Take the Overground to the top of town: Crystal Palace is emerging as south London's next new-build homes hotspot as demand soars

The Victorians turned the spotlight on this south London hilltop town — now developers are catching a new wave of young buyers.
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David Spittles12 July 2017

There are few better places from which to view the capital and the South Downs than the high ground of Crystal Palace — a virtue not lost on a new generation of sophisticated property companies seeking to put the district in the Premier League alongside its local football club, with glamorous new penthouses setting the benchmark.

The famous glasshouse relocated here from Hyde Park after the Great Exhibition of 1851 — and destroyed by fire in 1936 — prompted many eminent Victorians, such as the family of explorer Ernest Shackleton and the French Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, to settle in the area.

Mansions and villas were built on lofty, unpolluted plots with commanding views of the city.

With new housing projects on the go, the area is regaining its allure after several decades under the radar. The veil was lifted by the arrival of the Overground and a proposal, later aborted, to transform part of the splendid but neglected 200-acre Crystal Palace Park into a hotel and conference campus alongside a revamped National Sports Centre.

Feisty locals who campaigned against the listed park’s redevelopment in favour of a community-backed upgrade that keeps historic elements — such as the famed original life-size dinosaur statues dating back to the 1850s — have switched their focus to the gentrifying town centre, which they claim is at risk from a spate of unsuitable and insensitive new builds.

Crystal Palace sits at the highest point in south London and is rewarded with spectacular views across the city
Alamy Stock Photo

Community spirit and a weekly market
Claire Nonweiler, a resident for 16 years, is keen to police new build and she claims the redevelopment of a Victorian Salvation Army care home into 46 homes is an example of how things can “go wrong”.

It’s not Nimbyism, she insists. “There’s been a huge improvement to the retail scene in recent years and families who can’t afford Dulwich are moving in, which is welcome. Community spirit is one of Crystal Palace’s strengths.”

Locals have started a successful Saturday market and lobbied for the re-opening of a Rialto cinema and a beautiful listed railway subway below Crystal Place Parade.

At the heart of the town centre is the Triangle, three connecting one-way streets, often traffic-clogged, with a mix of independent shops, eateries and neighbourhood hangouts.

New homes to watch
Several new schemes here include nine flats on Westow Hill, priced from £499,995, with Help to Buy available. Call 020 8768 0000.

Alto is a development of 48 flats in an attractive woodland setting at the summit of Sylvan Hill. It’s a neat piece of architecture, slotting into a sloping site and cleverly incorporating a car ramp to undercroft parking. Apartments include penthouses, one with a fabulous domed living space that opens to a huge private terrace. Prices from £417,500. Call 020 3006 0042.

The Triangle: ‘The views remind me of San Francisco’
Near Gypsy Hill, a scheme of seven spacious new flats called The Triangle has replaced an old tile shop and yard. Prices from £565,000. Call estate agent Pedder on 020 7738 6839.

Wells Park Place is arguably the area’s classiest new build, with 46 homes set around landscaped gardens on Sydenham Hill. Launching next month, prices start at £550,000 for flats and £1.4 million for townhouses, some more than 2,000sq ft with a ground-floor “super-room” opening on to a garden. Call Crest Nicholson on 020 3437 0472.

Nearby Hyacinth House offers nine flats with warehouse-style interior finishes of concrete, steel, glass and timber, plus private terrace or courtyard. Call boutique developer Vanquish on 0800 085 3533.

From £550,000: at Wells Park Place, 46 homes are set around landscaped gardens on Sydenham Hill

“The steep slopes and dramatic views remind me of San Francisco,” says communications executive Natasha Ashton, 27, who has rented in Crystal Palace since moving to London from Oxford. “There’s something special about being able to look over the city from a distance, and it’s much cheaper than Primrose Hill. The park is a fantastic amenity space and there are so many beautiful period houses.”

Spinney Gardens, a scheme of 46 homes at Crystal Palace Parade, is another architectural gem, winner of a RIBA Award celebrating the best in housing design over the last 60 years. It was built in the Eighties on the site of the original Crystal Palace train station, which served the Victorian exhibition grounds. The site was destroyed by the great fire of 1936 and had remained a ruin until architect PCKO was commissioned by Abbey National building society to design a scheme of low-cost starter homes.

The development was ahead of its time — highly energy-efficient homes with two-storey conservatories, solar gain and insulating blinds, and south-facing rooms with balconies. Resales appear on the market. A one-bedroom flat priced at £290,000 is for sale through Winkworth. Call 020 8655 9530.

Also keep an eye on: West Norwood
The even spread of railway stations across this swathe of south-east London makes for good commuting. Tumbling down from the heights of Crystal Palace, West Norwood is a great place for first-time buyers to start their search for a home. It is a place to explore if you are wanting quick access to central London and a local “scene” as well as capital growth potential, according to estate agent Hamptons.

You get a quite a bit more for your money in this Zone 3 location yet it’s only a short stroll to Dulwich Village. St Luke’s Church, with its grand six-columned portico, dominates the town centre and lies across the road from 40-acre West Norwood Cemetery, one of London’s seven great Victorian burial places, with 68 listed buildings and structures.

The high street is tatty but intact and improving under a local masterplan that has brought a new leisure centre, library, cinema and refurbished theatre. A new scheme of eight three-bedroom duplexes priced from £750,000 stands in Thurlow Park Road. The homes have up to 1,356sq ft of space, a terrace or a courtyard, and additionally there is a communal garden. Call 0344 800 1635.

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