The need for speed: superfast broadband now more important to home buyers than good transport links and nice neighbours

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David Spittles1 March 2018

With most of us now using multiple digital devices and streaming everything from films and music to computer games and powerpoint presentations, fast internet connectivity is as important to sustaining our lives as running water and electricity.

So-called “smart homes” with superfast broadband are at the centre of a new turf war in housing as developers race to serve up high-fibre flats for the digital age.

More than two thirds of people check the available broadband speed before moving home, according to a survey by Rightmove, while fast broadband is given higher priority than local transport links, nice neighbours, outside space, room for a gym — or even an extra bedroom.

Telecoms regulator Ofcom says the amount of internet data used by people in the UK is growing by about half every year. Increasingly, people are opting for home automation systems that control heating, security and lighting as well as entertainment, and all these function better if the underlying connectivity is fast. And for people running a business from home, it can be make or break.

SWITCH AND SAVE

Inspired Homes has flats in Croydon, Chertsey, Luton and Witham (near Chelmsford) . By incorporating communal social spaces into the architecture, flats can be kept compact, typically less than 400sq ft.

As well as hyperoptic broadband, flats are hallway-free with full-height glazing, a balcony, hidden storage and wood floors. From £170,000. Call 020 7495 0523.

Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at price comparison website uSwitch, says: “There is a damaging misconception that fibre broadband is prohibitively expensive. That’s not the case. People languishing on slower traditional broadband contracts could switch to a faster, more reliable service and make savings, too.”

CONNECTED FROM DAY ONE

​Hyperoptic, a specialist company collaborating with more than 100 residential developers, provides fibre broadband that is up to 27 times faster than the typical speed in the UK. Cables are laid direct to individual properties, rather than to a central distribution point, allowing a speed of 1Gbps — Gigabits per second — meaning a high-definition movie can be downloaded in 60 seconds as opposed to the standard one hour and 40 minutes.

Home buyers and renters get “day one” connectivity rather than having to wait weeks or months for a broadband service to be activated. It’s being installed through the new Battersea Power Station district and has been retrofitted at St George Wharf in Vauxhall and Montevetro on the Battersea waterfront.

One live project is Chelsea Island, at Lots Road. This formerly cut-off corner of south-west London was blighted by a gasworks and train tracks. But developers and interior design shops have transformed the area into a coveted enclave of flats, houses and boutique shopping that stretches to trendy New King’s Road, packed with galleries and boutiques.

Chelsea Harbour, built in the Eighties alongside a muddy inlet, paved the way. Later came Imperial Wharf, a 1,600-home neighbourhood with a new train station, park and a riverbus pier. At Chelsea Creek, apartment blocks have been built alongside new docks and waterways, while redevelopment of Lots Road Power Station is well into its stride.

Homes at Chelsea Island have communal roof gardens designed by “couture florist” Neill Strain. Each flat comes with a Bang & Olufsen home automation system and superfast broadband

James Taylor, director of developer Hadley, explains: “Buyers can choose the latest voice-activation technology. They’ll simply have to say ‘movie night’, and the curtains will close automatically, the lights will dim and the television and audio system will switch to cinema function — primed and ready for the latest blockbuster.”

Prices start at £935,000. Call Hadley Property Group on 0800 540 4377.

GET UP TO SPEED

Much faster connectivity (10Gbps) is on trial at East Village, the former Olympic Athletes’ Village in Stratford, where 1,500 rental homes are owned and managed by Get Living London. “It’s a game changer. Downloads and uploads are practically instantaneous,” says Neill Young, chief executive.

Grainger, a socially minded property company that has made a big move into homes for private rent, has unveiled its first superfast broadband development at Canning Town, east London. Argo Apartments, with 134 homes, offers renters up to 300Mbps in a tie-up with Virgin Media.

£1,430 a month: Argo Apartments in Canning Town offer superfast broadband and cheaper rents (020 7940 9590)

It is one of the new-style “co-living” schemes aimed at people who cannot afford, or don’t want, to get on to the property ladder. Renters can opt for a three- to five-year tenancy rather than the customary one-year agreement. The 16-storey building has lots of amenity spaces, a gym, games room, roof garden, meeting rooms and work zones with free wifi.

Flats come furnished or unfurnished, there are no move-in fees or renewal costs, and Grainger has a 24/7 on-site management team to fix faults. Rents start at £1,430 per month, set as an affordable rent for a couple jointly earning £43,000.

Space saving in smaller apartments is another virtue of fast fibre broadband, says Martin Skinner, chief executive of micro apartment developer Inspired Homes. “Rather than having stacks of DVDs and CDs, you can store music and film collections in the Cloud and stream from Netflix or Amazon Prime. It means fewer physical possessions and more living space.”

‘CHECK SPEED BEFORE YOU COMMIT’

Fibre has transformed the life of aviation consultant Lisa Pattenden, 49.

“When I moved into my flat in Royal Docks, east London, the connection was so slow that I had to run my business out of my local Costa Coffee branch. This changed when a fibre connection was installed. It’s the foundation of everything I do.

“Fast broadband is a utility that you need in order to live your life without compromise. However, it isn’t a given, so I would advise people to check before they rent or buy.”

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