"Blackfriars Circus"

It seems the massive Barratts development at the south end of Blackfriars Rd is to be called Blackfriars Circus.

Really? We already have a perfectly good circus there, St George's.

Oh, and starting prices for a one-bed flat are £510,000. Apparently, that's a "more affordable option"!

According to the site, launch date is September 2015. Interesting, as they've only just started the demolition. Or does that mean when you can buy off-plan?

Finally, City AM back in January reckoned: "This south-western corner of the City is renown for its art deco gems, such as neo-classical Unilever House and art nouveau Black Friar pub..." Appalling English, and geography!

*shakes head in despair*

Perhaps Barratt were reluctant to give it the name of one of their competitors?

http://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/property-developers/st-george

La Martinet wrote:

According to the site, launch date is September 2015. Interesting, as they've only just started the demolition. Or does that mean when you can buy off-plan?

No doubt, and probably with heavy promotion to potential overseas markets. Got to get those reservation deposits in asap!

I suspect truthmonkey is right about the use of 'St Georges'.

The advert is open to even more misinterpretation... its not correct to say:

"a one-bed flat are £510,000"

The advert says 1 bed suites, 1,2,3 bedroom apartments and penthouses from £510k. So its actually a studio starting from just over half a mil :-)

A terrific bargain if you ask me in this luxurious new (soon to be built?) development.

Silly idea changing the name - all the identity is going.

Anyone know if there is any social housing? If so, I hope they have "poor doors", wouldn't want the wrong sort of people living there.

;-)

There is no social housing. There is no affordable housing. There's not enough child play space; just a bit on the roof! Some of the windows in adjoining flats are so close together they will have frosted glass. The 'public realm' - if that's the correct term - is totally in the shade. Oh, and it seriously blocks the light in lots of neighbouring property. I wonder how bad a design a building has to be before Southwark Council say no.

Karen I wrote:

There is no social housing. There is no affordable housing.

Karen, that's not correct. 24 per cent of the homes in the scheme are affordable housing (i.e. to be let at less than market rent, or sold on a shared ownership basis, etc).

And there may even be some new council homes too.

I tend to agree with Karen's assessment that there will be no social housing and no affordable homes.
Dress it up as you will the rents will not be affordable in the real world. I believe that property developers and investors look for an annual return of between 7.5 - 10%, that means that the rent of a studio flat, really a bed-sitter, would have to be between £750 - £1000 per week.

If Southwark Council were stupid enough to buy from this development they couldn't afford to buy 16 studio flats at over £510,000 each for their £8 million.

I would suggest to Barrats that they call the development
"The Obelisk"
( they can pay me for giving them an original and memorable name), because that is what St. George's Circus used to be known as locally before some idiot decided that the Obelisk should be moved to Bedlam Park -now Geraldine Harmsworth Park I believe, and then moved it back again to its rightful place one mile from Westminster Palace Yard.
The Obelisk, what a fine upstanding name and none of the confusion of calling something Blackfriars Circus which isn't in Blackfriars.

Sorry, I have such a bad memory and spend too much time moaning that the council accepts too many in lieu payments for affordable housing. I hadn't seen the news item about the council buying some of the flats; that's an interesting one isn't it? Just a spitting distance away and they could have built their own houses on the land they sold to Linden Homes.