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A newly listed three-bedroom house in southwest London has sparked mockery after being put on the market for offers starting at £950,000. Detractors have compared the property to a ‘nuclear shelter’ and remarked that it resembles ‘1930s seaside public toilets’.
Squeezed onto a narrow strip of land nestled between existing houses in the desirable Southfields neighborhood, the site has been out of sight for over ten years, concealed by hoardings following the demolition of garages.
Currently, this modest piece of land is being marketed as a ‘desirable one-off architecturally-designed’ home as the development nears its final stages.
According to its listing on Rightmove, the two-story dwelling is touted as ‘a unique opportunity’ and an ‘exceptional new residence designed for modern living,’ aimed at buyers willing to meet its nearly seven-figure price tag.
Yet, when computer-generated images of the flat-roofed, timber-clad building were posted on Reddit’s Spotted on Rightmove forum, the feedback was overwhelmingly critical.
One commenter described the modern design as having ‘all the ambiance and warmth of a prison recreation yard’.
Another compared it to a ‘generator backup storage facility’, while a third wrote: ‘I really want to see the three bedrooms in real life, not AI.
‘Because it must be like sleeping in a nuclear shelter.’
BEFORE: The plot of land before it was developed and listed as a property
Pictured: Scaffolding in place outside the new home being listed for £950,000
AFTER….? Mock-up plans for what the property will look like once building work is complete
When the Daily Mail visited Sutherland Grove, where properties sold for an average £1,330,000 over the past year, local residents were equally aghast.
‘£950,000? For that? You cannot be serious,’ said Janet Williams, 77, who has lived on the road for 40 years with her husband Barrie, 81.
‘I assumed it was just going to be a little one room place for someone who wanted easy access to the city, who would then go elsewhere for the weekends.
‘Surely they will not get that asking price, it’s tiny. I am amazed, honestly, totally amazed.’
Work was ongoing this week at the site, which is comprised of a ground floor and a basement.
Sarah Jones, 60, who has lived on Sutherland Grove for 16 years, was stunned when shown the advert on Rightmove, adding: ‘I’m just staggered, absolutely staggered.
‘That is, frankly, just ridiculous. I know they’ve gone down into the basement to make it a three-bed property but, honestly, who on earth is going to pay almost £1 million for something that looks like a glorified garage?’
Jose Diaz, 42, lives nearby with his wife Jesenia and two children.
Pictured: Janet Williams, 77, and her husband Barrie, 81 – they have lived on the road for 40 years
‘The price is crazy for the size,’ said Jesenia when we asked about the property.
Jose, originally from Madrid, added: ‘I mean there are good schools nearby and Southfields Tube Station is very close but, really, the cost of living in London is extremely high and this is an example of it, to be honest.’
Another woman who lives on the same street, who did not want to be named, could not hide her shock at the asking price.
‘There were a couple of garages there before and for years they were not allowed to do anything with them,’ she said.
‘I think there is going to be a small patio garden there. The price is just ludicrous. It should not be anywhere near that.
‘There are large houses along this road, with spacious bedrooms and big gardens, which worth around £1.4 million.
‘How on earth can something like that be on the market for almost a million?’
The property’s marketing highlights an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living space, two bathrooms, and underfloor heating powered by air source heat pumps.
Pictured: The narrow patch of land – wedged between existing homes – where the property is being built
It also promises proximity to good schools, transport links and local amenities, with Southfields Underground Station on the District Line within walking distance.
Yet those selling points failed to quell the online mockery – with CGI images depicting a stark, largely windowless frontage concealed behind horizontal wooden slats.
Others took aim at the enclosed feel of the scheme, pointing to the red-brick ‘courtyard’ and limited light in the open-plan basement living area.
One said: ‘A million quid to live in a Portacabin in London – south of the river, as well.
‘I’ll stick with my £170k three-bed semi in Burnley. I might not have a Pret nearby but I’ll live.’
Another remarked: ‘Call me a miserable f***er but for me, daylight is an absolute minimum requirement for just shy of a million.’
‘A million quid for a building that from the outside looks like a 1930s seaside public toilets’, another exclaimed.
While another posted: ‘CGI photos and they havent even CGI-ed in some light to make it look less dreary.
‘Even if they are actually photos filtered to bits surely they could make it look slightly less dingy?’
Planning documents lay bare the long-running saga behind the stop-start development.
Hoarding had been in place around the site since 2014 as various iterations of a design were applied for, with work commencing and pausing repeatedly.
Wandsworth Council signed off on plans in 2023 to build the bunker-like home of 93 sq metres in size.
But the plans had to be redrawn once again when a sewer was discovered running through the site.
Revised drawings saw the building’s footprint shrink to just 88 sq metres – a fraction above the 84 sq metre national minimum standard for a three-bedroom home.
Despite the online backlash, estate agents insist the project will finally bring life to a site that has remained boarded up for more than a decade.
The sales particulars state: ‘Welcome to this exceptional new residence – designed for modern living and built with style in mind.
‘This bespoke, two-storey home, complete with a full-size basement, has been newly crafted to offer comfort, luxury, and flexible living spaces in one of South West London’s most desirable locations.’