29 year old Rasha moved into our Colindale Gardens development in North West London in early 2019. Working in real estate, Rasha was familiar with the London property market and the new communities popping up across the capital and spent several weekends visiting different areas and the homes on offer to get a clearer idea.
Rasha commented: “Before buying at Colindale Gardens we spent time looking at different areas in London to see where we wanted to live. I was living with my parents in Kilburn at the time and hadn’t come across Colindale before. We planned to spend the day looking at different developments in the area, with Redrow’s marketing suite our first stop.
“We ended up cancelling the rest of the appointments and reserved with Redrow on the spot as we loved the show apartments and the whole plan for Colindale Gardens so much.”
Rasha soon after reserved a two-bedroom apartment using Help to Buy in November 2018 and moved in four months later. Even before moving day, Rasha was keen to be involved in the local community and get to know her neighbours.
Rasha added: “After we reserved and exchanged, there was an event to meet other buyers and a get-to-know-your-neighbours event just after we moved in too, all organised by Redrow. These events were lovely as it meant we knew who lived around us and the whole place felt really welcoming.”
It was the start of the pandemic in Spring 2020 that really saw the community at Colindale Gardens come together.
Rasha explained: “A WhatsApp group was set up for people to use if they needed help getting groceries or medicines, especially those isolating, which was super helpful to keep everyone connected at the beginning of the pandemic. However, the original WhatsApp group was very focused on support during Covid-19, so my neighbour and I set up a separate chat group as more of a social chat and shared the link with the concierge to encourage others to join.
“We now have over 250 people on the chat and everyone is so friendly. We use it for everything and anything, people ask about the local area when they move in, people sell their stuff or use it to give things away for free. People even use it to borrow things, it is the equivalent of knocking on your neighbours door for tea and sugar, but on a larger scale!”
The community spirit extends beyond the digital world too, with Rasha organising an annual sports day on the central park and she has even convinced two of her friends to move to Colindale Gardens.
Rasha said: “Last summer we organised a sports day on the green involving cricket, rounders and football and we held the event again this year. It is ideal having the park right on our doorsteps and is a great place to get together with neighbours. Two of my friends, Rose and Selen started renting at Colindale Gardens in early-2021 after I kept on raving about how great it is. They both live in different apartment buildings, and we regularly go out for breakfast and dinner together with other people we have met since moving here.
“If we look to buy a bigger place in the future, we are pretty committed to upsizing at Colindale Gardens because we love it so much.”
Colindale Gardens will feature over 4,000 homes when complete. Alongside the new homes, there are extensive amenities on site, including an indoor gym, 24-hour concierge service and outdoor play areas and exercise equipment. There are plans for local shops, cafés, and restaurants creating a vibrant new destination. A health centre and new primary school will also provide essential community facilities on residents’ doorsteps.
Nearly 20% of Colindale Gardens will be allocated to open green spaces for residents and the surrounding community to enjoy, including communal gardens, cycle paths, walkways, and attractive landscaping. Located at the very heart of the community is a four-acre central park, designed as a modern village green for the community.
Currently available homes start at £385,000. To find out more visit www.colindalegardens.co.uk.
