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Embassy Gardens is a mixed-use EcoWorld and Ballymore development, featuring luxury apartments and commercial units and designed by HAL Architects and Sir Terry Farrell CBE. It’s got a prime setting in the waterfront Nine Elms district, close to the River Thames and the US Embassy. In addition, the site is walkable from Vauxhall, Battersea and the in-construction Nine Elms stations. Likewise, it is close to the Southbank Centre and London Bridge.
Reviews
Write a ReviewUpload PhotosGreat development in London’s new prime spot
Two pools (incl. a floating sky pool), two gyms, a cinema, study rooms, 24 hours concierge, valet parking, bike storage and more. Is there anything else you need? Unfortunately most has been closed last year because of COVID however that’s out of Ballymore’s control. The property is cleaned regularly and the staff very friendly.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
First class development in an area that’s becoming more and more lively
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Communication could be better at times. There is often unannounced construction work going on and changes to the development come out of the blue (eg building a children’s playground in front of the apartements)
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Usually quite responsive team and most issues have been resolved swiftly
Manager Response
Dear Lauren
Thank you very much for such positive feedback, we are always striving to exceed expectations and will continue to do so.
We are excited to hear your feedback once the Sky Pool opens.
If you do have any areas of feedback please feel free to contact me.
Thank you again for sharing your experience.
Best regards,
Darryn Johnson
Residential Service Manager
Good place to live, a touch expensive!
Building well-maintained and the facilities are generally excellent. Sky Pool is obviously a landmark attraction but obviously weather-dependent. Gym in Legacy Building is good, but a shame that there isn’t an indoor pool without having to walk to the other end of the complex.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Development is nice and set back from the road so there is minimal traffic noise, but that means it’s closer to the overground trains. Good transport links and well-run complex.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Council tax is nice and low. Facilities great, staff extremely helpful.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
No issues, everything I have asked for has been no problem.
Manager Response
Dear Rob,
Thank you for taking the time to post a review on Homeviews.
It is great to hear that you are happy living here as part of our Embassy Gardens community.
We appreciate your comments and feedback.
Best regards,
It’s not all gold that shines: be prepared to be ripped off
Good points: not in congestion charge zone but still relatively easy to access central London, it has a nice feel when you walk in, a nice design, even though the build is very cheap and not durable in many places, the surrounding area is starting to become really nice (it was awful / nothing before). The facilities are as you would expect for a building of current age but many things sadly let it down: the bin store is a huge mess, stinks, people leave rubbish outside, it is really badly managed and I do not understand why they did not build a bin shoot instead. Every other modern of high standard has this. Why Ballymore decided not to do this is beyond me. The facilities are good but the charges are horrendous. They keep increasing yet the staff pay (so I found out) is not increasing and in fact staff cuts have taken place in my time here ie having a negative effect on the service provided to me. The worst point however is the management. It took several months for facilities to even get back to me about an issue in the apartment. Generally I never know who is responsible for what. The communication is non-existent or not very transparent. The bookings for the facilities has become totally onerous and complicated. If you have any sort of issue you get passed from one person to the next but nothing happens, no one feels responsible. This guy is supposed to manage things but he doesn’t. I don’t understand why he is still employed or what he even does. There are so many little things that make me uncomfortable and considering the amount of money I pay I really don’t feel welcome or treated very nicely. Last but not least: be prepared to be ripped off wherever possible. They lure you in with all the nice things, free coffee in the facilities etc. Suddenly the increase your annual fees, make you pay for the coffee, make you pay for the towels in the pool (no it is not legal to bring your own because then they cannot charge you), pay for your inductions, have a reduced service for the parcel service and so on and so on.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The Not in the congestion charging zone, still easy to access central London. The area is nice, it has nice shops without being too crowded (although I fear this may change) it’s currently nice and quiet (except for the building sites everywhere).
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Oh so many to list. I wish I had known about being ripped off, having to pay for every little bit which I was previously told was free. Also the booking system for all the facilities is very inefficient at the moment. You have some people that would like to use a certain facility more and others less but they cannot because the number of bookings is restricted and yet I witness exactly those facilities empty a lot of the time.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Really poorly, see above. The building management is the weak point. Khalid and some of the other staff are nice but sadly there are too many which do not understand that their customers are paying a premium for their services and are providing below average service.
The concierge is very helpful with what ever we need, though complaints never seem to go anywhere when there is an issue within the building.
The development is very modern, with all
The amenities you would expect. Though Legacy building in which I live, has a much smaller gym than capital building, though we do have the newly built sky pool (which we can only use 6 times per month and we get charged £25 to bring a guest). Towels also must be rented or to buy a towel from embassy gardens for use at the sky pool only.
The lifts are constantly not working, either it’s one lift for the whole of legacy building was or 0.. and taking the stairs up and down 13 floors is killer.
The concierge is very helpful with what ever we need, though complaints never seem to go anywhere when there is an issue within the building.
A major disappointing issue which recently arose was the water bill. Who ever installed our water services in the apartment had not installed correctly, and the reader was not providing the water company with the current usage. So 2 weeks ago we received a bill of £900 for over the past 2 years of non recorded water. The building management should check each apartment because this was ridiculous.
Also buildings service fee is £6000 per year.. which is very much extortion, especially after paying 1.7m for an apartment. This only covers gym, concierge and building maintenance.. with 1000s of residents I’m not sure how it comes to £6000
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
2 local supermarket Waitrose and Sainsbury’s local. A few bars, my favourite being the alchemist which has the best cocktails in London. Once the development is complete there will be a lot more open space, as of current, there isn’t much of it! As for transport, the nine elms station will soon be open this autumn, otherwise there are a few bus stops in the area and the nearest tube is 15 min walk
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The service fee – especially paying the same amount during covid when less amenities/staff were in use.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
After the 2 years aftercare they refuse to fix anything.
Good place to live on paper, not so good in practice
Facilities really great on paper and probably unmatched anywhere else. But in reality, the cinema and lounge is fully booked for months and impossible to get a slot. The gym is completely full most of the time that’s not 2PM on a sunny saturday. Never a lounger in the pool. Concierge are always massively understaffed and hard to get a response (individually, some of the are clearly working hard and very friendly), posts goes missing. The quality of the apartments are really poor overall.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
As it’s a development in an up and coming area, not too much shops, bars around, but that will improve with time. Local area is clean. Could do with a crossing next to waitrose as there is heavy traffic there.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
How easy it was to use facilities and their capacity
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Very lucky to get a response, some staff are good, others not so
Good place to live!
The building looks sleek and stylish, with lots of nice facilites such as the Sky pool, Gym and Lounge areas. It is cleaned and looked after well. Some aspect could do with new items. Building management experience is dependent on who deals with you. I have had good experiences and most staff are very kind and welcoming.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Only choice of shop is Waitrose, would be nice to see an idependent shop/bakery in the Square. Suprised to see empty lots at the bottom of buildings and no tenants. Quite a lot of traffic noise with loud cars late at night. Location is handy, but just that few mins too far from the tube.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The time is takes to process parcels. Amazon Prime may deliver it next day, but it may not be ready for collection then.
The app could also use a better interface/be more user friendly.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
I have not had anuly management issues whilst I have lived here.
Ambassador- great
The development has really improved recently with the addition of new restaurants and bars. It really adds a community feel and makes it feel like more of a campus than just an apartment block. Also the new pool looks really good. There are sometimes issues with management and things taking a while to get fixed in communal areas
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
There’s a lot of building work going on which isn’t ideal but it’s a great location and has easy transport links
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I wish I had known about the new pool as that’s really cool
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
I would probably choose a better view and maybe get one on the river instead
Embassy Gardens AVOID
Facilities are dating and need improvement and fixing. Residents are not really involved in development mostly ignored.
Property management extremely poor.
Building management very poor.
Design and build of flat very poor not enough sound proofing. Things damage and break very easily.
The management are awful when you want something they are extremely unhelpful but when they need something from you they hound you. Have felt unsafe on many occasions due to illegal activities of residents and called management and was always ignored. I had to take matters into my own hands. This is shocking given the fact that this is luxury housing.
Cladding is same as Grenfell Tower – not safe – balcony’s are made of wood.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Parking for guests – very poor and non existent.
Intrusive amount of noise from construction day and night.
Transport links are ok but could be better.
Constant traffic due to the mass amount of new developments. Road layout made traffic worse.
Constant anti-social behaviour and illegal activities e.g. drug use from residents which is ignored by management and staff.
Residents trashing areas – scratched lifts, broken lift buttons, smoking in hallways…
Staff turn a blind eye and when residents complain they don’t take things further to help those affected by these anti-social behaviours.
Staff and residents do not respect social distancing and do not wear masks – COVID not taken seriously whatsoever throughout pandemic. Large gatherings and parties have been facilitated throughout and staff turn a blind eye even when this is clearly illegal.
The construction of the flat is poor not worth the money.
Many inconsiderate residents.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
How much embassy gardens would change. Have lived there since the opening of the building.
The management are awful when you want something they are extremely unhelpful but when they need something from you they hound you.
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
EVERYTHING. I am moving due to negligence and no peaceful enjoyment.
Great vision but poor management
Facilities are great and luxurious and (most) concierge staff is very friendly. However, management of facilities and property management is poor. The facility booking system is not working properly and especially the gyms are not utilized as it is advertised. Very few classes with only a handful of trainers willing to teach (shout out to them!) and one gym is not utilized due to unpractical equipment.
Anticipated skypool is a Ballymore marketing pawn and residents are only allowed limited access.
Biggest issue is residential services who are not helpful at all and not capable for the job. Basic services need improvement (esp. window cleaning which in our case has never happened in the past 2 years) with Ballymore aftercare not much better, taking months to arrange a contractor visit to fix basic issues.
Updating the management of the various residential services (main manager, gym / leisure facilities, property maintenance etc) can really make a difference and would tremendously increase residents’ happiness!
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Nine elms is going through a massive transition. Currently surrounded by building sites but expect this to be much nicer in a few years time. Location is good which quick access to Pimlico and Chelsea and an initial set of fun restaurants and bars has opened.
However, residents are not kept up to date on changes to the area and a noisy playground was installed in front of Legacy Building which is heavily affecting residents who, due to poor sound isolation, hear children (and young adults) screaming all day and night.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
There are affordable housing units in the development, be aware of their location
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
Properly working heating / cooling, noise cancellation, closed off balcony floors, linear park development plans (i.e. children’s playground)
Recommend to live
The design of the development is very modern unlike traditional English design. The range of facilities is fascinating, anything from cinema up to outside jacuzzi. Building management is always happy to help and attentive to your requests. Property management would differ from agency to agency, but more likely it will be good.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The area is developing rapidly. The more I live here the more bars, restaurants and other entertainment places there are.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The tube station is a little bit of a walk from here, and it tends to be windy for most of the times.
What is the best feature of your home:
The apartment is brand new, no one has lived here before. It’s relatively high floor plus the furniture is nice.
Manager Response
Dear Ilya,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on living at Embassy Garden, it is great to read that you love living here and that the Gym, Cinema and management are great.
Thank you again for your review and we look forward to seeing you around Embassy Gardens.
Best regards
Darryn
Legacy building occupier
High quality buildings and facilities
The concierge service is great and adds to the quality look and feel
The only shame is the new children play area at the front of the Legacy buildings which make the area noisy and take away the calm environment that people are paying a lot of money for
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
A calm sanctuary in the busy Nine Elms. Very high quality real estate that will come into its own when the sky pool opens.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Works at the modern
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
Calmer lighting option as the LED are bright and particularly in the bathrooms
Resident photos
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