Living in London, Islington

Properties to rent in Islington are among some of the most popular in Central London, and its easy to see why. Perhaps the biggest draw for the area is its close proximity to the city. Situated just north of the Thames and to the east of Camden town, the London borough is right next to the some of the country’s most popular shops, sights and job opportunities. Islington is serviced by three transport hubs, with underground connections at both the Angel tube station and the Highbury and Islington station. The area is also connected to national rail via connections at both Highbury and the Essex Road railway station.

However, the area has its own charms beyond its centrality and ease of transport. Properties to rent in Islington are among some of London’s more modern examples, as the area has benefited from sustained redevelopment over the past half-a-century. This began just after the Second World War, as bombing destroyed nearly 3,200 dwellings across the borough. This led to the clearance of some of the older examples of terraced housing in the area, and in the 1960′s the remaining Georgian terraces were rehabilitated into fashionable new properties.

Further development came with the completion of the Victoria line and the redevelopment of the Angel Tube station; the new transport services prompted developers to build blocks of smaller flats for a more modern market. These attracted a wave of young professionals to the area, eager to find housing closer to their work in the city centre, and in turn prompted commercial development among the area’s businesses. Today, residents in Islington are in the heart of an area of busy public houses, modern wine bars and trendy shops.

With the variety of property types on offer in Islington, the area remains a popular choice for both families and young professionals. The Georgian terraces offer garden space in one of the more densely populated areas of London, whilst the flats offer an affordable but contemporary style of life for younger professionals. Inspired by its influx of young professionals, Islington is also one of the first areas in the UK to offer free wireless internet. The area’s “technology mile” runs down the length of Holloway Road and Upper Street, situated in the district centre. Anyone within range of the street can use the StreetNet service via their smartphone, PDA or laptop, giving them limited access to the World Wide Web and open use of local news, services and information pages.

Leisure and exercise is also easy to come by in Islington. There are 127 parks, open spaces and playgrounds in the area. The largest, Highbury fields, is almost 30 acres in size and has both an award-winning children’s playground and tennis courts. There are also plenty of leisure facilities throughout the area, thanks to the Aquaterra charity which manages seven centres for the council. Every one of these facilities has been awarded a government Charter Mark for excellent public services.

Activities on offer include fitness classes, saunas, three different swimming pools, indoor football, tennis coaching and several fully-equipped gyms. The Sobell leisure centre even offers ice skating at certain points in the year. Residents who want to make use of these on a regular basis can join the group for a nominal membership cost, which then grants them unlimited free use of many of the area’s facilities, and discounts on many other activities.

However, Islingtons ‘sporting heart’, and it’s most notable attraction, is its football stadium – Arsenal’s home ground, the new Emirates Stadium. This replaced the old Highbury ground in 2006, which is now being redeveloped into property to rent as an apartment complex that will incorporate parts of the East and West stands into its design. The new stadium has a capacity of 60,355 seated spectators, the third highest in the country.

As well as playing host to premier and champions league matches, the stadium has also been a venue for some extremely famous names in music. The first of these was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band in 2008, who played a two day concert in may of that year. In 2009 the emirates stadium was host for Capital FM’s Summertime Ball, with performances from Lionel Ritchie and Leona Lewis.

With a range of attraction options when it comes to renting property, a diverse selection of shops, international cuisine and music clubs, as well as one of the country’s biggest football stations, Islington seems likely to be one of the most popular locations to live in London for years to come.

Reece Stapleton is a freelance author who has the vast knowledge in Letting Agency. For more information on Property Letting, he suggests you to visit: http://www.martinco.com