From his large, west-facing balcony on the eighth floor of Edmund Rise in Barking, Chockalingam ‘Chocky’ Saravanan has a magnificent London view, with all of the City’s modernity etched on the skyline: the London Eye, the Shard, the Gherkin.
‘And I see all the sunsets,’ he says, with his ready smile. ‘It is a magical light. I was very keen to have a balcony and chose my apartment off-plan to have exactly the right position.’
An internationally travelled businessman, Chocky, 50, has lived and worked in many countries during his long career as a project manager in IT. He now works in Canary Wharf, just six miles away from his new home in the borough of Barking & Dagenham.
A VIBRANT NEW RESIDENTS CLUB
When he realised he would be spending a lot of his time in London he saw the sense in buying rather than renting – and the location of Abbey Quay, the spectacular £350 million urban village by Weston Homes in Barking Riverside, ten minutes from the mainline and tube station was perfect.
With 100 apartments on 17 floors, Edmund Rise – in Phase Two of the village that sits beside the River Roding – sits above a glamorous new Residents’ Hub designed for work and socialising. Amenities in the wider Abbey Quay masterplan include two public squares, a new restaurant, shops, cafes and a gym, plus space for creatives and business start-ups.
TOP WESTON HOMES VALUE IN A LOCATION THAT’S GOT THE LOT
‘I used to pass this Weston Homes development on my way to visit a friend,’ he says. ‘One evening I went into a large, smart sales office with models of new homes.
‘I liked their plans and was attracted to the prices and the finance opportunities. The team told me about a very good deal, the Discount Market Sale scheme, which offered me 20 per cent off all apartments up to the eighth floor.
‘ Weston Homes, had won an award for being Best Medium Housebuilder from WhatHouse? That impressed me. I did a lot of research on them. They were clearly long time professionals and they did a good job.’
He studied the model in the sales office. ‘I could see what was being built and chose off plan Edmund Rise as it was clear that nothing would be going up in front of me except a low-rise restaurant, so I had an uninterrupted view of the River Roding below and the London skyline, and this view would never be blocked.’
SO MANY EXTRAS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
Chocky rented until his one-bedroom apartment was built. Meanwhile he went through the vast choice of fittings, fixtures and colour palettes on offer to Weston Homes buyers, with many visits to their sales office displays and the show house for ideas. ‘One of the great advantages of buying off-plan is that nothing is built so you can create your own home interior,’ he explains.
Weston Homes are passionate about energy-saving tech including temperature and water flow-control taps, a boiling-water kitchen tap and integrated kitchen appliances. So when he moved in last September, Chocky couldn’t have been more delighted with his super-smart new kitchen, kitted out with his chosen high-gloss black units and long, sleek, matt chrome door handles.
Tidy and organised by nature, he has made an immaculate home, with the eating area defined by the table and divided from the living space by the back of one of his two sofas. This is an impressive ‘boy’s pad’ with a vast, flat-screen TV that’s perfect for its football-mad owner, whose ideal night in is with a cold beer, watching the match.
‘A GREAT INVESTMENT – AND I LOVE THE BUZZ’
Chocky’s wife and their two adult children, now 18 and 20, are at home in Chennai, capital city of Tamil Nadu in southern India, where he grew up. His father, a banker, was a cautious man who taught him the value of hard work and good investment. With several properties that he rents out in India, Chocky saw the opportunities for good rental income from his new London apartment when he returns home.
After seven months at Abbey Quay , he is very happy with his decision. ‘It is carefully thought out and runs smoothly, I enjoy the technology, the water controls on the taps and the generous amount of extras that are included in the price.’
MOVE IN AND MAKE FRIENDS
He’s part of a WhatsApp group with other residents. ‘We all help each other out. And we are happy to help the new people that are moving in all the time.’ He has made a lot of friends both at home and at work.
Having grown up in a big, busy city he is comfortable in this vibrant environment. ‘I love the buzz of it all.’ Chocky’s relocation to Barking follows on from his many company moves across the world – Singapore, the US, Boston, Sweden – the list goes on. So he has had a lot of experience in making property choices and says with confidence that ‘Barking is a good choice for buyers.Literally everything is on my doorstep.’
Chocky says he can see the attraction in buying at Abbey Quay.’ All the people living around are professionals, too, with busy lives. They want as little stress as possible’. In Edmund Rise and Abbey Quay, he has made a well-researched choice to find everything he wants… he has all that, and fabulous sunsets, too.
