These waterside homes are a commuter's dream

Londoners are increasingly turning to the river to make commuting a great deal less stressful. As more developments spring up along the Thames and the river taxi route extends east and west along its banks, commuting by boat is becoming a serious option for many residents…

Words: Fiona Brandhorst

London’s newest river stop at Battersea Power Station Pier will be providing peak river services every 20 minutes to Blackfriars in 15 minutes and an express route to Canary Wharf for the thousands of new residents. Prices start from £1.33m for a two bedroom apartment in Prospect Place and Battersea Roof Gardens.

‘While many Londoners pile on to a hot, stuffy tube or wrestle with each other for a space on the bus, there are a growing number who take the Thames Clipper to work,’ comments Giles Barrett, Knight Frank Partner, Riverside. ‘As one client said he can even enjoy a G&T on his way home in the evenings.’

A growing number of people are taking the Thames Clipper to work. As one client said he can even enjoy a G&T on his way home in the evenings

Knight Frank’s latest Riverside Market Insight shows that there was a 96% year-on-year increase in viewings of riverside property in the last three months of 2016 and a 37% increase in registrations of new prospective buyers, many of which are young professional couples and downsizers looking for a pied-à-terre.

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Battersea Roof Gardens is handy for the new Battersea Power Station Pier

Chelsea Waterfront is a landmark redevelopment of the former Lots Road Power Station

Vista by Berkeley Homes in Battersea is a six-minute bike ride to Cadogan Pier

Chelsea Waterfront, the landmark redevelopment of the former Lots Road Power Station, offers residents 600m of waterfront living set in attractive gardens and squares. Robin Gevell, Senior Marketing Manager at Hutchison Property Group, comments: ‘Besides all the regular commuter routes, local river taxis, courtesy of nearby Chelsea Harbour Pier, are seen by buyers as a bonus that offer a more comfortable and original alternative to arrive in the office.’ Prices start from £1.4 million for a two-bedroom home.

Jackson-Stops & Staff is selling a recently refurbished, one double bedroom apartment on Chelsea Embankment, close to Cadogan Pier that has a Thames Clipper service to Canary Wharf in 37 minutes. Benefiting from a porter and share of the freehold the lower ground floor apartment is priced at £750,000.

Besides all the regular commuter routes, local river taxis are seen by buyers as a bonus that offer a more comfortable and original alternative to arrive in the office

For those commuters who don’t want to compromise on taking to the saddle to get work, Vista by Berkeley Homes in Battersea is a six-minute bike ride to Cadogan Pier. The river taxis take up to ten bicycles on each trip for no extra charge, but spaces can’t be reserved so turning up with time to spare helps secure a place. Price for a one-bedroom apartment at Vista start from £895,000.

Palace View, the landmark Taylor Wimpey Central London development of just 55 apartments and penthouses overlooking the medieval Lambeth Palace, Palace of Westminster and the Thames, has opened the doors to its first show apartment. The prime position at the foot of Lambeth Bridge means Palace View is only a short walk to the Millbank or Westminster Piers where river journeys to Bankside take 14 minutes or 16 minutes to London Bridge. Prices for the one, two and three bedroom apartments start from £810,000, with completions from the end of 2017.

Ballymore’s Goodluck Hope is a new riverside neighbourhood at the historic Leamouth Peninsula, handy for City Airport

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Presidents Quay House in Wapping is a short walk to Tower Pier for river taxis to the Docklands

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Presidents Quay House in Wapping

Palace View, the landmark Taylor Wimpey Central London development is a short walk to the Millbank or Westminster Piers

Waking up to a stunning view of the River Thames every day is hard to beat and buyers of a two bedroom, two bathroom river facing apartment in Presidents Quay House in Wapping will also have a short walk to Tower Pier to catch a river taxi to work in the Docklands, City or the West End. Located on the fourth floor there are two riverside balconies, a 24-hour porter and two parking spaces. It’s on the market with Knight Frank for £1,799,999.

Most of the apartments at the River Gardens in Royal Greenwich look onto the river and have impressive panoramic views of the city

Launching this month is the River Gardens in Royal Greenwich, developed by Bellway Thames Gateway. The 250 one, two and three bedroom homes are set in a series of five buildings that form part of a new waterside community, highly accessible for river commuters from Greenwich Pier. Most of the apartments look onto the river and have impressive panoramic views of the city. Prices are yet to be announced.

Handy for City Airport, Ballymore has launched Goodluck Hope, a new riverside neighbourhood at the historic Leamouth Peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides. A new MBNA Thames Clipper stop at the development will make Canary Wharf accessible in 17 minutes and London Bridge in 31 minutes.

Ballymore has restored the former Orchard Dry Dock with elevated seating to appreciate stunning views of the River Thames. First completions are scheduled for autumn 2019 with prices starting from £335,000 for a suite apartment, from £410,000 for one bedroom apartments, and from £544,000 for two bedroom homes.

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