Many parents may currently be planning school visits to open days or thumbing-through school prospectus’ as they plan their primary school applications for the 15th January 2020 deadline, but Far East Consortium (FEC), the developer of Hornsey Town Hall in Crouch End, and MeadowSide in Manchester is reporting an increasing demand from 30-something young families and couples looking at the “long-term potential” in a property, not simply a traditional ‘housing ladder’ approach to home buying.
Family homebuyers have always been clued-in to local services such as hospitals, parks, good shops and transport links, but FEC says prospective buyers are taking an increasingly long-term view. Even childless couples are assessing school league tables as part of their decision making process at its new Crouch End development, Hornsey Town Hall.
Of the 135 new properties at the Hornsey Town Hall development in Crouch End, there is a wide choice of family-friendly homes. Two-bed apartments start from £644,950 and three-bed apartments start from £959,950 and have considered family life throughout the different stages of a family’s growth. The open-plan living space is ideal when children are young and parents wish to keep a watchful and safety-conscious eye on little tots. The double bedrooms show consideration for older families with teenagers, who may want to enjoy their own space. Moreover, the timber flooring and terrazzo-style worktops in the kitchen and living areas, makes surfaces easy to maintain and promotes communal suppers. Indeed a modern-day consideration for many families is connectivity – both digitally and physically. The Hornsey Town Hall apartments facilitate ultra-fast internet access, whilst the communal open spaces of the Town Hall Square and Town Hall Gardens offer a welcome retreat for new parents wishing to meet their neighbours yet not have the burden of maintaining a private garden.
Within a 20 minute walk of Hornsey Town Hall, there are several high performing primary and secondary schools, offering a range of state-funded and independent schools, including Ofsted-rated outstanding Coleridge primary school and the independent Channing School.
Angela Walsh, Sales & Marketing Director at FEC, comments: “It is widely agreed that ‘investing’ in a home close to high performing state schools, can yield a greater ‘return’ than paying for independent private schooling alone. Of course, there are always a variety of factors which determine whether a potential new home is right for you and your family and we believe our teams are highly skilled at objectively guiding and supporting potential buyers – but the ‘school-factor’ appears to be at the forefront of young families and young couples thoughts.”
Angela Walsh adds: “Young people are buying much later than their parents’ generation, so these long-view considerations stand to reason. After all, it is well-documented that the average age of a first-time buyer in the UK is 30 years old and closer to 34 years old in some London boroughs.
What’s more, according to the Office of National Statistics, “…the average age of mums and dads in England and Wales has increased by almost 4 years over the last 4 decades…fathers averaged 33.2 years of age and mothers 30.3 years…”
The revival of the Town Hall includes creative arts and workspace for the community, a new hotel, rooftop bar with views over London and new homes in the Town Hall grounds.
The collection of one, two and three-bedroom apartments are spread across two new-build blocks, a mews building and a carefully restored Broadway annex in the Town Hall grounds. Make Architects has ensured that the new buildings capture the spirit and style of Hornsey Town Hall, which will be evident in the façades, where layered brickwork and carefully crafted geometric metal balustrades come together to reflect the Town Hall’s original Art Deco features and modernist aesthetic along with the distinctive concrete pattern from the Hornsey Library.
The homes will be finished to the highest standard throughout, with some featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and chevron timber flooring which has been designed in keeping with the original flooring in the Town Hall. Most will feature balconies, terraces or gardens, opening up from either the living areas or master bedrooms. Designer kitchens will feature fully integrated appliances and state of the art amenities for cooking and storage, while bathrooms will offer a contemporary take on Hornsey Town Hall’s modernist aesthetic.
Hornsey Town Hall was built in 1935 to house Hornsey Borough Council. In its new life, Hornsey Town Hall will provide an extremely rare opportunity to live in a new development adjacent to a building which is steeped in history, where many of the original features remain untouched.
For further information contact the marketing suite on 0208 341 4664, email info@hornsey-townhall.co.uk.