The Fine Living Future of Canary Wharf

Last night a very British queue of eager buyers had already started forming at the Canary Wharf’s Group’s marketing suite in London. Today the developer releases, to UK-based customers first, 345 much-anticipated new apartments at 10 Park Drive, in the capital’s second financial district. This is the first time the Group has built a residential development on the estate and represents phase one of a plan to introduce 3,200 new luxury homes as well as shops, restaurants, parks and a new school.. The move is a clear signal that East London’s Canary Wharf is about to become as popular a place to live as work.

This is thanks, in part, to the arrival of Crossrail in 2018. The new Canary Wharf Crossrail station will be one of the biggest in London, linking the area to the center of the capital and the City, London's main financial district, in minutes: just six to Liverpool Street, 13 to Bond Street, and 45 to Heathrow airport. More: What the U.K. Budget Means for Prime Property Camille Waxer, chief administrative officer of Canary Wharf Group, explained: “Canary Wharf is home to some of London’s most desirable shops, roof gardens and has a rich heritage of arts and events, which will not only provide a robust program of activity within a secure environment, but will serve our new and future residents with probably the best transport links and waterside living in the Capital, with exquisite views of London.”

The first-phase of apartments, which will not actually be ready for another four years, are designed by Stirling Prize award winning architects Stanton Williams, with interiors by Make Architects, and start from £395,000 (about US$530,000). This includes 74 studios, 115 one-bedroom apartments, 141 two-bedroom apartments and 15 three bedroom apartments; all come with a balcony or terrace and have access to a private sky terrace, a south-facing “oasis in the city”. Residents will also become members of a new health and fitness club with pool, jacuzzi and sauna.

“Canary Wharf is unquestionably a highly desirable place to live,” said Paul Williams, founding director of Stanton Williams. “It’s dynamic, by the water and there’s the convenience of living and working in the same place. When designing the building, we wanted to promote a sense of well-being and create an environment that will enhance the quality of residents’ lives, and have therefore focused on creating a sequence of calm, uplifting and inviting spaces. The combination of a vibrant community, great apartments, wonderful social spaces and gardens, and generous views are hard to find anywhere else in London.” More: In London, Luxury Rises in the East