UK city centre apartments to attract Irish investors

London: from €519,000 Another landmark project in London's Canary Wharf goes on sale this week through the Hamilton Osborne King agency. Plans can be viewed and deposits placed at HOK's International Department through negotiator Helen Faley.

Entitled The Light House and located in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, this latest docklands scheme comprises three buildings of seven to 13 storeys, with a total of 113 one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Views over Blackwall Basin and the Canary Wharf skyline are impressive.

HOK is selling 25 two-bedroom apartments with balconies in the Corona building, which is located at 162 Blackwall Way in E14 9NR. Prices range from £335,000 (€519,000) to £425,000 (€621,000) for two-bed units of 67-83sq m (716-889sq ft). Two-bedroom penthouses in the same block cost £730,000 (€1.07 million) for 114sq m (1,227sq ft) of living space.

Developer St James Homes's reputation for innovative house building continues with The Light House, where the use of green glass integrates with the external landscaping. Construction of this phase at Canary Wharf began in December 2002 and completions are expected in the coming months.

The specification is strong, with reinforced concrete floors and columns, decked balconies and terraces and steel balustrades with glass panel infills.

Interiors include white-painted timber front doors with steel fittings, wall-mounted panel heating, built-in wardrobes and smart contemporary kitchens.

Here, work surfaces are grey laminate, with tiled splashbacks, ceramic hob and steel handles. A full range of appliances is also included, with hob extractor, Smeg oven, fridge-freezer and dishwasher part of the price.

Bathroom ware is top-of-the-range by Phillipe Starck and is most impressive, with a wall-mounted toilet, concealed cistern, fixed-head shower and polished-edge mirror.

A 24-hour concierge service is in place, augmented by a video intercom system and electronically operated gates to the parking area. Outdoor landscaping at The Light House includes water features and a combination of olive, plum, cherry and apple blossom trees.

Canary Wharf has been planned as a city within a city, with shops, restaurants, health and sports clubs, childcare, theatres and cinemas. The wharf area extends to over 86 acres and is so-called because many imports were from the Canary Islands when in use as a working dock.