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Evening Standard

10/09/03 - Property news section

Boomtown in waiting

By Anthea Masey

The BBC's decision to set its new sitcom, The Crouches, in Walworth, means this relatively unknown corner of south London, between Elephant and Castle and Camberwell, is about to land on the media map.

One of London's most vibrant working-class neighbourhoods, SE17 has a mix of cultures, with large English, African, Colombian and Caribbean communities. The heart of the area is East Street market, where you can pick up everything from Chinese herbs to fake Louis Vuitton bags and where there is always a scrum for the best bargains; the day I was there it was Lambretta T-shirts going cheap for £1.

Cafes and bars are not what Walworth is about, but the area has a certain charm and, with more nail bars per square yard than anywhere else in the capital, the Walworth Road is the place to go for a cut-price manicure or pedicure.

With the exception of Safeway, Marks & Spencer, Boots and Morgan, the Walworth Road has stayed free from high street names. Here family firms have prospered for years. Baldwins, one of the country's leading herbalists, is a Walworth Road institution. You can pop in for a pint of sarsparilla - a precursor of Coca Cola, just 30p - and an array of herbal remedies and cosmetics.

London's Columbian community is served by the food market at the Elephant and Castle shopping centre; on the Walworth Road, the Turkish bakery, Arif 's patisserie, has some of the best bread in south London, while fans of stylish Italian shoes make a beeline for Panache.

Walworth will get a boost from the £1 billion regeneration of the Elephant and Castle. Earlier this month the council, Southwark, announced new plans for improving the area. The 10-year scheme will include a new shopping centre, the demolition of the 1960s Heygate estate, new social housing and two new parks. The council says a start on the homes could be made next year.

Edward Heldreich is one developer who is backing Walworth. He is just completing the development of The Marbles, on the site of an old marble factory off the Walworth Road. The development of 12 flats and 16 live/work units, with sliding wooden shutters, courtyard and balconies, is a striking addition to the area.

"Walworth has great potential, especially for live/work. Prices are still very affordable and the transport links are excellent. Walworth Road, with its eight bus routes, is a short ride from the Elephant and Castle, which is on the Northern and Jubilee lines. And, with the council committed to improving the Elephant and Castle, the only way for Walworth is up," he says.

Walworth has some fine early Victorian houses. There are concentrations on the Camberwell Road, in Sutherland, Addington and Surrey squares, and in Trafalgar Avenue, although these enclaves can feel hemmed-in by large council estates.

HOWEVER, for firsttime buyers this is a happy hunting g round. Damian Gibbs, from the Kennington branch of Barnard Marcus, says the area around Liverpool Grove is worth a look. "The Church Commissioners still own a lot of property around here, which gives the streets an air of stability. You can buy a one-bedroom flat for around £150,000."

The area also has its fair share of green space. Burgess Park is a huge new park and acts as the area's green lung. The Chumleigh multi-cultural gardens have been created by the local community and include English, oriental, mediterranean, Islamic, African and Caribbean gardens.

The Crouches starts on BBC 1 on Tuesday at 10.35pm.

Find this story at
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/homes/news/articles/6621220?version=1
©2003 Associated New Media

(posted 7505 days ago)

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