Home ownership is often out of reach for many of the country’s young professionals, especially for those seeking a property in the capital. Shared Ownership turns a dream into a reality for many aspiring home owners, with high quality developments like Network Homes’ The Bureau, a collection of 33 contemporary one, two and three bed apartments situated in North London’s Colindale, Barnet, NW9, available on a part-rental, part-purchase basis.
32 year old Strength & Conditioning coach and rising YouTube star, Noel Carroll, has first-hand experience of the initiative, after he purchased a 50% share of a one bedroom apartment for £166,000. Known for his popular online fitness channel ‘Epic Challenges’, which include races against British Olympic heroes the Brownlee brothers, and racing the Circle line (which has amassed over six million views), Noel was attracted by the quality and location of the Bureau, which allows him to navigate easily between his two jobs as a fitness coach in St Albans and as a YouTuber who films content around central London. The Bureau is located next door to the green space of Colindale Park and opposite Colindale underground station (Northern Line), which has access to Camden Town in 16 minutes, London Kings Cross in just 21 minutes and Bank in 30 minutes. This is a combined benefit that Noel was unable to find whilst exploring other Shared Ownership options.
Noel comments: “Due to the nature of my jobs I’m out and about a lot of the time, so I wanted to be close to a green space – having both Colindale Park on the doorstep and Hampstead Heath nearby is a bonus. My office in St Albans is easy to reach as being opposite a tube station is about as close as it gets, and the apartment itself is spacious with a nice feel about it. I got a feel for Colindale during my time at uni here, and I didn’t feel the need to look elsewhere with all things considered.”
He adds: “After renting with a work colleague I decided that the time was right to think about buying, so I was really pleased when I found out that Shared Ownership allowed me to buy a home in the capital that was only marginally above the cost of my rent at the time. The process was straight forward and the team at Network Homes were really helpful. It is great to be on the property ladder in an area that is undergoing significant regeneration and I look forward to increasing my share when the time is right.”
Founded on the former site of the iconic British Newspaper Library, The Bureau offers high specification, light-filled apartments, all with terraces or balconies and access to a number of green spaces. The area forms part of the exciting Barnet regeneration project, which will see the creation of 30,000 new jobs and the construction of 27,000 new homes, 10,000 of which will be in Colindale. The area also plays home to Middlesex University, with a youthful and vibrant population that fills the bars, shops, and leisure facilities on offer in this charming pocket of North London.
The Bureau is now sold out.