London commuters take to the water with Oyster
Taking the stress out of your daily commute is one of the best ways to improve your mood and general well-being. Rather than being squashed into an overcrowded tube carriage for the journey to and from the office, Londoners are finding that taking to the river is a more relaxing way to travel.
From 23rd November, Oyster ‘pay as you go’ is now accepted on the Thames Clippers river boat services, making commuting by river more accessible. Royal Arsenal Riverside, Berkeley Homes’ flagship development in South East London, benefits from its own stop on the river boat service, with a journey time of less than 30 minutes to Canary Wharf and just eight minutes to the O2 Arena.
The fast ferry service is growing in popularity and proving a pleasant way to travel. For early birds, the first boat leaves Royal Arsenal pier at around 6am and runs every 20 minutes until late at night. With the on-board bar and café, commuters can unwind with a drink on the journey home.
From this month, Oyster card holders will be able to use ‘pay as you go’ on the river boat service and will receive 10% off all standard single fares. Although TfL travel cards cannot be accepted on the Thames Clippers services, anyone with a valid travel card will receive one third off the river boat ticket price. A new timetable that came into effect at the beginning of October introduced improved services on the Woolwich Shuttle - between Royal Arsenal Riverside and The O2 - giving passengers the luxury of travelling in comfort and ease seven days a week.
Already one of South East London’s best connected locations, Royal Arsenal Riverside has a wealth of transport options to choose from and Berkeley Homes is working with the local authority to continue to improve the area’s infrastructure. Greenwich Council recently announced a firm commitment to supporting the river boat services to Woolwich, by voting to continue to subsidise the Woolwich extension until at least 2013. In addition, the on-site car club operated by StreetCar provides residents with a fleet of Volkswagen Golfs on a ‘pay as you hire’ basis. A brand new DLR station opened in Woolwich earlier this year and a proposed Crossrail station is planned to be built at Royal Arsenal Riverside itself.
A thriving new community is already established at Royal Arsenal Riverside with 1,250 existing homes occupied and a host of lifestyle and leisure facilities. This attractive community offers residents a fantastic range of amenities, including a 24-hour concierge, a residents’ only gym, a specialist café / deli - the Couture Food Hall, as well as the Firepower Museum and café and green open space in the form of Wellington Park. In the near future, amenities will be further improved with the opening of the Young’s bar and gastropub which is due to launch soon, as well as a high quality, landmark hotel from Express by Holiday Inn, health centre and nursery to follow.
Royal Arsenal Riverside has an exciting future ahead beyond this, with an agreed Masterplan which sets out a vision for a sustainable mixed use community over the coming decades. Forming the new Masterplan, work is under way to develop a total of 3,700 high quality homes, as well as a range of additional leisure and community facilities, shops and office space, an extensive new public park, and a new riverside walk, opening up more of the Thames frontage.
Properties currently available to buy include a selection of contemporary apartments and unique three bedroom mews houses which offer a well-designed interior layout, ample storage and the high quality specification which Berkeley Homes is known for.
Prices start from £245,000 for a one bedroom apartment and from £480,000 for a three bedroom mews house. To find out more, visit royal-arsenalriverside.co.uk.
