£96,875
An artist’s impression of how East River Wharf will look when complete and, below, show home interiors at the scheme
Starting price for a 25% share of a one-bedroom apartment at East River Wharf in E16
East River Wharf is located on the western edge of Royal Wharf and bene ts from the area’s dedicated river bus pier
how East River Wharf is gearing up to launch shared ownership homes near the banks of the Thames on land alongside Lyle Park
by Jon MasseyLegal & General A ordable Homes is set to unveil a new collection of shared ownership properties in Royal Docks. East River Wharf will be launched onto the market over the weekend of August 5-6, with one, two and three-bedroom homes all available.
The properties are located on the western edge of Riverscape, the latest phase of Ballymore and Oxley’s Royal Wharf development arranged on the edge of Lyle Park and running between North Woolwich Road and the Thames.
Residents of the apartments –located in two, 11-storey blocks with red brick facades – will have access to a range of on-site amenities including a tness studio, a residents’ gym, a spa, a swimming pool plus 24-hour concierge and security services. They will also be able to use a 16th- oor lounge with views over the Thames and the London skyline.
The properties themselves boast integrated appliances, dedicated workspaces and balconies as well as open-plan living areas.
East River Wharf bene ts from the wider regeneration of Silvertown, including Royal Wharf itself, which is now home to a range of restaurants and bars as well as a busy local community centre. In addition to Lyle Park, Thames Barrier Park is within easy walking distance as are
the attractions of Royal Victoria Dock which hosts open water swimming, wakeboarding and numerous places to nd food and drink.
Transport-wise, the development is a few minutes’ walk from both West Silvertown and Pontoon Dock DLR stations for connections to the City and Canary Wharf or London City Airport and Woolwich, respectively.
Royal Wharf also boasts a pier served by the Uber Boat By Thames Clippers river bus service and is connected to plentiful local cycle routes.
As part of the wider regeneration of Silvertown, residents should also bene t from a new pedestrian bridge linking the area to Custom House across Royal Victoria Dock. This will provide direct access to the area’s Elizabeth Line station, which rapidly connects travellers to the likes of Canary Wharf, Liverpool Street and Tottenham Court Road as well as Woolwich and Abbey Wood in the east. As London’s only enterprise zone, the area is also set to see some £8billion of investment as work to regenerate it continues. This includes a planned upgrade of the DLR and a blossoming programme of cultural events across the area.
Legal & General A ordable Homes
Scan this code to nd out about homes at East River Wharf or to book into the launch
chief executive, Ben Denton, said: “With shared ownership we want to help you get on the rst rung of the property ladder and be proud of where you live.
“East River Wharf ticks all the boxes – a fantastic range of good quality new-build homes designed for modern life in a part of town that is zzing with energy, culture and entrepreneurship.
“It’s also incredibly important to us that we make the experience of buying a home as hassle free and easy as possible for anyone new to shared ownership.”
Prices for properties at East River Wharf start at £96,875 for a 25% share of a one-bedroom home. This is based on a full market value of £387,500 and could see buyers put down a deposit of less than £5,000 to secure the minimum share.
Buyers pay rent on the proportion of the property they don’t own, which typically works out cheaper than renting a comparable apartment. The share a buyer owns can also be increased up to 100% over time in a process known as staircasing.
● Launch events for East River Wharf are set to take place from 1pm-5pm on August 5 and 10am-4pm on August 6 at Royal Crest Avenue in Royal Docks.
Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the scheme’s new show apartment while enjoying a complimentary glass of zz.
Go to east-river-wharf.co.uk for more
Sit with George Mills for any length of time and you’ll be left in no doubt that there are two things he’s especially passionate about – cleaning and the environment. I confess, when I arrived to interview him as the managing director of east Londonbased AEG Cleaning Services, I was expecting to hear the story of the business, perhaps a bit about him growing up in Limehouse where he still lives and then a rundown of the kinds of things his organisation offers.
Instead I found a man driven to improve the world around him by demonstrating a different way of doing things.
“Traditional cleaning services are among the worst polluters – they typically use so many chemicals, it’s so harmful,” he said. “I saw a gap in the market for an eco-friendly, carbon neutral cleaning company and thought that would be a good place to be.
“My dad and my aunt had run a cleaning business, so I had some knowledge of the sector. When I was a young teenager I’d go with my dad at weekends to clean banks and offices and that was a valuable experience although my approach to the industry is different.”
“For me, it’s about where the next generation is going to be. We have to do something about climate change and the way we’re treating the planet and AEG is doing that.”
Launched in 2021, George’s business has expanded across the capital in response to demand – but the company’s core ethos remains the same.
“We’re really going back in time – before all these chemicals were around, people made their own cleaning products,” he said. “We started off doing that, although we now have a supplier of eco-friendly products because of the quantities we need to use.
“However, for every single job that needs to be done, there is a natural or non-polluting alternative to chemicals.
“And the results are the same. It might take a little longer to achieve, but there is no difference
AEG offers a range of services including carpet cleaning, commercial cleaning and deep cleaning
in quality at all. We also try to educate our customers on the kinds of products they can use or even make themselves – it’s so easy to do.
“That goes for businesses too. They have a real problem because they need to be cleaned all the time – just imagine a deep clean of a restaurant and kitchen. With a traditional firm the amount of chemicals used is crazy.
“We did one the other day –completely carbon neutral – and the result was the same.
“It’s vital we take this approach now, so that future generations
can benefit. We even have a calculator on our website so people and businesses can see what they are saving in CO2 emissions by using our services.
“When I started the company, I wanted to do something that meant something to me and that would help people on Earth in the future.”
AEG offers home cleaning from £20 per hour while commercial premises start at £25 per hour. The company offers fixed fees from £180 for end-of-tenancy and Airbnb cleans, while carpet cleaning starts at £5 per sq m. The latter is a good example of George’s other passion – the cleaning itself. Having cracked the problem of cleaning limescale without harsh chemicals, his focus now is very much on carpets with a complement of trusted, trained contractors handling much of the company’s core workload.
“My background is in customer service and the way I run AEG is always – for me and the people I work with – to look round and put themselves in the customer’s shoes to ask whether they are happy with the job,” said George. “If the answer’s no, then we need to fix whatever isn’t right. If that means staying extra time, then that’s what we do. We always start by asking people what kind of clean they are looking for and then we check on the job to make sure the level they have picked will achieve what they want.
“We do a basic clean, a seasonal clean and a deep clean as well as bio-hazard levels. Our prices include all the products we use.
“We really like the deep cleans, which is when we get into every nook and cranny and people come in and go: ‘Wow’. That gives me a real sense of achievement – people call me ‘Magic George’ quite a lot, for some reason.
“When I started the business I began small, often making my own products because I wanted to learn exactly what worked. It’s
Traditional cleaning services are among the worst polluters –they typically use so many chemicals, it’s so harmful
been the same with the carpet cleaning. I did training to ensure the hot water cleaning we offer delivers the best results.
“Attention to detail is very important – you need to know what the carpet and backing are made from. Then we pre-spray and aggregate it with a special tool before using the machine to rinse it. We use hot water because it dries much more quickly and that means you can get the furniture back in faster.
“You can see the change in the carpet right away – it’s very satisfying because it comes up like new and we don’t use any harmful chemicals.
“I had one customer who had a carpet that was 10 years old and thought they would need to get a new one fitted. But after one clean they decided to keep it because it had come up so well. Cleaning is hard work. I take my hat off to anyone working in the industry because to do it properly, it’s a lot of effort and long hours.
“But both me and the people AEG works with get real pleasure from the job, especially when you see the difference it can make in people’s lives. We’ve won some awards and to get that recognition for the company is great – but it’s important people understand why we do things the way we do. Cleaning the planet – one job at a time.” Go to aegcleaning.co.uk for more information
how AEG Cleaning Services aims to offer domestic and commercial clients eco-friendly, carbon neutral options to keep homes and workplaces sparkling
George Mills, AEG Cleaning ServicesGeorge is a big advocate for using natural ingredients as cleaning agents, including lemons, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda
Born and bred in Limehouse, George Mills set up AEG Cleaning Services to offer residents and businesses a planet-friendly way to get their properties and premises cleaned
