A guide to living in Borough of Greenwich

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Very close to transport links - bus stops that go into central from right outside the building and overground station making it so easy to get into the city! Love the feel of the area, not quite as busy as central but still lots going on in the neighborhood, loads of nice shops/ restaurants/ cafes in Greenwich and bars/ markets in Deptford. River is so close so easy to go for a nice long walk, or in Greenwich Park, making it easy to get out in nature

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Any maintenance issues we’ve had were sorted within a couple days at most, and the maintenance team is always very friendly and professional.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The community of neighbours is honestly really lovely and it’s so worth putting yourself out there to meet them!

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

We moved in just over a year ago now and have been in love with our Home since day 1. The building is well maintained, never an issue and the team onsite are super helpful. All the facilities are excellent, and we may well have one of the best home gyms in the market. On top of this the location of Greenwich is perfect, taking me 10 mins to commute to London Bridge for work and we pretty much have everything we need on our doorstep. Couldn't imagine living anywhere else so we recently extended our lease by another 3 years. There's also a lot of great local shops, bars and restaurants aswell as schools and parks.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Anything that we've needed help with has been managed and resolved very quickly without issue, and the building are very proactive on maintenance and keep us well informed.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Good things are low cost to run vs other apartment buildings. 2 bed 2 persons costs approx £100 a month in utilities vs other places where Ive paid substantially more.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Lack of amenities: There are no decent-sized grocery stores nearby, which makes daily shopping inconvenient. Parking problems: Pre-booking a parking slot takes time, and even then, you often still need to walk a significant distance from your space to the building. Challenging building access: The main entrance isn’t on the ground floor, so carrying heavy items is difficult. You either have to take the stairs or walk all the way around the building. Confusing/segregated entrances: The building has two separate entrances for different sections. Some residents mentioned that one entrance leads to council flats. Either way, delivery drivers frequently get confused and struggle to find the correct entrance. Noise and safety concerns: Being right next to the O2 means constant noise, especially from loud or drunk crowds. Groups of teenagers tend to gather in the area — particularly under the bridge — and there have been instances of harassment when walking home. There is no concierge physically present in Building One. The lifts are often out of order, and the gate has been left open several times due to various incidents. I have also encountered strangers from the O2 area entering the building, and other residents have had parcels stolen. Boiling hot in the summer (no provided AC in the flats).

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

For example, the constant noise from the O2 crowds, the safety concerns under the bridge at night, and how inconvenient it is to live without a nearby decent-sized grocery store. I also didn’t realise how difficult parking and building access would be, or how often the lifts would be out of service. And most importantly, I wish I had known how unhelpful and rude the property management team could be — something you would never notice from a short tour. These are things you only experience after moving in, but they make a big difference in everyday life. If you’re considering living here, I’d recommend paying attention to the practicalities and speaking with current residents before making a decision.

What is the best feature of your home:

The best feature is the river view from the apartment, but that comes at a cost, as described above — including safety issues, noise issues, parking problems, and their signature terrible property management team.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Area is nice with Greenwich and deptford providing very different and great London experiences. Greenwich obviously beautiful and green, with it's charming old market and park. Deptford high street has soul, with an eclectic range of Carribbean, Asian, Italian restaurants which are five stars. Very trendy and unique bars as well. Being so close to the river is very special, you get away from the traffic and have panoramic views of London and can enjoy a charming side of Greenwich with a riverside walk. The slight negative is the street on the weekends, without parking rules it's chaos with people parking on the road and it's already tight and busy which makes for a frustrating and stressful experience at times on the weekend.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

There is an app where we can ask questions and request for maintenance or anything and it's usually resolved that week. But there hasn't been many issues in our 18months here.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Perhaps that I could secure three years here and freeze the rent. Doing that now.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

I personally find Greenwich area very comfortable to live in. The close vicinity of the park, riverside, the historic centre, shops, restaurants and cinema is definitely a big asset. Transport links are excellent too. There is a choice of National Rail (Greenwich and Deptford rail stations are both some 10 minutes walk away), the DLR and buses. As someone commuting to central London daily I find it very convenient to have a variety of options. Transport links to the main London airports and railway stations are also very decent, with trains to Luton Airport directly from Greenwich/Deptford and London City Airport reachable by DLR or a bus. In terms of grocery stores Waitrose is the largest supermarket in the area, while smaller TESCO, Sainsbury and M&S are a short walking distance away too. There is a good selection of local shops including a butcher, fishmonger and cheesemonger along Royal Hill street. Significantly larger superstores including Sainsbury and ASDA as well as Lidl and Aldi at Greenwich Shopping Park can be easily reached by train or by bus too. So is IKEA and other large homeware stores. I wouldn't say traffic is particularly heavy in the area, but can get busy during rush hours. There are some parking spaces available around the building, including at Union Wharf itself or near the Cutty Sark. In terms of safety, I think it is very hard to judge, as incidents can happen literally everywhere these days. I'd say the area is rather safe. One thing I will say for sure is that Union Wharf is a very secure place to live in, which was one of my top priorities when moving in a few years ago. I'm pleased to say I continue to feel very safe here :)

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

I've never really had major issues, but for some minor requests I reported I've received a reply within the same working day, and the matter was dealt with very promptly afterwards. I've never felt left waiting uninformed or needing to send reminders.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I had known how wonderful it is to live in a building with so many dog owners. As a dog lover who cannot have a dog at present, frequent interactions with fluffy residents make my day everyday. There are plenty of opportunities to petsit too! For those sceptical about having dogs around I can assure you the vast majority of owners are very responsible and their dogs well behaved.