-efficient standards, meaning lower utility bills, and buyers are safe in the knowledge that they will not be faced with unexpected expenses such as a new boiler or replacement roof after moving in. Purchasers also have the security of their property being covered by a 10-year NHBC guarantee and, of course, Barratt’s own high standard of customer care.

Barratt West London has scored top marks in this year’s Home Builders Federation customer satisfaction survey, which confirms the vast majority of buyers are satisfied with the quality of their new home and would recommend their builder to a friend.

The company is rated as the maximum 5 star builder in the annual HBF survey, in which more than 20,000 new home buyers nationwide took part.

Asked if they were satisfied with the quality of their new home, and whether they would recommend their builder to a friend, more than 90 per cent of Barratt buyers in London answered yes.

Unlike some developments, Great West Quarter has not been designed as just a collection of apartment blocks but more as a community: when completed, there will be a central piazza, landscaped green space, a hotel, restaurants, offices, a nursery, a health and fitness centre and even an art gallery. So why not take your own trip down Brentford’s Golden Mile and see if the past can become your future.

Studio apartments at Beecham House are available from £200,000, one bedroom apartments are available from £265,000 and two bedroom apartments are available from £344,000. Contact the marketing suite at Great West Quarter off Great West Road, Brentford, open daily from 10am to 6pm, or visit barratthomes.co.uk or gwq.uk.com for more iformation.