Focus On Dalston: Why City workers still dig it
Dalston may have become a byword for a certain type of bearded hipster in recent years, but there’s much more to the area than meets the eye. While Hackney has been through a tremendous change, Dalston has probably seen the greatest amount of it next to Shoreditch. There are now too many hot bars and hip restaurants to name, it has its own dedicated hyperlocal newspaper – The Dalstonist – and property prices have shot up.
Its popularity is due in part to young professionals looking for relatively cheap places to live in Zone Two, but there’s no doubt that the arrival of the London Overground at Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction also made the area a hugely attractive prospect.
“Since the Overground’s arrival, the area has become more popular with City workers in their 20s and 30s, who want to live in a fun, non-corporate environment with good transport links,” says Martin Philips, manager of estate agent Fyfe Mcdade’s Shoreditch office. “Solicitors and bankers rub shoulders with an established creative community of designers and artists, which makes for a diverse atmosphere.
“Dalston is unrecognisable from the area it was five years ago. There was always a buzz around Ridley Road Market, but now it’s hard to keep up with the pace at which new restauarants, bars and coffee shops are popping up across the area.” Ridley Road Market, for example, started life with about 20 stalls in the 1880s, but it’s now thriving as a 180-strong sprawl showcasing fashion from all over the world.
The most popular properties are period apartments, with one beds going for around £400,000 rising to north of £1m for a family home with a garden. Developers have also moved into the area, with Barratt Homes leading the way with its Dalston Square development. Taylor Wimpey is also building 83 homes inside a 15 storey tower on Kingsland High Street called Fifty Seven East, which went on sale in October, with one bedroom apartments starting from £500,000. These new builds are increasingly drawing in investors from the Far East, especially as Knight Frank recently reported that property values increased by 7.1 per cent in Dalston in the last 12 months.
Chris Manderson, sales valuer at Foxtons Hackney, says, “There is a noticeable migration from buyers looking to upsize from properties within Islington and Shoreditch. In Dalston, families can benefit from spacious homes with ample-sized gardens on tree-lined streets, alongside numerous converted warehouses and factories now so popular with young professionals.”
Five Reasons to Live in Dalston
1 The Arcola Theatre is a real local gem, staging innovative and challenging productions. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on next month.
2 It’s really well-connected. Dalston is only four miles away from central London, meaning you can get a bus to work in the City or hop on the London Overground, which stops twice in the area at Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction.
3 If you like to dance, the nightlife scene is pretty strong, with the Dalston Superstore, Junction Room, Alibi, The Nest and Dalston Roofpark nearby.
4 With a heady diverse mix of Jewish, Turkish, Carribean and Polish communities, you’re never far away from some great food. Mangal 1, in particular, is renowned for its kebabs and Tina We Salute You is another firm local favourite.
5 Rio cinema is one of the only genuinely independent movie theatres in London. With only one screen, it’s a world away from the big multiplexes.