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North West London Tube & Train Delays

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:03:57 +0100

West Hampstead enjoys excellent transport links and has direct access to most of the London 2012 Olympic Games venues. Both the West Hampstead Jubilee Line and Overground Line go to Stratford, so West Hampstead will be a thriving transport hub during the Olympics such as Wembley Stadium in 10 mins, Wembley Arena in 8 mins, Lord's Cricket Ground in 6 mins, The Mall in 16 mins, Wimbledon in 55mins, Hyde Park in 15 mins, and Greenwich in 27 minutes.

Local residents living and working in North West London who need to travel on a daily basis to Docklands, The West End or the City of London will need to plan their journeys carefully and try not to travel as spectators are traveling to major events at the 2012 Olympic Games venues in north, central, east and west London. Queues at tube and train stations will be much longer than usual, so top up or buy your Oyster card in advance.

Jubilee Line

The Jubilee line connects West Hampstead and North West London to the business areas of Canary Wharf, London Bridge and Bond Street. The morning and evening peak periods are expected to be busier than usual as spectators use the line to get to the Olympics Stadium in Stratford, events at ExCel in Docklands, Greenwich Park in South East London, Earls Court in West London or Wembley Arena and Stadium in North West London

The Jubilee line is expected to be busiest between Canary Wharf and Green Park, where short queues for trains are expected. Outside peak times, the line will be busier than usual but it will be easier board trains.

Delays expected: Weekdays 07:00-09:00 and 16:00-19:30, and from 22:00 until last train
Busiest dates: Entire 2012 Olympic Games period, including weekends

Northern Line

The Northern line will see additional demand as spectators use it to change lines on their way to Olympic Games locations in central, east and west London. The morning and evening peak periods are expected to be busy, however the Bank branch will be exceptionally busy. Regular users should avoid changing lines at Bank or London Bridge and instead use the Charing Cross branch, changing at Embankment for Monument (for London Bridge) or Moorgate (for Bank).

Delays expected: Weekdays 07:30-09:00 and 16:00-19:00, and 22:00 until last train
Busiest dates: Entire 2012 Olympic Games period, including weekends

Metropolitan Line

The Metropolitan line is usually busy in the morning peak for regular users from Finchley Road to the city, and from Baker Street to Harrow-on-the-Hill during the evening peak. It is expected to get busier when spectators travel to Wembley Park for football events at Wembley Stadium during the afternoon and evening, and return after these events end.

Delays expected: Areas north of Baker Street
Busiest dates: 29 and 31 July, and 1, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 11 August

Bakerloo Line

The Bakerloo line will be busier than usual on days that events are being held at Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena . It is also likely to be busier during weekday mornings, particularly between Paddington and Baker Street, as people use it to change lines on their way to Olympic Games venues and events in central, east and west London.

Delays expected: Areas north of Baker Street
North of Baker Street: 29 and 31 July, 1, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 11 August

Overground

London Overground serves Olympic venues at Stratford, West Brompton (for Earl's Court) and Wembley Central. Trains which are already busy at peak periods between Clapham Junction and Shepherd's Bush, and between Highbury & Islington and Stratford, will be even busier during the 2012 London Olympic Games. Canada Water will also be very busy as passengers change to the Jubilee line for other Olympic venues in North West London and East London.

Delays expected: Weekdays 08:00-11:00 and 16:00-20:00, and 22:00 until last train
Busiest dates: Entire 2012 Olympic Games period, including weekends

Docklands Light Railway

DLR will be much busier than normal as it serves Canary Wharf and four Olympic venues. It will be busiest between Bank and Greenwich (from Bank in the morning and to Bank in the evening), and all day between Bank/Canning Town and Prince Regent in both directions. Special arrangements will be in place at Bank to manage passenger safety, though these may delay journeys. Customers should use alternative routes, avoiding Bank if possible.

Delays expected: Weekdays 08:00-11:00 and 16:00-20:00, and 22:00 until last train
Busiest dates: Entire 2012 Olympic Games period, including weekends

2012 Olympics: North West London Road Closures

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 01:55:08 +0100

Plan your travel and avoid the traffic jams during the London 2012 Olympics - with millions of extra people coming to London for the Games, the capital's roads will face additional pressure. There will be a number of road closures in place in North West London to ensure the smooth running of the Games and significant disruption is expected.

The following road closures in North West London will be in effect from the final week of July to the middle of August. There will also be minor road closures during the Paralympic Games in September.

Hanger Lane and the North Circular Road between Hangar Lane and Great Central Way will be part of the Olympic Route Network and will have significantly more traffic during the Games. Lanes may be closed at times if necessary.

The A40 Western Avenue will contain a Games Lane, which will be closed to non Games traffic from 6am-11pm, both directions from Hanger Lane into Central London.

A lane will be closed eastbound on the A40 Western Avenue leading to Hanger Lane to help reduce congestion going to Wembley.

Great Central Way, South Way and First Way will have Olympic Lanes during days when there are events at Wembley, closed to non-Games traffic from 7am-midnight.

No left turn from Great Central Way into Hannah Close.

North West London Property Market Analysis

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:51:58 +0000

There were many predictions regarding the property market at the beginning of the year, with a positive forecast for bank lending and mortgages which in turn is good news for the overall property market. In the sales market covering in and around the London NW6 area, at Paramount we have notice that so far this year the NW2/6 post code areas has certainly got off to flying start with strong activity being seen. The residential sales team have had a lot of people registering interest and requirements and are looking to move this year.

Lionel Stoll, Senior Sales Negotiator, comments on what this means for vendors and buyers: Sellers are experiencing large levels of viewings over short time periods and in many cases, as a result, asking price or over asking prices are being achieved. A fashion that has returned is open viewings whereby a large quantity of applicants will view over a one or two hour period. This is required due to the large quantity of buyers seeking the same type of property. The result is usually one or more offers being tendered on the actual day, leading in many cases, to sealed bids to find the eventual successful candidate.

We are also seeing a continued strong demand from the buy to let investor the private rental sector is widely considered a haven for savings with greater returns, rather than the minimal returns from bank or similar saving accounts, and is common in this and many parts of the capital.

Lionel adds: This is replicating similar demand and activity during the 1st quarter of 2011. However, stock levels this year compared to 2011 are seemingly lower which is fuelling demand and has increased prices this quarter by at least 5%. Low stock levels remain the challenge for the 2nd quarter!

This in turn proves for a quality rental market with minimal periods where a property is empty and a continued high demand for property in the private rental sector in the area. Our Senior Lettings Negotiator Mark Durban comments on the current situation: Rents are very healthy for Landlords at the present time and have increased considerably over the last few months. With the ever growing demand for rental accommodation in London, Landlords can expect to achieve a strong yield from their investment.

Given the strength of the lettings market we have been encouraged by the number of new Landlords coming to the market and satisfying the strong demand. So we have good supply and demand which is fairly unusual.

Paramounts fast track to the top of the All Agents website has given us an advantage over our competitors and we are seeing a surge of applicants eager to take up residence in our managed portfolio of properties.

If you are interested in speaking to Paramount please call us on 020 7644 2329.

Best Estate and Letting Agents in London?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:12:55 +0000

The Paramount office in West End Lane, West Hampstead is currently ranked the best estate agency branch in both London and the UK according to rankings on estate agency review website AllAgents. Paramount Properties is also ranked as the third best estate agency in the UK out of over 8,300 other participating property companies

Allagents is a directory of UK estate agents, letting agents, property management and estate management companies that displays customer submitted reviews, testimonials and complaints. They have introduced their own best practice benchmark scheme to encourage property companies to become more open and transparent with their customer experiences.

The scheme has already attracted quite a response and AllAgents think that before long this standard will provide a benchmark for professional property companies that will help landlords and tenants to evaluate their services. It is hoped that the scheme will go some way to eradicate rogue companies and individuals form the property business by exposing those who are not readily open or offer poor levels of customer service.

''Not all estate agents work in the same way. Landlords and vendors need to appoint an agent that is honest, assertive, and one that best understands both their individual needs and the local market conditions,'' said Spencer Lawrence, the lettings director of Paramount Properties, estate and letting agents based in West End Lane, West Hampstead.

''We have chosen to actively promote the views of our customers and we now link directly from our website to the All Agents website. We are committed to publishing all of our customer feedback online and have been awarded a best practice transparency profile by AllAgents. We are pleasantly surprised by the results on the All Agents site. Paramount is currently ranked the best estate agency branch in both London and the UK and Paramount Properties is ranked as the third best estate agency in the UK out of over 8,000 other participating estate and letting agents.''

''At Paramount, we try to provide exceptional customer service through a team of experienced, knowledgeable and passionate staff. We build close relationships with our buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords. We use cutting edge marketing to generate diverse applicant pools across the portfolio. We draw on technical innovations and embrace positive change within the industry and involve external experts to ensure we maintain the highest standards at all times,'' he continued.

Follow the link more reviews of the best estate and letting agents in London and the rest of the UK

London Property Market Report 2011

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:58:05 +0000

Its been a very variable year in 2011 for many with no one being sure what effect the economy would have on the housing market as a whole. At Paramount we have had a good year in all departments - Property Lettings, Property Sales and Property Investments.

The West Hampstead housing market has been consistent since 2009 after the slow down at the end 2007/2008 and prices recovered fully in 2010. We have now seen prices rise by a further 5% from the peak prices in August 2007.

"The local area is only affected slightly by the first time buyer Stamp Duty holiday as only studios and the odd one bedroom flat will get into this bracket but we can definitely see where the rest of the UK will suffer with no stamp duty holiday. This will mean FTB will continue to find it hard to get deposits together and mortgages agreed. In North West London we are not being affected by the mortgage problems as much, our core buyers tend to be Lawyers, Accounts, management Consultants, Doctors and Bankers, the other big buying group (probably 50% of properties bought) are now parents, from the UK, Europe and Asia buying with cash for their Children already based in London. So we are now agreeing 50%+ of our sales to cash buyers." David Warren, Senior Sales Negotiator at Paramount.

So London does seem to be holding well and with the lack of properties on the market and the strong demand I would not be surprised to see an increase in prices in 2012, lets hope the government help the rest of the UK to get things moving again, particularly the First Time Buyers who we need to start of the chains so the 2nd and 3rd (etc) time buyers can move.

As for our lettings department, this year has been very much a Landlords market. Tenants have had to be mindful of the competition for properties in desirable areas and room for negotiation is limited with rents rising in popular neighbourhoods. The volume of properties on the market in North West London has steadily decreased over the year resulting in a real shortage of rental property. With overall demand for rental property continuing to rise against a limited supply, prices are set to continue to rise throughout 2012. Over the past 12 months, Paramount has seen rents increase by an average of 11%. The trend is the same for those tenancies that are coming up for renewal Tenants are choosing to stay put due to the lack of available and affordable alternatives so the vast majority of renewals are taking place with a significant increase at all levels of the market. Rental increases of 10% or more are now a regular occurrence and will remain so whilst demand stays high and supply low in the majority of areas of North West London.

Despite the uncertainty in the economy and the near collapse of the Euro our Investments team had another good year selling investments and development sites throughout the UK. Unlike our residential sales and lettings colleagues who operate in North West London the investments department covers the whole of the UK. This bigger market place has encouraged us to seek out new business opportunities in far of regions such as the North East & South West England.

For the Investments Team, our core business has been selling redundant public houses and derelict property. In 2011 we exchanged contracts on 208 pubs up from 202 the previous year. We also sold a number of development sites with planning permission with many developers encouraged by the slight upturn in the residential market and choosing to invest their money in bricks & mortar. We also took on a new member of staff and hope to employ another two negotiators in 2012 as the investments team continues to grow.

Steve Oliver, Director of the Investments team, comments "My aim for 2011 was to continue our success from 2010 and overall felt we achieved that. I expect 2012 to be tough but feel confident that our team will be up to the challenge."

London Property Maintenance Company

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:44:11 +0000

Paramount Maintenance Services are based in West End Lane, West Hampstead, North West London, providing a complete in-house letting, property maintenance and property management service to accidental landlords, investment companies, property developers, buy to let investors and corporate property portfolio owners.

Paramount Maintenance take on all sorts of renovations like kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing, electrical, handyman work, tiling, painting, plastering, carpentry, landscape gardening and roofing. They also specialise in the upgrading, renovating, refurbishing and repair of tired or run down rental properties to obtain the maximum benefit to the landlord, property owner or investor in the most cost effective manner.

''Running a professional property management business for professional landlords and professional tenants is a 24-hour a day responsibility, 365 days a year. Once a property is let it is only the beginning of the story and the obligations of a landlord must be executed in the most efficient way possible. Although good professional tenants are hard to find they are often quite demanding. They are looking for trouble free occupation in return for their hard earned cash.' explained Spencer Lawrence of Paramount Lettings based in West Hampstead.

Spencer continued, 'Breakdowns and breakages dont happen nine to five and so Paramounts management team doesnt just happen nine to five either. Central heating boilers tend not to break down in the summer. They wait until the middle of the coldest night of the year. Window locks dont just break. they wait until their owner or tenant is about to leave for a long weekend in Prague.'

'We not only value our tenants but also our landlords. We provide a property maintenance service second to none in North West London, ensuring that our landlords properties are maintained to the highest standard by arranging independent check-in and check-out. We also ensure rents are collected efficiently and on time and provide monthly statements confirming all income and expenditure. '

Heres what some of our tenants say:

Could you please forward my gratitude to your plumber who arrived at m y my property at 10am on Christmas day and fixed my boiler and saved the day as l had a house full with twelve for dinner.

Thank you for your swift response, l look forward to coming home to a warm flat.

It has been a real pleasure dealing with Paramount. The professionalism they have show during and on completion of my tenancy has been superb, l look forward to renting from you again on my return from Australia.

Follow the link for more on Paramount's managed property maintenance services in Brondesbury, Cricklewood, Hampstead, Little Venice, Kensal Rise, Kilburn, Maida Vale, Mapesbury Estate, Queens Park, St Johns Wood, South Hampstead, West Hampstead and Willesden Green.

London Property Investment Hot Spots

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:06:05 +0000

Paramount Properties are an established and independent estate and letting agents covering the Willesden Green & Cricklewood area of North West London.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the area around London NW2 and London NW10 was strongly associated with the railways, and a large industrial centre grew around Cricklewood Station.

Today the area is less industrialised but its heritage offers many excellent opportunities to live the 'urban lifestyle' in converted factories and warehouses. This cosmopolitan area offers shopping and eating from all over the world and it is considered to be an 'up and comming area', ready for gentrification.

'Willesden Green residents enjoy a more modest style of home as opposed to the properties found in the more expensive Hampstead and Maida Vale areas of North West London,' advised David Warren of Paramount Properties. based in West Hampstead.

'The area around Willesden Green in North West London offers good investment potential for buy to let investors or first time property buyers. Willesden Green offers a large range of Victorian houses and Victorian terraced properties, modern housing developments and cheaper houses, flats and apartments in an area with good transport links. There is great road access in Willesden Green, along with underground access on the Jubilee line and mainline services and several bus routes,' he continued.

If you are looking for investment property to buy in Willesden Green or Criclewood please contact the Paramount Team.

North West London Property Market Report 2011

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:16:34 +0000

This years property sales market has been healthy from start to finish with the average property going under offer in 4-6 weeks. Properties in great condition, property in need of refurbishment or with outside space are often going under offer within days and on the odd occasion going over the asking price. Agreed prices went up by 5% early in the year and have held all year so far.

2011 has been the year of the cash buyer with Paramount agreeing over 50% of its sales to cash buyers. These buyers have often been Parents from the UK, mainland Europe and Asia buying for their children who are based or will be based in London. These properties are going on the rental market for the interim periods.

We have also seen some buy to let investors return to the market, with the rental markets being so strong they have achieved some great rents and are generally renting their flats within days of taking ownership.

With the lack of properties currently on the market and the amount of good quality buyers currently looking, 2012 looks like it is going to be a great year to sell your property in our local area.

What's been happening in 2011 in West Hampstead and surrounding areas for Paramount lettings?

In 2011, Paramount has seen unprecedented demand from applicants looking to rent in North West London. The cost of market entry for first time owner/occupiers is preventing many people from buying and so is boosting demand for rental property. A dearth of rental stock is pushing up rents and future prospects for rental growth are very strong indeed; the average rental income are up by 12% in the NW6 area. Landlords can cherry pick their ideal tenant with no worries of a void period whatsoever.

Given that yields have steadily increased this year, it has also meant the introduction of first time buy-to-let investors into the property market as well as existing landlords expanding their portfolios. There is no reason to suggest that in 2012 the rental sector will show any signs of waning.

North West London Property Rental & Lettings

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:15:17 +0100

We are into the last part of 2011 now and have enjoyed some great highlights for the year already at Paramount.

The Lettings team have been short listed for the UK Property Awards 'Letting Agent In London'. The Gala for the event will take place on October 28th when the results will be announced.

The year has been busy at Paramount with the local area proving to be very popular in the private rental sector. Senior letting negotiator Mark Durban commented "Paramount, like most letting other agents, are experiencing increased tenant demand but are suffering from a shortage of affordable one and two bedroom rental properties".

The buy to let market has seen landlord portfolio's increase over the year and this is met with high demand for rental properties. Rents have increased as a result of this, and in NW6 are up by at least 8-11%. This renal increase along with the high demand for property provides a food investment for landlords and potential investors. Spencer Lawrence, Director of Paramount Lettings , comments "With rents improving by circa 10% in the last six months its certainly a good time to be renting out a flat, apartment or house".

Mr Lawrence goes on to say "Paramount have experienced an exceptionally busy September culminating in our best ever month, as a result of this activity our current list of stock is low. We urgently need Landlords with affordable one and two bedroom properties to rent out in West Hampstead and the surrounding areas as we still have a significant number of good quality applicants on our books".

Paramount negotiators take care of the day to day management queries of their properties and because of the efficient and dedicated approach the process is as smooth as possible for both landlord and tenant. Our in house maintenance company also makes the standard running issues and repairs for rental and managed properties easier as they are dealt with quickly and hassle free.

If you are thinking of renting your property or letting existing properties and would like a no-obligation valuation or for property rental advice please feel free to contact Paramount on 020 7644 2332.

Properties to rent in North West London.

UK Property Awards Finalists

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:44:39 +0100

Leading estate agents from across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom have been notified that they have become shortlisted in the regions most prestigious property competition in association with Google and Bloomberg Television. Paramount Lettings Limited is delighted to learn that it is one of the finalists that may win a highly commended or five-star award.

The gala awards presentation will take place on October 28th at the London Lancaster hotel near Hyde Park. The event is part of the International Property Awards, which is now in its 17th year and has become recognised as the highest standard of excellence throughout the global industry. Attaining one of these coveted awards is evidence that Paramount Lettings Limited is capable of excelling over some very strong contenders within the highly competitive UK property arena.

Later this year, the highest scoring winners from the UK Property Awards will compete against other winning companies from Asia Pacific, Africa, Arabia, the Americas and Europe to determine the ultimate Worlds Best in each category.

The judging panel consists of more than 80 professionals whose collective knowledge of the property industry is unsurpassed by any other property awards. This years judges include James Bacon, UK account manager of Google; Peter Bolton King, group chief executive of the National Federation of Property professionals; David Dalby of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS); and Mike McNamara of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

Spencer Lawrence, Lettings Director of Paramount Lettings Limited said of the award, We are very proud to be short listed for this prestigious award, I believe this is testament to our work ethic and our commitment to providing exceptional customer service.

Car Boot Sales In North West London

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:44:24 +0100

Please contact us to list your Sunday market or car boot sale in the North West London area.

Every Saturday between 11am and 3pm, hundreds of shoppers arrive in their droves at Kilburn's St. Augustine's School, keen to get their hands on one of the many fabulous bargains to be snatched at The London Car Boot Co's weekly car boot sale.

From vintage clothes to furniture, musical intsruments to kids' toys and lots of quirky and unusual second-hand gems, there is something to catch everyone's eye at this well-established and famous car boot sale. Unlike most other car boot sales, you don't have to drag yourself out of bed at the crack of dawn to get there on time! Early bird entry is £3 per person before 11am and 50p per person thereafter.

If you find that you're not ready for your bargain quest to end after rooting around through the vast array of bits and bobs at St. Augustine's, round the corner on Quex road is St. Mary's Church of England primary school where another London Car Boot Sale Co is also held on Saturdays. Here you can find anything from textiles, vintage magazines and this particular car boot sale has been described as a mecca for budding interior designers, with vintage and modern decorative objects for the home such as kitschy light fittings and unique furnishings at a fraction of the original price. Early bird entry to the St. Mary's car boot sale is £3 before 10am and 50p thereafter.

Yoga & Pilates Class In North West London

Fri, 13 May 2011 15:44:00 +0100

We all know how hard it is to fit our busy lives into our day and finding time for exercise classes can take a back seat! Yoga and Pilates are both a great way to keep in shape and unwind. We have found these local classes that cater for all abilities:

There are Yoga classes at the Lymington Road Residents Association, Dresden Close, NW6 with Divya. These classes are drop in so no need to pre-book - better for those of us who are less organised! The Monday class starts at 7pm and finishes at 8.15pm. The class teaches Hatha Classic Yoga which is perfect for beginners level. Hatha Classic yoga focuses on posture and is designed to make you feel open.

Wednesday's class at the same time teaches Hatha Flow yoga. This is a more advanced class and takes the basic postures and focus learnt in the Hatha Classic class and progresses to larger movements and flowing one posture into another making it a stronger and more dynamic workout. This is for the slightly more advanced.

The classes are £10 and you pay when you get there so you don't have to commit to any long term courses. Mats are provided if you do not have your own and there are also private classes available. You can email Divya at yogawithdivya@hotmail.co.uk for further information or visit the website at www.yogawithdivya.co.uk. Why not give it a go...?

Pilates classes are offered for all levels and can also be group sessions or private at the Body Control Studio in Belsize Road, Swiss Cottage, NW6. Classes are held Mon-Fri 7.30am - 9.30pm, Sat 7.30am - 6.00pm and Sun 9.00am - 6.00pm.

All of the classes are designed to build up body and muscle strength and control, endurance, flexibility and co-ordination. These classes have benefits for everyone no matter what your experience. For further information please call 020 7483 0952.

For some great exercise and all in your local area, try these out!

Baby, Mother & Toddler Groups

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:38:49 +0000

As our office is full of parents, we thought it would be a good idea to look at some of the services and facilities that are located in the local area.

This ranges from groups to stay and play, coffee mornings for mums, local parks, classes and shops - please find below a couple that located closest to our office.

Arts 4 Fun:

The fun pottery painting store located on West End Lane. The staff are friendly and the process is simple - children and adults pick a piece of pottery and then can either choose to paint them instore or take them home.

Bumps and Babies:

This group is run every Monday from 12.30 to 2.30pm and is held at the Abbey Community Centre in Belsize Road. It gives parents a couple of hours to chat with other people, enjoy a coffee and a chat. There are mats and bouncy chairs provided for the babies.

Sidings Community Centre:

This centre is located near Brassey Road and offers a range of services to parents from morning per-school playgroups to a day care creche. A soft room has been designed for children starting to crawl and walk and runs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. For older children, ranging from 1 to 4 years old, they have introduced music and dance classes on Thursday afternoon. For more information on all their services, please visit their website at www.sidings.org.uk

For an entire listing of all services and facilities in the local area, we found the best websites to visit are the Camden website or Net Mums which details where and when all groups meet, contact details and informative comments from other parents.

Farmers Markets in North West London

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:24:32 +0000

North West London is bursting at the seams with Christmas Farmers Markets in Finchley, Swiss Cottage and Queens Park offering a refreshing alternative to high street shopping! They are a perfect opportunity to stock up before Christmas and enjoy a morning shopping and sampling produce. Generally at all Farmers Markets the Beef, Lamb and Pork comes from high welfare farms - keep a look out for rare breeds! The vegetables and salads are usually picked just hours before it reaches the Market stalls so it stays fresh for longer. You can also reserve produce for Christmas at some stalls.

The Finchley Christmas Farmers Market takes place on Sunday 12th December from 10am until 2pm. Held on the grounds of an impressive Victorian mansion 'Avenue House' which is on 17 East End Road, Finchley. Offered here is local produce, seasonal fruit, vegetables and meat. There are other unexpected delights such as handmade pies and artisan cheeses.

At the Swiss Cottage Farmers Market you will find an array of seasonal produce-possibly the freshest fish in London! 'Channel Fish' catch their fish from a boat off the Brighton coast and from there it goes straight to Market. 'The Celtic Bakers' stall should not be missed. Originally from North West London, they have built up a formidable reputation. We recommend you try their delicious organic fresh bread, levains or sourdoughs.

The legendary Queens Park Farmers Market takes place every Sunday 10am until 2pm in the run up until Christmas, so there are no excuses for not paying a visit! Located at Salusbury Primary School, it is only a short walk from Brondesbury Park or Queens Park station. This Market provides Goose as well as Turkeys, more boutique style produce as well as keeping the old favourites such as a charming selection of vegetables.

Checkout Grasmere Farm's stall and you may get tempted to try one of their freshly made sausage sandwiches. For those with a sweet tooth, don't leave without a slice of Susan Blooms irresistible homemade cake!

Staples Corner Regeneration Project

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 18:53:57 +0000

After almost ten years of negotiations planning permission has been granted for the £45bn regeneration project in North West London. The area borders north at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre, east and west boarders spanning from the A41 Hendon Way to the A5 Edgware Road and South to Cricklewood Lane.

The vision is to take on one of the biggest regeneration projects in London to improve its North West towns. The scheme will see more than £515m of the investment spent on committing to the section 106 such as transport in the area including developing a new midland mainline station in order to deal with the increase of people travelling to and from the area.

Another £200m to improve the local roads - £50m of this being spent solely on developing Staples Corner to improve the flow of traffic - and getting you home quicker! There will also be £109m spent on improvements to schools and healthcare institutes.

The move will create new housing "7500 high quality homes, including significant numbers of new affordable homes and a wide range of unit sizes so local people can stay close to their families." There will also be 27,000 jobs created throughout and after the project.

The works are due to commence sometime between 2014 and 2015.