A London Landmark Is Turning Into 975-Year Lease Homes — And The Entry Price May Surprise Singapore Buyers

If you have always dreamed of owning a home in the UK at an iconic development, especially one with a storied history in broadcast entertainment, where productions such as Doctor Who, Fawlty Towers, and Top of the Pops were made, Scenery House at the Television Centre is a unique opportunity to make that dream a reality.

Situated in White City, an affluent neighbourhood in West London, the iconic Television Centre was the headquarters of BBC Television from 1960 to 2013, and it was one of the world’s first purpose-built television production centres.

Originally designed by Graham Dawbarn, Television Centre features a central circular ring, informally known as the doughnut (officially, the Main Block), while Scenery House occupies what was formerly the Scenery Block, which used to house the television studios’ design teams.

The entire 14-acre site was acquired by UK developer Stanhope, in partnership with Japanese real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan and Canadian public fund manager Alberta Investment Management Corp (AIMCo) for £200 million (today, $345.47 million) in July 2012.

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), the fourth largest architectural practice in the UK, was appointed to reinvent the site through a site-wide master plan and preserve Television Centre’s historical and architectural significance.

The first sales phase launched in 2015, and this year, the final phase marks the debut of Scenery House, a new 163-unit modern mansion block that comprises one- to three-bedroom apartments, penthouses, and premium residences, with prices starting from £775,000 ($1.35 million). The project is marketed by Savills and Knight Frank in Singapore.

A district with historical significance and proximity to prime Central London

While White City is a bustling district best known for Westfield London, Europe’s largest shopping mall since 2018, the area’s cultural heritage extends more than a century, when it formed the backdrop of the 1908 Summer Olympics and the Franco-British Exhibition.

The cross-border exhibition celebrated strong diplomatic ties between England and France, and featured 20 large, ornate buildings that were either clad in marble or painted white, which is where the district got its name.

White City’s role in the 1908 Olympics also initiated the marathon distance as we know it today – 42.195km marked the exact distance from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, a move to accommodate the British Royal family. This made the marathon a tad longer than the approximately 40km length told in the historic Battle of Marathon in ancient Greece in 490BC.

The district in West London is also close to Notting Hill and Holland Park, residential zones widely regarded as prime Central London, which see the priciest homes in London. As home prices continue to rise across Central London, homes on its periphery, like White City, may stand to gain as buyers desire the accessibility to these prime areas and the close association with them.

In 2009, the Main Block of Television Centre and other sections of the complex, including the former Scenery Block, were accorded Grade II listed status. This conservation status identifies a UK building or structure of ‘special interest’ and warrants every effort to preserve it.

Easy accessibility to Central London and greenery

Scenery House is located in Zone 2, an inner-ring transport zone in London, and the district is close to two London Underground stations – Wood Lane on the Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines and White City on the Central Line.

The Mildmay Line, which some may say is less popular than the other two lines, is also reachable within a 9-minute walk to Shepherd’s Bush station, providing a gateway to Gatwick Airport. Wood Lane station takes you to Paddington station, where you can hop onto the Heathrow Express to arrive at Heathrow Airport.

Other stations along the Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines include King’s Cross St Pancras, where you can transfer to the Eurostar for services to Paris, Amsterdam, or Brussels. You could also reach the major business hubs of Moorgate / Liverpool Street / Aldgate in around 25 minutes, which is a hub for major finance, legal and corporate firms.

Meanwhile, White City on the Central line takes you to Holland Park in four minutes, Notting Hill Gate in six minutes and Bond Street / Oxford Circus in 13 minutes.

Bond Street and Oxford Circus are synonymous with luxury retail, with global brands such as Chanel and Dior alongside high-street giants Selfridges, Primark and Nike. Notting Hill has more bohemian vibes and is home to the Portobello Road Market, where you can find second-hand clothes and antiques.

On the other hand, the 2.3 million sq ft of leafy grounds and Japanese-inspired Kyoto Gardens characterise Holland Park. But White City has its own pocket of greenery with Hammersmith Park just across Scenery House, on the site occupied by the Japanese Garden during the Japan-British Exhibition in 1910.

An £8 billion masterplan and Europe’s largest shopping mall

Scenery House at Television Centre is part of an £8 billion masterplan to build about 6,000 new homes, introduce close to 2.2 million sq ft of new office space, and support the creation of 20,000 new jobs in White City.

First envisioned as the White City Opportunity Area by the Mayor of London back in 2004, the area is expected to be a hub for creative, media and entertainment industries as well as bio-tech and high-tech startups.

Other developments are also taking place in the vicinity, such as the nearby White City Living by Berkeley Group, another major UK developer and an FTSE 100 company. That project will yield about 2,300 new apartments and 60,000 sq ft of commercial space.

Given BBC Television Centre’s longstanding presence and Imperial College’s new White City Campus Masterplan, it is no surprise that companies in the media industry and technology firms feature high on White City’s upcoming development plans.

Companies such as Novartis, L’Oreal and Publicis Media base their UK headquarters in White City, while ITV, The White Company, Net-a-Porter, Soho House and the Royal College of Art similarly have a presence here.

Imperial College is expected to start construction on a new AI-focused campus in 2026, and this is expected to be completed in 2029. Today, Imperial College’s White City Campus is home to the Molecular Sciences Research Hub and the School of Public Health. The Hammersmith Hospital Campus for their medical students is a 20-minute walk from Television Centre, and there are shuttle bus routes between their main South Kensington Campus and White City. 

The White City district is also where Westfield London is located, and it is the largest shopping centre in Europe at 2.6 million sq ft and over 350 shops. The retail mix includes high-end boutiques such as Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co, to fast fashion brands such as H&M, Uniqlo and Zara. The food hall also comprises more than 90 F&B outlets.

Units from less than £1 million

Scenery House features 163 residential units across an eight-storey crescent-shaped block that face private courtyard gardens.

Other residential sections in Television Centre include 17 townhouses at the adjacent Forbes Gardens; 167 apartments at The Ariel, a new 23-storey residential tower; and 162 apartments and a 47-room hotel at The Helios, a section of the Main Block.

Each of these collections offers a different vibe, with Scenery House featuring more of a low-rise, apartment feel compared to The Ariel, which is relatively high-rise and has a unit mix that comprises studios and two-bedroom, one-bath units.

There are one- to three-bedroom units at Scenery House, which range from 540 to 2,258 sq ft. The unit showcases a terrazzo tiled bathroom vanity, Silestone countertops and interiors by MSMR Architects, with styling by interior designer Tatjana von Stein.

One-bedroom and two-bedroom units make up the majority of the development, accounting for 32% and 39% of the total units, respectively.

One-bedroom units are priced from £775,000 ($1.35 million), while the two-bedroom units range from £1.05 million to £1.44 million. Meanwhile, three-bedroom units are on the market from £1.6 million to £1.84 million.

Premium furnishings come standard for all units, with Italian kitchen appliances from Molteni&C Dada, a brand rarely seen in Singapore, and occasionally found only in some of the most exclusive homes in Singapore, including Park Nova in Orchard.

Other furnishings include Italian-made bedroom wardrobes, Siemens and AEG home appliances, a Lutron smart lighting system, and engineered timber flooring throughout the common areas.

Available to all residents across Television Centre, including The Helios and The Ariel, are private residential amenities that are dispersed across the development. According to the developer, this is to foster a stronger sense of connectivity and community among residents.

Some of the resident services include a 24/7 concierge, estate-wide security, and a residents’ gym managed by Soho House, an international private members’ club whose member profiles include figures in the media, arts, and fashion industries. The gym, located at The Helios, is 25,000 sq ft and features a 17m swimming pool, a Turkish bath (hammam) with sauna and steam rooms.

Within Scenery House, there is a Residents’ sun lounge, courtyard gardens, and a private cinema with a mini stage that can be used to host a kids’ party. Meanwhile, a co-working space, wellness lounge, yoga/pilates studios, bar lounge, and a private dining and meeting room are situated in The Ariel next door.

An evolution in priorities and trends among foreign buyers of UK properties

Lately, the buying needs and priorities among foreign buyers, including Singaporeans, for UK properties have shifted, says Otto Twist, Southeast Asia director of International Residential Sales at Savills.

“Based on our interactions with potential buyers and investors, we see a growing number of buyers move away from lower-value investment-grade stock to options within central London or its fringes,” he says. Many are still purchasing units in London in anticipation of their children studying in cities such as London, Manchester and Leeds, or as holiday homes.

He adds that among Singapore-based buyers, there is a greater demand and buying interest in two-bedroom units rather than smaller-sized one-bedders. This shift in demand preference reflects the greater versatility that two-bedroom units offer in terms of living space and rental options.

And this is a buying trend that is broadly reflected across most foreign buyers purchasing homes in London and the UK. This has contributed to an increase in the average price of this unit type in central London to about £1 million.

In particular, the residential market in Manchester has been flagged as a high-growth potential city, says Twist. This comes as the Greater Manchester area leaps ahead as the UK’s fastest-growing city region. 

As a growing number of foreign buyers purchase homes in the UK for their own use, the quality of developments has become an even more important factor in their consideration.

Singapore-based buyers are likely to be familiar with Mitsui Fudosan, one of the joint-venture partners in the development of Television Centre. Its Asia business arm recently partnered with City Developments (CDL) to launch Zyon Grand last October.

The Japanese developer entered the UK market in 1989 with the acquisition of 20 Old Bailey, a 240,000 sq ft office development next to The Central Criminal Court. Mitsui Fudosan also holds a 15% stake in Stanhope, the development manager of Television Centre. Both companies have partnered on several UK projects, including 5 Hanover Square, White City Place and the ambitious £1.1billion British Library Extension.

Writer’s commentary from Matthew, contributing writer

For several years, new residential development in London hasn’t been able to keep pace with the large appetite for homes in the capital city. This is especially the case in Zone 1, often categorised as prime Central London.

But the introduction of Scenery House, and the broader rejuvenation of Television Centre, is a much-needed injection of supply, andis likely to appeal to buyers who are looking for a high-quality development with equal amounts of convenience without the high price tag.

In my view, purchasing a unit here, either as a home or an investment, is a rare opportunity to own a home in London with a very storied past, especially one that has a strong conservation status.

With plans for the White City Opportunity Area ongoing, which look set to introduce more jobs and homes to the area, Scenery House represents an “old meets new” concept – juxtaposed against Westfield London, Europe’s largest shopping centre and nature at Hammersmith Park.

Most Singaporean buyers looking for property in London tend to do so because they hope to send their children there to study. Scenery House’s proximity to the Royal College of Art, or the prestigious Imperial College London, with its new White City Campus located a 10-minute walk away, should help it catch buyers’ attention.

White City’s profile as a hub for media, fashion and technology – and the clusters of multi-national corporations there like BBC, ITV, L’Oréal and Novartis – also positions the district as a desirable locale.

While all of these attributes are likely to sway a good number of potential buyers, it is perhaps the romanticism and nostalgia of both Scenery House and Television Centre that will pique the interest of many owners.

Just as future homes will eventually break ground at the former Caldecott Broadcast Centre site in Singapore, the rejuvenated Television Centre in London honours British creative legacy while shaping a future-forward neighbourhood.