After five years of renting together, Oliver Chang (28) and his partner Adam Stevens (36) had been browsing for their dream home when they came across Anthology’s Wembley Parade development. Ollie and Adam were living in a rented Victorian maisonette in Ruislip, but they knew they wanted to buy new and as close to central London as they could afford.
Ollie said: “We had been looking at homes for about a year, searching in various locations like Ealing and Watford. We had a list of criteria to narrow down what we ideally wanted for what we could afford but nothing was ticking our boxes, until Wembley Parade popped up. We booked an appointment, it was the first, and only, property we looked at and although we did think, should we buy the first place we see, it was so right that we did! Nothing else we saw online even struck us as worth viewing so we thought it almost seemed too good to be true. We knew the apartment at Wembley Parade would be a sound investment and give us the stability that we wanted from owning our own home.”
Ollie, an Illustrator who is from Hong Kong and Adam bought a two-bedroom home in the Foster Apartments using Help to Buy London. A stark comparison to their previously rented Victorian home: “We love the apartment and the fact that it is all brand new. We are not into DIY so that was a big influence in what we were looking for and moving to Wembley Parade feels like a massive upgrade; the construction is very sturdy and feels so solid plus we didn’t have to do a thing to the apartment - everything was ready and waiting for us.
“With both of us recently working from home, having the two bedrooms since moving in May has been great; I have been able to set up an office in the second bedroom where I can do my illustration work and Adam has his space. The apartment also offers amazing views of London landmarks from the balcony, like The Shard and the Post Office Tower and out to the hills beyond which we could enjoy viewing during lockdown!”
The couple had been wanting to buy and relocate nearer to central London to somewhere with great transport links, all of which they found at Wembley Parade: “We knew we wanted the convenience of two bedrooms, but we were being realistic about finding somewhere affordable within our commuting area as I normally commute to Paddington and Adam to Tottenham Court Road. Without Help to Buy London we could not have afforded to buy somewhere that matched all our criteria with outdoor space and in a great neighbourhood.”
Ollie and Adam loved the vibrancy and the potential that Wembley offered as a place. Ollie said: “Having grown up in Hong Kong, I felt right at home in Wembley. Everything is new and modern and the age group of the people who live here is our generation. We love the fact that we can walk down the street to restaurants, supermarkets and the open market.
“The area is great, not just the bars and restaurants which we love but we both like hiking and have discovered the fantastic parks like Friern Park and the Brent Reservoir, both about 15 or 20 minutes away. I love history so when I am not working the great library nearby is where you can usually find me. Moving to Wembley Parade has been perfect for us and even though we have all the bars and the stadium nearby, the location of the development is very secluded and quiet which is a great bonus.”
Wembley Parade development, designed by GRID Architects, comprises a collection of five buildings including a twelve-floor tower, providing 195 one, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The mix of homes provides social rented, shared ownership, private homes and adaptable homes amongst a new landscape courtyard. All homes feature a private balcony or terrace and prices start from £399,000. Help to Buy London is also available on selected homes.
For those interested in moving to the Wembley area please call 020 3308 9814, visit anthology.london or email wembleyparade@anthology.london