Finding a good local café is important, and we think the best ones combine location, atmosphere, and, of course, great coffee. To help with your search, we’ve compiled a list of the best up and coming cafés in Croydon, all a stone’s throw away from our Addiscombe Grove CR0 development. Some are colourful, some are cosy, but all of them live and breathe the spirit of Croydon, which is why we love them.
Read MoreCategory: Our developments
COVID-19 update
Despite last year’s challenges there is good news from Pocket: we launched three new developments, helping more of London’s first-time buyers get onto the housing ladder. We still have a full team working to conduct socially-distanced viewings safely and in line with government guidance, or we’re able to offer detailed virtual viewings as an alternative. We’re also now approaching our 1,000th home – with several developments in the pipeline for London’s middle earners.
Bolu’s story – Harbard Close IG11
When Bolu (24) moved home to South East London after graduating from university, she immediately started saving for a place of her own. “Owning a home has always been a goal of mine. I did not want to get stuck renting in London – it’s so expensive and, particularly as a single person, I knew it would be impossible to afford the monthly cost and save for a deposit. When I left university, I decided my best option was to move back in with my parents and save everything I could. I was determined, but even I didn’t think it would be possible by the time I was 24!”
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Things to do in Walthamstow
Thinking of living in Walthamstow and wondering about things to do? You’re in luck, the borough of Walthamstow is alive with activity, sights to see, and places to visit. Not only is it home to a God’s Own Junkyard and William Morris Gallery, it is also a great spot to take a country walk, and has emerged as one of the best places to live in East London.
Promoting wellness in Pocket developments
The pandemic has highlighted the challenging living conditions many city makers in shared accommodation face. The spaces we live in contribute to our wellbeing, and especially in big cities, it is vital to live somewhere that is not only affordable and well located but also well designed. That’s why promoting wellness in Pocket developments has always been a fundamental part of our design.
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Why we love allotments
‘It has always been my dream to plant tomatoes once I have my own space.’ Anna, who moved into West Green Place N17 in Haringey this year, was overjoyed when she found out that she would be able to garden on the communal roof terrace of her building. A new development, residents have been working with their neighbours to populate the plant beds with vegetables, herbs and flowers, making their shared spaces greener and more sustainable.
During the pandemic, we realised more than ever how vital these outdoor spaces are for the wellness of residents. Although communal amenities vary from development to development, we have found that when we provide allotments, they are received particularly well. We spoke to residents in two of our developments featuring allotments to learn more about how they are being put to good use.
Read MoreA striking new building for Kingston on Cowleaze Road KT2
Our first scheme in Kingston has been designed by the RIBA Stirling Prize winner Haworth Tompkins. Best known for their stunning Stirling Prize-winning Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, we are thrilled to be working with them on our smaller, but no less stunning, residential scheme near the town centre of Kingston-upon-Thames.
Providing 21 one bedroom Pocket homes and 5 two bedoom Pocket Edition homes, Cowleaze Road KT2 will be an intimate and stable community of local home owners. We spoke to the team at Haworth Tompkins about the background to the site and their ideas for the building:
126 new homes for Haringey from Pocket Living
Pocket Living was delighted to receive planning permission from Haringey council last week, for our most ambitious scheme to date, West Green Place N17.
This allows us to deliver 98 Pocket homes, which will be available to local first time buyers at a 20% discount, establishing another strong community of owner occupiers. West Green Place will also include with a new community centre for the benefit of the whole local community .
Buying a home in your local area – the tale of Thomas Golden
Become a homeowner in the area where you grew up – Pocket makes it happen!
The idea of buying a home where you grew up seems a bit of a pipe-dream – pie in the sky even! And so it may be for many Londoners, but Pocket is trying hard to make it possible for as many city makers as possible to own a home in their local area.
We are very proud to introduce Thomas Golden. You may have already spotted him in the Metro this morning, his is one of the buyers of Pocket’s compact homes in Oak Grove NW2.
Thomas and his mum on handover day.
Pocket gets moving in Lambeth
On track to deliver 127 new Pocket homes in Lambeth in 2016
It’s all happening in Lambeth! Having just started building our latest development Mountearl Gardens SW16 in Streatham, Pocket has this corner of London on the brain. One of the boroughs where city makers most want to buy their first home is Lambeth, and what’s not to like?! Lambeth stretches all the way from the River Thames (overlooking Westminster) through multicultural Brixton, down to leafy Streatham. There’s something for everyone, and we are underway with Pocket schemes dotted from the top of the borough to the bottom, between them delivering 127 affordable Pocket homes, most of them one bedroom.
Construction at Wynne Road SW9 is well underway, and having started last week on-site at Mountearl Gardens SW16 we are really excited about the innovative modular construction methods we’re using, working with Donban Contracting UK, to reduce construction times and improve economies of scale – getting these homes delivered sooner. Sail Street and Juxon Street are due to start construction January 2016, using this same innovative approach. Here’s a round-up of all our upcoming Lambeth schemes: