‘Being close to good travel links was a priority for me’

Harlesden in north-west London is another gritty district on the up. Its lively town centre has been given a facelift, part of a £5 billion regeneration initiative that is seeing grim council estates replaced by hundreds of mixedtenure low-rise homes.

Among the newcomers recognising its potential are White City-based employees and junior City workers in search of well-connected, affordable housing.

Giovanni Barone, who works for a leading travel company, has put down roots here after renting for six years in various places. “My job involves a lot of travel so being close to good transport links was a priority.”

He bought a 35 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat with balcony and private parking space at Helix, the final phase of development at New Stonebridge Park. Apartments cost from £85,000 for a 25 per cent share. Call Hyde New Homes on

0345 606 1221.

Local estate agents speak optimistically of major development activity under way at nearby Park Royal, an industrial zone being opened up for housing and amenities, and at Old Oak, a 195-acre swathe of train tracks and depots set to become a giant new transport hub linking Crossrail and HS2, the high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham, that will one day set the seal on regeneration in Harlesden.