First-time buyer homes in Elizabeth line hotspot: fashion brands, hip bars and Michelin-rated bistros moving to Ealing with shared-ownership flats from £100k

Of all the London neighbourhoods given a boost by Crossrail, Ealing must be among the most transformed, from a middle-league suburb to a highly desirable district with hundreds of millions of pounds in regeneration cash flowing in to polish up its leafy Victorian charm.

New Elizabeth line trains from Ealing Broadway, which already has the Central and District line Tube, will go direct to the West End and City when the service launches next year. And the vibe around the Broadway has picked up with new shops, cafés, and eateries.

EALING: WEST LONDON'S HOTTEST NEW DISTRICT

At the heart of the transformation is Dickens Yard, with some 700 new homes, 78 of them for shared ownership. Developer St George launched the scheme in 2011, when the Crossrail buzz was in its infancy.

The site is only 300 yards from Ealing Broadway station, in Zone 3, and there is encouraging evidence that St George is trying to “curate” the tenants for the shops and restaurant space at Dickens Yard to make it a destination in its own right, in the way Argent did so well at King’s Cross.

Dicken’s Yard, which will complete fully in 2019, already boasts the restaurant Charlotte’s W5, awarded a “bib gourmand” in the new Michelin Guide for its affordable but quality food, while the first shop to open next year will be fashion brand Jigsaw.

Just around the corner, St George is redeveloping Ealing’s old Empire Cinema which will have a new eight-screen Picturehouse, flats, plus more shops and restaurants. There are even plans to turn Ealing Town Hall into a boutique hotel with cocktail bar and bistro.

SHARED OWNERSHIP AT DICKENS YARD

Two-bedroom flats available to buy privately at Dickens Yard are priced from £960,000, but Catalyst Housing association is launching the first phase of 78 shared-ownership flats at the site, from £100,000. This will buy a 25 per cent share in a one-bedroom flat at the Trafalgar Apartments.

As well as mortgage repayments, buyers will pay a monthly rent of £687.50 on the portion of the property they do not own and service charge of about £165 a month. Two-bedroom flats start at £140,000 for 25 per cent, with rent at £962.50 and again, £165 a month service charge.

The most obvious change in Ealing Broadway is the improved retail scene, says Raj Chauhan, sales manager at Colin Bibra estate agents, who has worked locally for four years.

“The shops are now of a much higher calibre and lots more restaurants and big chains have moved in to capitalise on the change in the market here. There are also a lot more new developments, after Dickens Yard set the trend, and it is generally a much nicer place to spend time now.”

Property prices around Ealing Broadway grew 10 per cent in the last year, and he expects them to rise five to 10 per cent again in the next 12 months.