Portobello Square

THE DEVELOPMENT

MASTERPLAN

ABOUT PORTOBELLO SQUARE

Portobello Square is a large-scale one-off regeneration project between Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove, an area famous for its eclectic style and diverse community.

Recognised for its strong sustainability ethos and distinctive contemporary architecture, the development will comprise stylish apartments, town houses and mews houses as well as new shops, cafes and restaurants and a large communal park at its heart.

The development of Phase 1 is now underway and will see the release of 141 homes for sale. Accommodation will include one, two and three bedroom apartments, eight three bedroom mews houses and 16 four bedroom family town houses.

Facts & Figures – Phase 1

• 117 spacious apartments • 8 smart mews houses • 16 family town houses • 6 local shops

DEVELOPMENT ETHOS

Portobello Square is a regeneration project with a clear and distinct vision – to improve and retain all that is best of this vibrant neighbourhood whilst enhancing the local area with contemporary design. This high-profile scheme between Notting Hill Gate and Ladbroke Grove, when finished, will include nearly 50% of properties available for private sale.

An integral element of the project has been to restore old street patterns, reintroducing the link to the historic Portobello Road, allowing the development to fit seamlessly within what is already a bustling and lively urban area.

The importance of open spaces was recognised from the outset and careful consideration has been made to ensure that all of the apartments have access to some private outdoor space. This will either be in the form of balconies, terraces or gardens.

Portobello Square will also benefit from a new communal park at its heart, providing a space for leisure and relaxation, as well as play facilities for young children.

SUSTAINABILITY

Considerable thought has gone into the design and planning of the development to ensure that Portobello Square has a strong sustainability profile.

Energy and water saving features and methods of reducing waste and pollution have been incorporated both in the development as a whole and also for each individual property.

Other key elements built into the design focus on reducing the impact on the local environment such as retaining the mature trees in Wheatstone Road and ensuring there are lots of green spaces available throughout the development.

• All properties heated via a communal heating system

• On completion of Phase 2 the communal heating system will be powered by a Combined Heat and Power plant, providing an even more efficient system and will allow waste to be converted into electricity

• Thermally efficient building fabric throughout

• ‘Brown’ roofs to majority of properties to promote bio-diversity and attenuate rainfall

• Underground water attenuation to reduce the impact of storm water on the development and to prevent local flooding

• Portobello Square will achieve Code for Sustainable Code Level 4 (there are 6 levels within the Code with 1 being the lowest and 6 the highest)

• Portobello Square will meet the Lifetime Homes criteria

HISTORY

The next eight years will witness remarkable change in the area surrounding Portobello Square as the development gets underway and the historic street patterns are restored.

It’s a far cry from the area’s original humble beginnings when it was part of the Great Forest of Middlesex, an ancient woodland that was inhabited by stags, does, boars and wild bulls. By the middle of the 15th century the forest had been cleared and replaced with meadows and farmland. This area of land was later seized in 1543 by Henry VIII. The area continued as farmland up until the 1870s with the shops and houses of Notting Hill (then known as the Kensington Gravel Pits) only extending as far as Elgin Crescent and farmland continuing north beyond that point right up to the village of Kensal Green on the Harrow Road. At this time Portobello Road was simply a rough country track known as Portobello Lane although by 1880, Portobello Lane was beginning to be lined with shops and regular fruit and vegetable traders.

The rural character of the area began to change with the opening of the Grand Union canal in 1801 and the Great Western Railway in 1838 both helping to define the northern and western boundaries of the Golborne area. By 1850 Kensal New Town was largely formed and was known as a ‘laundry colony’ as this was the main occupation of the neighbourhood. The population was predominantly Irish at this time.

Before the 1870s Golborne Road was just a footpath leading from Portobello Road to Kensal Road but it was now planted with trees and called Britannia Road after a pub of that name. Later the trees were cut down and the road was firstly renamed Golborne and then Golborne Road. The population and growth of shops, houses and pubs grew rapidly in the 1870s and 1880s. By 1890 the area was covered by traditional Victorian terraced streets with both Portobello Road and Wornington Road linked to Ladbroke Grove, however the growing population quickly exceeded the housing availability so that by 1903 the area was full of slums.

This all changed in the 60s and 70s when the slums were cleared and new developments built including the Wornington Green estate (the site of Portobello Square) and Trellik Tower. It was during this time that the road linking Wornington Road to Ladbroke Grove was blocked off to vehicles.

Since then the wider area has attracted many newcomers creating the vibrant, culturally diverse character for which it is famous. Spanish and Portuguese rub shoulders with people from Somalia, Eritrea and the Sudan and it has become home to the largest Moroccan population in England with many of them settling in the Golborne area.

AWARDS

Portobello Square has been recognised for its superior design gaining a prestigious Housing Design Award for PRP architects.

In July 2011, PRP Architects was commended for its work on Portobello Square, which included creating the masterplan for the overall development as well as the detailed design of Phase 1.

Judges at the Awards particularly praised the high quality detailing and materials, which have been applied throughout, which capture the quality and vibrancy of the local vernacular.

"The final design solution is the culmination of years of investment by the Catalyst team, the Local Authority, residents and the local community working together with PRP, and it is fantastic that the detailed design of Portobello Square has been recognised with a Housing Design Award. We placed great emphasis on design quality and ensuring the scale and appearance of the scheme relates to the adjacent historic conservation area."

Julia Moulder, Group Development Director for Catalyst Housing Group

"PRP was seeking to re-establish the historic Victorian street grain of North Kensington, to re-stitch the new streets back into the existing local fabric and make reference to the adjoining Oxford Gardens conservation area. A local palette of materials has been used and a ‘crafted’ approach taken to the proportions and detail of the street facades. Portobello Square is a modern interpretation of the rich Victorian context in which it sits."

Jeff Brooks, PRP’s Design Director

THE PROPERTIES

The development of Phase 1 is well underway and most residents have now moved into their new homes at Orwell Mansions.

Phase 1 will see the release of 141 homes for sale with the accommodation varying between one, two and three bedroom apartments, eight stylish three bedroom mews houses and 16 impressive four bedroom family town houses.

APARTMENTS

All the apartments at Portobello Square are beautifully designed to maximise space, with high quality detailing and materials.

Orwell Mansions – most residents have now moved in

Hudson Mansions – construction is at an advanced stage

Hardy Mansions – this will be the final block to complete in Phase 1

MEWS HOUSES

All the Mews houses have been sold and many residents have already moved in.

TOWN HOUSES

The 16 four bedroom family Town Houses are immaculately designed, and set over four floors. Accommodation comprises three bedrooms, each with a bathroom, a family kitchen/diner, open plan living room with designated study area, and a separate utility space. The spacious gardens are attractively planted and provide the perfect backdrop for al fresco dining.

The Town houses are scheduled for completion at the end of Phase 1.

Townhouse 400 | Townhouse 405

CVP120035 | NOT120052

ref 3266683 | ref 3300566

Hudson Mansions

Hardy Mansions

SPECIFICATIONS

KITCHEN

• A choice of Nolte kitchens from a selected range*

• Granite worktops with upstands

• Undermounted sink

• Hansgrohe taps

• Siemens stainless steel oven, induction hob and hood

• Integrated appliances including Siemens dishwasher, fridge freezer and microwave

• Granite splashback

• Engineered oak flooring or porcelain tiles from a selected range*

BATHROOM

• White Villeroy & Boch sanitary ware

• Thermostatically controlled chrome Hansgrohe mixer taps and shower head

• Glass shower screen

• Vanity unit below sink

• Chrome heated ladder style towel rail

• Generous choice of tiling from a selected range*

EN-SUITE (2 BED APARTMENTS ONLY)

• White Villeroy & Boch sanitary ware

• Thermostatically controlled chrome Hansgrohe mixer taps and shower head

• Low profile shower tray

• Chrome heated ladder style towel rail

• Generous choice of tiling from a selected range*

EXTERNAL FEATURES

• Glazed balcony (1 and 2 bed apartments only)

• Feature balcony (Mews Houses only)

• West-facing walled courtyard (Mews Houses only)

UTILITY CUPBOARD

• Siemens washer dryer (1 and 2 bed apartments only)

INTERNAL FINISHES

• Recessed downlighters throughout

• Engineered oak flooring to hall and living dining room

• High quality carpet to bedrooms

• Engineered oak flooring to landing and stairs (Mews Houses only)

• Built in wardrobe to master bedroom and second bedroom

• Walls and ceiling painted in matt emulsion

• Internal solid flush doors in white

• Brushed chrome door handles

• Brushed chrome sockets and switches to all exposed areas

ELECTRICAL & IT

• Wet underfloor heating system

• Wiring for intelligent homes – making it possible to build a home automation system controlled by an IPad or IPhone

• Lutron lighting – the ability to control tailored lighting settings

• Video entrance phone system

• BT and TV sockets to master bedroom and living dining room (and study in the Mews Houses)

COMMUNAL AREAS

• Central energy centre

• Underground parking available to purchase, including facilities for electric cars

• Bicycle and motorbike storage

• Lifts to all floors

• Interior designed entrance lobby

• Communal satellite dish with Sky+ provision

• Tree-lined street scene

*Subject to build stage

PROPERTY GALLERY

LOCATION

TRAVEL INFO & JOURNEY TIMES

Portobello Square enjoys an enviable location with excellent connections to the rest of London and beyond.

Three tube stations are within walking distance and a good choice of buses swiftly link Portobello Square with the heart of London.

The green spaces of Holland Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are nearby and Europe’s largest shopping mall, Westfield, is less than 15 minutes away by car or a couple of stops on the tube.

Easy access to the M40 and M4 offers a swift escape from the city. Heathrow Airport is also easily accessible by road or Paddington’s Heathrow Express is just minutes away.

Underground

Notting Hill Gate is on the Central, Circle and District lines. Ladbroke Grove is on the Hammersmith & City line. Westbourne Park is on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.

Rail

Paddington Station is a couple of miles up the road with national rail connections and the Heathrow Express.

Buses

The following buses stop in or near Portobello: 7, 23, 27, 28, 31, 52, 70, 94, 228, 328 & 452.

Bicycles

There are five London Cycle hire docking stations nearby, at Notting Hill Gate Underground, Chepstow Villas, Palace Gardens Terrace, Pembridge Road and Turquoise Island.

Source: Journey times by public transport sourced from www.tfl.gov.uk