Bec to the future: We blow the horn for fabulous Tooting Bec
The London housing market tends to flow outwards from the prime central postcodes in a series of expanding circles, like the splash of a pebble thrown into a lake. Areas that would once have been undesirable ride the wave into fashion, while those in the centre see new ripples begin to form. So it is for Tooting Bec, once relatively unknown and unloved, but now reaping the benefits of those expanding circles of desirability. Over the last ten years, it has had some of the biggest house prices gains in the borough of Wandsworth, up 66 per cent.
“Those who used to buy in Battersea are now buying in Tooting,” says Merlin Dormer, partner at National Buying Agents Heaton and Partners. “As Clapham Common and Battersea become increasingly gentrified, buyers are pushed further out. Tooting used to be considered way too far out, but its huge swathes of green space has been pulling buyers in since lockdown. It’s also a lot cheaper than other green areas like Wimbledon, Richmond or Chiswick, and with the Tube station now open in Battersea, all areas close by are going to benefit.”
Families are being drawn to Tooting Bec because they still can find large homes to do up, and the area has great schools and access to Tooting and Wandsworth Common. Richard Turner, director of Dexters Tooting, says: “Fircroft and Mandrake Road are deemed the most desirable streets in Tooting Bec. They’re next to one of the best schools in the area, Fircroft primary school, and have great access to Balham and Wandsworth Common.
“The area has grown in popularity in the last few years. Most people buy in Tooting Bec because they can get more for their money here than they would in Balham or Clapham. There’s been a lot of local investment and barely a month goes by without a new coffee bar or restaurant opening. Buyers see the area’s potential and want to buy while they can get a good deal.”
A short walk from Tooting Bec and Earlsfield stations, Springfield Place is a major mixed-use residential development from Barratt London, which is being built on the site of the former Springfield University Hospital. When complete it will feature 839 homes (with prices starting from £350,000), an on-site café, retail space, a public square, the provision of land for a new primary school and 32 acres of public parkland.
Foxglove House, the newest phase to launch at Springfield Place, will consist of 18 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that are available for private sale from £455,000. Due to complete in summer 2022, Foxglove House is expected to sell “exceptionally quickly”, says Barratt London, having already attracted a large number of first-time buyers priced out of neighbouring Balham and Wandsworth. Barratt London says new homeowners can pay deposits from as low as £22,750 using London Help-to-Buy.
In time, Springfield Village will emerge, with future releases including two- and three-bedroom houses set back on attractive mews streets, in addition to apartments. Barratt London says: “New and old will continue to sit side by side, where feature balconies and brick colour have been thoughtfully chosen to complement the existing architecture.”
Pam Reardon, sales marketing director at Barratt East London, says: “Since we launched Springfield Place in summer 2021, the development has been one of our most popular to date. First-time buyers are coming to us, having saved over lockdown, looking for a new home near open green spaces without having to leave the capital. The south-west London location and value for money here tick all the boxes. We’re in Zone 3, but with the parkland surrounding us and beautiful listed buildings next door, it’s the best of both worlds.
“We wanted any new building here to be designed sensitively to the local vernacular, whilst giving homebuyers the best quality living space and views. The contrast of modern and period architecture will certainly redefine this part of Wandsworth’s skyline, mediating between the scale of the new development and the existing Edwardian urban grain.
“The desirability of south-west London has been incredible to watch over the past decade, and Tooting is becoming one of London’s coolest neighbourhoods with markets, independent shops, restaurants and bars popping up all the time.”
Tooting Bec area highlights
• The Borough of Wandsworth boasts over 1,700 acres of green space with Tooting Common the largest. Tooting Bec is also getting 32 acres of new public parkland – the first of its kind since the London 2012 Olympic Games.
• Open April to September, Tooting Bec lido is the UK’s biggest open-air freshwater swimming pool in the south London, measuring 91 metres in length. It first opened in 1906.
• Tooting Market is an indoor market that has been operating for more than 80 years. It recently unveiled a new section called the Yard Market at 20 Totterdown Street, with 13 new retail and food units, plus a gym.
• Tooting Bec Underground station on Balham High Road in Zone 3 provides services to London Bridge in 18 minutes on the Northern Line.
• In addition to Fircroft primary school (OFTSED “good”), a new primary school will be opening in the Springfield Place residential village.