A chance architectural enquiry, a delayed-completion purchase and two very different planning strategies ultimately led Ben Richards at XP Property to create Maple Rise, a nine-apartment development in Muswell Hill, North London.

The project was more than just a renovation however, it also involved a substantial basement excavation, planning compromises, construction delays and the challenge of bringing homes to market in a difficult London sales environment.

I spoke to Ben about the journey from first seeing the site to delivering the finished scheme, a selection of nine luxury apartments consisting of five one-beds, two two-beds, and two three-beds.

Firstly, I asked Ben, for anyone unfamiliar with the Maple Rise development, what was it originally and what did he create?

“So, Maple Rise used to be a large pair of semi-detached properties, an eight bedroom and a 10-bedroom HMO. It’d been used for care home use, asylum seekers, all sorts of different uses historically, but largely when we bought it the property had few tenants and was in need of refurbishment.”

So how did an architectural enquiry turn into an opportunity to buy and develop the site?

“I run an architectural practice called Aura Architecture and Interiors, and I was actually visiting this property and visiting this client – the seller owned this property – to work with him from an architectural perspective. I was introduced by a friend. They said that he’s looking to do some work. 

“What transpired was that he didn’t really want to go through the rigmarole himself of going through planning. He wanted to move to Malaysia with his partner. And this opened an opportunity for me with my XP Property developer hat on to say; ‘I’m interested in buying this. We’re happy to take this through planning. That’s our speciality. Can we discuss buying it from you?’