Live the green dream
ONE OF the last remaining regeneration sites on the River Thames is being transformed into what developers call an “oasis” of green space for residents, with better access to the Thames Path for all. Hurlingham Waterfront is the final piece of the jigsaw along this South Fulham stretch of the river next to Wandsworth Bridge Road and will include cafes, restaurants and shops.
Its new residents are predicted to be anything from downsizers to families but, in the wake of the pandemic, it’s expected to appeal to people who want to live in London but have access to their own green space.
“Green space is at the heart of this – and biodiversity,” says Donal Mulryan, founder of mixed-use developer Rockwell, “so we’ve spent a lot of time greening – we’re calling it rewilding.”
The 269 apartments in two residential blocks will have green roofs, roof terraces, courtyards and a central podium garden on top of the underground car park, with new landscaping along the Thames Path and another landscaped path giving more public access to the river.
Although Mulryan admits that rewilding is just a marketing buzzword he maintains that there’s a lot of green spaces throughout the whole of the development, and the main driver for that was the pandemic.
“During Covid people felt trapped and ran to the country – now everyone is heading back to London,” he says. “I’m not sure whether that’s true, but it taught us all that having external space is important.And if we can have that in the city so you can have a country-ish feel, have space, have trees…”
He trails off then adds: “We’re putting a lot of time into the different type of trees and plants and the sustainability and biodiversity of the development.”
One of the buildings, Herland Gardens, has the podium garden at its centre. It is separated from Admiral Point by a ribbon garden and children’s play area and there will be a series of “outdoor rooms” planted with lavender, thyme, wild garlic and crab apple trees to attract pollinators and provide wildlife habitats. “We’re creating what we are calling an oasis, which we believe it can be, in one of the greenest boroughs in London,” says Mulryan.
Herland Gardens will have nine floors and Admiral Point will have 11, both offering studio, one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments. These will come in an impressive range of layouts and the first should be completed by autumn 2025 with prices from £595,000 (hurlinghamwaterfront.co.uk).
The development’s amenities will include a gym, large pool, sauna and steam rooms, plus working spaces that include “Zoom rooms”, while its location is also a huge selling point.
Six train and Tube stations are within walking distance, giving access to the whole of London. Chelsea’s King’s Road – full of fashionable shops, restaurants and cafes – is just a hop and a skip away.
For sports fans there are Premier League football clubs Chelsea and Fulham, the London Rowing Club at Putney and polo at nearby Hurlingham Park.
But most importantly there’s the river, with the ever-changing view as it ebbs and flows, and to paraphrase Mark Twain’s famous saying, “they’re not making them any more”.