Uxbridge Road in West Ealing
(Picture: Daniel Lynch)Moving out into Zone 4 might feel like a step too suburban, but once Crossrail is fully up and running, getting from West Ealing to the West End will take less than a quarter of an hour.
It was this connectivity which inspired Sayu and Sharon Sinha, both 43, to sell their three-bedroom flat in Notting Hill and move to a double fronted Edwardian villa in West Ealing in 2019.
Their other reasons were a desire for more space than they could afford in W11, and so that their daughter, Avi, 15, would be close to school.
Buying a detached family home in West Ealing certainly wasn’t cheap – the Sinhas spent north of £1.5m on the property and more on a thorough renovation, which they have charted on social media: @that_ealing_feeling.
But, said Sayu, who works in commercial property investment, it was still half the price of other areas with a comparable commuting time to central London.
So far the move has worked out perfectly. “West Ealing is less hectic than Ealing Broadway, but it is only 15 minutes’ walk away, so we have lots of shops and restaurants,” said Sayu. “And then there are all the Turkish, Polish, and Indian restaurants on the Uxbridge Road.”
Crossrail journey times
West Ealing to:
Tottenham Court Road: 28 minutes (including eight-minute interchange at Paddington, until May 2023)
Paddington: 15 minutes
Heathrow: from 15 minutes
West Ealing certainly hasn’t seen the same seismic changes that Ealing Broadway has enjoyed over the past decade, but an interesting cluster of shops is emerging on The Avenue – notably the smart Winche off licence, Blake’s Florist, and Café Leemoo.
Sayu also recommends nearby The Drayton Court Hotel, with its “absolutely fabulous garden and incredible menu”, as well as Mumbai Avenue.
Traditionally West Ealing’s property market has all been about period houses. Expect to pay around £800,000 for a three bedroom terrace, or circa £500,000 for a two bedroom flat.
More recently there has been significant investment in new apartments too. The old Green Man Lane estate has been redeveloped — and inexplicably renamed Jigsaw — with almost 770 new homes.
And there has been a host of much smaller projects on infill sites. Brand new two bedroom flats are selling from around £600,000, while renters would need to find circa £1,700pcm for a two bedroom home.
“There is a new breed of buyer coming into the area,” said Debra Harridge, director of Tuffin & Wren estate agents. “They are bankers, people who work in the City, people who work in IT, and lots of senior doctors from central London hospitals. They are moving out of places like Islington, Camden, and Hackney, and if they sell a flat there they can almost buy a house.”
Average prices in West Ealing have increased by 4.9 per cent in the last two years but Harridge believes there is room for more growth. “There is not a lot of supply and when people actually see how fast it is to get to the city you are going to have an influx of more people. We have already had people buy a house here, but who are not moving in until Crossrail starts. That suggests to me that there will be a lot of demand.”
The future for West Ealing
A regeneration of the 1970s Sherwood Close estate has seen its gloomy redbrick blocks demolished and replaced with tree lined streets dotted with communal and private gardens and play areas. The last of its 305 homes are due to be completed this year.
Meanwhile, right by the station, there are plans for one of the tallest buildings in West Ealing – a 20-storey tower with 144 affordable flats – the prospect of which has caused great consternation amongst people living close by.
Nonetheless, planning permission was granted for 55 West in 2021.
