Great building – it looks old compared to the new PRS stuff being developed, but it’s the ‘nicest’ place to live on the dock because of who lives here/ the team who work here. There are a great mix of people living here from owner occupiers (many of whom are retired – and whom I feel really sorry for giving the steady decline of the dock), to long term private tenants, many of whom are young professionals but also many middled aged people.
The car parking facilities are great – which is unusual for town.
The concierge team really help create a community spirit here as well – and they look out for everyone and take huge pride in their job. That really makes a difference and I can’t praise them enough. Every single one of them is an asset.
Now there’s a new building management team in place, they are upgrading the communal areas (which was looking tatty)/ cladding etc… and the windows seem to be cleaned more often!
In terms of the building design – I wish more had been made use of the space between the two towers – like a communal outdoor space, for example.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
I’ve lived here for a number of years – up until fairly recently it’s always been a place with young professionals in mind/ young families etc… I like the fact that it has always been fairly quiet. In town, great location, great high-rise apartments (if that’s your thing!), but still away from the hustle and bustle. The water has always been a lovely calming backdrop, the dock itself – with the bridge over it, is gorgeous. Watching the kayakers etc… has always been lovely. Even the cobbles (now tarmacked over) was lovely.
I am unhappy that as more developments are built on Princes Dock, there is less and less outside space – particularly as every available space now appears to be tarmacked over or a high-rise is being built on it. I love the high-rise buildings, but there is an abundance of them on every conceivable space. I wish there were more green spaces – particularly as most people do not have balconies. As it stands, we have three wooden recliners on a small triangle of grass to use (near Bean coffee shop). I do appreciate real estate space is a premium in this area, but the concrete jungle just detracts from the area as a long term living solution. I really feel as though if the development of the dock had been planned better, a really lovely community space could have been created.
I like the fact that Bean coffee is on the dock, but I wish there was a decent gym, a chain supermarket – like a Sainsbury’s Local, and more ‘shops’ aimed at young professionals – eg bakery/ artisan stuff/ dry cleaners.
The constant building work all day every day, is contributing significantly to a deterioration in my living quality – particularly as we are now working from home all day every day.
As more is being made of this area generally, I have noticed there is a lot more noise and antisocial behaviour at night/ at weekends – kids on bikes etc…
Money should be spent on lighting the road behind my development as this is the main route into the business district, and is scary walk alone alone at night (eg back from work/ the gym) and developing a proper pedestrian crossing over the main dual carriageway on to Brook Street, so the business district can be accessed safely.
The development of Princes Dock itself just makes no sense – why place ugly office buildings and tarmacked single storey car parks on prime real estate neighbouring the waterfront (which arguably should have been reserved for residential blocks)? … then why place 40 storey buildings next to 13 storey buildings which is in turn next to an ugly multi-storey car park?!. It looks odd and a holistic long term approach has quite obviously not been taken by the city’s planners. I look back and think so many wrong decisions have been made over the past 20 years or so from a planning perspective – what a waste of an opportunity to create something really special.
Most of the new builds being developed at the moment (Mode, the Regenda scheme, the Your Housing scheme) seem to be PRS developments, which means they will by nature attract people who will stay temporarily before moving on. Communities are not built on people moving in and out, and not owning their own homes. I think that’s quite disappointing, as a community really could have been built here with the right mix of buildings, outdoor space and amenities.
Transport links – closest train station is moorfields, which is fine but the old hall street entrance is closed on weekends, which is disappointing when so many people are now living over this side of town, and like to get out of town on weekends.
There is a general feeling that over the past year or so there has been a shift downwards in quality of life/ how nice the area is to live in and this is a combination of building work/ noise, lack of outside space, the general feeling of the future of the dock looking particularly crowded/ a lack of amenities and just general noise nuisance and anti social behaviour from kids outside, who don’t live around here. I will be moving on within the year I would imagine., but it has been a lovely place to live albeit steadily declining.
I anticipate that because of the the expected density once all available space is developed, combined with the lack of outdoor space, the PRS nature of most of the apartments here (and so the transient nature of people living here),, and the general trend of increased anti social behaviour in the area – the quality of tenants/ life will deteriorate quite substantially over the next decade.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The noise levels with so much development going on – 6 days a week of 8am starts. It can get to you after a while!
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
My landlord (third party owner) is fairly unresponsive to repairs and upgrades. My apartment would be looking very tatty (originally built in 2006) if I hadn’t maintained it how I have. Things break due to being old (eg extractor fan system in apartment), and aren’t fixed etc… because landlord doesn’t want to incur the capital expenditure.
The onsite management team (concierge) are fantastic, as said before. They all excel at their job and take great pride in it and really make this a great place to live. The Building management company, who are new, are really now starting to improve the building and renew/ repair things that were looking more than tatty…
