Taylor Wimpey is to display a house for dolls, rather than people. The tiny five-floor terrace was glued together by Harry Potter set designer John Payne to help sell an oven-ready development in Ladbroke Grove, now owned by the giant housebuilder.
The 16 homes in Argyll Place will cost between £1.3 million and £3.8 million when finished at the end of next year. Not your usual Taylor Wimpey homes.
Nor is the firm’s central London MD your usual beery builder: Ingrid Skinner is a slight 35-year-old Oxford graduate given the task in 2010 to penetrate the central London market. Seven sites with space for 200 units were under her belt two weeks ago. Last Friday, a joint venture was signed with Workspace for a two-acre development in Ladbroke Grove. Taylor Wimpey will build the 135 flats. “Our interest lies in mid-market developments,” says Skinner, who has just bought an office block in Westminster to convert into 25 flats. “We are looking in established areas, where there is not too much new build. We are looking to grow, but grow sensibly.” Makes a change.
