Category Scores
Harbour Central is an impressive new-build development featuring five residential buildings and a leisure complex. There are 642 private apartments here, with studio, one, two and three-beds layouts available, along with eight penthouse apartments. Situated in the centre of West India Docks, the site is less than a 10-minute walk from the heart of Canary Wharf.
Featured Developments
Harbour Central, E14 Reviews
Write a Review Upload PhotosBeautiful flats – horrendous management
beautiful flats, nice neighbours – AWFUL management.
As nice as the flats are, do your research before buying or renting here.
The flats are advertised (on the official Galliard website as well as by various property agents) with “Gym, residents lounge, spa, champagne bar…”. Well, first none of these were open during covid times, despite other developments in their area allowing their gym etc to be open for usage by single households. Second, there is no spa. There is no champagne bar. And the gym costs you 40£ a month and doesn’t even have mirrors.
Once you get over the missing facilities you realise you’ll have to pay at least 40£/month “standing charge” to SSE for your heating and cooling, whether you use it or not. Someone at SSE and Galliard is getting rich while you pay for absolutely nothing. There’s also nothing you can do and you can’t switch provider.. great, eh? And you’re lucky if your electricity meter is wired up correctly and you actually pay your own bill.
Then you think “Ok, whatever, don’t care about the bills, at least there is a concierge”. Sorry to disappoint but the concierge does as good as nothing. Your parcels are delivered to a “safe storage place” whether you’re home or not. So no matter what you order, food or large deliveries, it will end up in the basement storage. And you can call yourself lucky if your delivery driver notifies this “smart” system so you know it arrived. Otherwise you can go downstairs, request a code and then walk around in the garage for 5min to get reception to receive your code before you can go and search for your parcel. When you leave this “safe” room, the door doesn’t fully close so anyone after you doesn’t even need a code to get in.
Oh, and if you now think at least you can sit in a beautiful flat and admire the view, you thought wrong. The windows get cleaned less than once a year and one of our windows hasn’t been cleaned since we moved in last year. Also, on windy days your whole flat will whistle like you live in a teapot… to quote the Galliard engineer: “This just happens when living in a high rise building”. Well, thank you.
All in all, really beautiful flats but I would not recommend renting here if I had other choices in the area.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The building is in a nice area, close to CW mall with secure underground parking and easy access to public transport. Lots of restaurants and bars nearby.
There’s some wanna-be gangsters who drive with their cars at night and rev the engine but I guess you get that everywhere in London.. also lots of weed smell everywhere.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I wish I knew about the standing charges, nobody told us and the landlords didn’t know either. Now we are all trapped in contracts with outrageous charges that we can’t get away from.
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
Get away from Galliard and SSE, then change the Management altogether.
Overall a great apartment
Moved in during Covid but it’s been frustrating not having access to communal facilities during much of this time.
Overall the standard of build has provided a good finish and all maintenance / remedial work has been promptly addressed.
Unfortunately my biggest bug beat has been that my windows have not been cleaned once since I moved in 14 months ago – in my view this should have happened at least twice a year! Doesn’t seem too much to ask when you consider how high the monthly service charge is.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Excellent location and close to tube station & DLR – sound insulation & finish of apartments is high
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Crystal ball to say when Elizabeth line would be ready!
More transparency regarding surrounding new build development by Ballymore
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
Window cleaning far too long over due and should’ve been addressed by now to all apartments
Great location and design but it stops there
The facilities promised when moving in (gym, bar) were not delivered. When using the cinema room, not allowed to leave the remote in the room so it is quite inconvenient and has put me off using it. Property management did an abysmal job at negotiating a building wide energy contract, so all residents are stuck with paying way above average prices for energy.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Great transport links with plenty of ways to get places and in a short amount of time. Nearby shops also make it extremely convenient. Only thing is lack of available parking for guests.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The true facilities available in addition to the very high energy bills negotiated by the propertt management
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Building management respond well to any issues in communal areas, e.g. with leaks in rise cupboards.
Good Building, but too expensive, no value for money and bad management.
The development is good quality, however the management itself has plenty of issues and it is worst every day. Some time elevators are not working and for a building like this that is really inconvenient. Bins are only on the basement, not in each floor, so you need to go all the floors down every time. The social areas are good but also highly restricted by the management. Gym was promised as part of the building but during pandemic Developers decided to give it away to a 3rd party and charge the residents of the building. Cooling and Heating have expensive standing charges that were never disclosed by Landlords or Agents. These are just some of the issues, but in general lot of current tenants are moving away of the development for these and other issues.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The area around development is very good, transport links at minutes walking with 20 mins directly into centre London. Shops and Restaurants are also close and all are really good places and brands. Grocery stores are also really close.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Real cost of the bills, the fact that Gym was not really included on my service.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
They try to ping-pong the issues with the developer or the agency or someone else, and haven’t take actual actions.
Nice flats, average building
The flats in Maine Tower are very well designed, they all come with a terrace and balcony. I really enjoy living in my current flat.
However, the building is not up the standard set by other developments in Canary Wharf. Due to COVID-19, some of the features promised in the brochure (e.g. champagne bar) have never been completed. The gym in the building is nothing like the gym in the brochure, and it has been contracted to an external partner, which means that tenants need to pay £50 for the gym. I believe these elements will be very detrimental for the building going forward, with more luxurious developments coming in the market.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The development is based in South Quay, a residential area very close to Canary Wharf (5 minutes walk). The transport links are excellent, and there are plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. There is a nice walk across the docks which is safe and lovely in summer.
Anti-social behaviour is an issue on the Isle of Dogs; petty crime and stabbings seem to be pretty frequent, not too far away from the development. I limit my walks to South Quay/Canary Wharf area. Greenwich Park is very near (few tube stops).
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
– Price of bills: Some bills (SSE) including a standing charge of £40 (excluding consumption)
– Gym NOT included in the rent
What is the best feature of your home:
Big Terrace for a studio flat, big bathroom/bathtub, storing space
Maine Tower – Excellent High Rise Living
I rent a flat in Maine Tower. It is an excellent location with South Quay DLR nearby and Canary Wharf in walking distance. My 2 bedroom flat is excellently sized and furnished to a high quality. The design is good but a bit unimaginative like most modern developments. The building management and amenities are excellent. It would be even better if it had a pool and a free gym but the concierge, games room, cinema and business suites are still excellent. Would highly recommend for anything considering living here.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
I’ve always been a big fan of Canary Wharf. Architecturally it is effectively the same as the Sydney central business district. The convenience of living near both the DLR and Jubilee line is fantastic – giving access to both central and west London, Greenwich, City Airport and Stratford. The area is good in terms of bars, restaurants and cafes. It has come a long way in the last five years towards being more of a residential area and not just a business centre. It is also definitely a lot safer and cleaner than the rest of London due to its demographics.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The level of construction that goes on around Canary Wharf. Surely there needs to come a time when it settles down.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
They have answered all my questions about the amenities and bills. They are also trying to do something about the kids breaking onto skyscraper roofs.
Nice design but poor facilities and property management
Very nice view and very spacious in terms of floor plan design. However it doesn’t include a gym which is a huge disappointment as almost every other development in this area has a gym(some even have a pool). High maintenance floor, extremely easy to scratch(they put a layer of wax on the floor for an illuminating effect but can leave a scratch just by walking on it). Extremely expensive bills, I live in a one-bedroom and the bills are around £150/month. The heating and cooling standing charge is around £45 per month even if no one uses anything. The concierge team has the least amount of effort- they hired external company and built a safe place in the basement and residents have to go to basement to collect their parcels themselves.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
A great location. Walking distance to Waitrose, many nice restaurants, bars, parks etc. Bin in the basement. Construction site outside but the windows are generally noise proof
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Living in high floors in this area can be quite noisy in windy days.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
They fixed the issues very fast. Friendly maintenance team.
Good location but management could be better.
Facilities are an absolute joke. Original marketing materials flaunted a free gym, cocktail bar, library, spa. Needless to say that the gym costs £40 a month and there is nothing to show for the others mentioned.
Property management also been very poor. Bills being the main issue here. All electricity meters are mapped to incorrect apartment, so have endedup paying more than needed due to confusion with supplier. In addition, the mandatory supplier of Heating/cooling is too expensive. This caused many people to relocate.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Large range of shops nearby given close to canary wharf. Huge range of bars, really good night life. No issues with local transport.
Issue is parking. Nowhere to park given streets are always full and nowhere on-site for guests to park for extended periods (even if willing to pay).
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
The price of the bills and the fact that the gym plus other ameneties would not actually happen.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
To be honest in terms of maintenance, responses have been fantastic and very flexible. Complaints are around handling of bills. I have been trying to sort for 1Y and only just getting somewhere
Great Building, Amazing Flats
The external design of the building is great and flat are well-structured with a great balcony facing the canal. Only disappointment comes from the communal areas, given both Games Room and Business Suite are not big enough, and there has been some uncertainty around other amenities in the building. Overall, it’s a great place to live in.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Very good area, well served by shops and pretty close to public transport. Very quiet street and great neighborhood. Plenty of parking availability and top-quality bin collection.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I would have wanted more information regarding the amenities of the building.
What is the best feature of your home:
Modernity of appliances, including top level kitchen supply.
Good building
I’d say that the design in general is pretty cool and I guess it would be an amazing building if not the cheap flat furniture that I had in my flat that I was living in
Apart from that gym was made separately not within the Mainw Tower, in addition, cinema is very good
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Local shops are good around
Transport links a very good
The area in general is amazing, I love it.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I would love to know that I wouldnt have gym and that my utility bills will be so badly high
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
Change the furniture quality, everything is breaking of everyday usage, which shouldn’t be like that
Resident photos
