ON YOUR BIKE!

WITH MORE OF US OPTING TO CYCLE TO WORK, ANDREA DEAN PICKS OUT HOMES FOR TWO-WHEEL COMMUTERS

ONE of the very few positive side-effects of the pandemic is that more and more Londoners are getting on their bikes and pedalling around the capital. According to the Bicycle Association, cycle sales went up 25 per cent in the year from May 2020, and a survey by TFL and Halfords has revealed record increases in the numbers of people taking up two wheels.

Cycling is kind to the environment and your purse, keeps you fit and provides a socially distanced commute, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, it makes sense to consider developments that are convenient for cycle routes to work.

And with 450km of new Cycleways – linking London’s communities, businesses and destinations – planned by 2024, you won’t have far to look.

For those keen to live in south London, City & Country is converting the Grade II-listed former Springfield Hospital in Tooting into spacious one, two and three-bed apartments. Called 1. The 1840, it’s next to Cycle Superhighway 7, which runs all the way to Cannon Street, and the nine acres of gardens are the perfect place to unwind in on warmer evenings once your bike’s safely secured in the store. Homes start from £445,000. cityandcountry.co.uk

2. Berkeley’s Royal Arsenal Riverside sits on a historic site, which once housed a huge munitions factory. It will lie alongside Cycleway 4 when it’s extended to Woolwich next year, giving locals an easy journey to Tower Bridge, or they can take to two wheels along the Thames Path. One, two and three-bed apartments are currently for sale, from £450,000 for a one-bed with Help To Buy in Navigator Wharf. royalarsenalriverside.co.uk

If the proposed Thames Barrier Bridge becomes a reality, travel times across the river by bike will be dramatically shortened, also benefitting residents of 3. Redrow’s Pontoon Reach in Royal Docks. This development is just three minutes from Cycle Superhighway 3, linking Barking and Lancaster Gate. Studio, one, two and three-bed homes are from £370,000. pontoonreach.co.uk

Heading west, 4. Verdo at Kew Bridge, from EcoWorld London, is next to the new Cycleway 9, which is under construction by TfL. Due to be finished by next summer, it runs to West Kensington via Chiswick and Hammersmith. One, two and three-bed apartments are from £423,000 and Help To Buy’s available. ecoworldlondon.com

At Grand Union in Alperton, 5. St George will be opening up previously inaccessible stretches of the adjacent Grand Union Canal, enabling residents to have an uninterrupted ride along the towpath to Paddington. The one, two and three-bed apartments all have private outside space and many enjoy views of the water, from £402,500. grandunion.uk

Waltham Forest in East London promotes cycling borough-wide through its innovative mini-Holland scheme, which includes new routes

and cycle lanes and upgraded junctions and crossings. 6. The Chain, from L&Q, is located on one of the new routes in Walthamstow and comprises 518 studio, one, two and three-bed apartments plus 800 secure bike storage spaces.

Shared ownership homes start from £91,250 for a 25 per cent share of a one-bed with a full market value of £365,000, and private sale prices are from £307,500 for a studio, and Help To Buy’s available. lqhomes.com