IT IS not for the fainthearted, but buyers seeking a bargain could do worse than go to Harlesden, northwest London. The NW10 postcode has a dire reputation: it topped the league for the highest murder rate in Britain in 2001. Yet estate agents insist that the area is on the up.

“Harlesden is affordable, convenient and ideally situated, with good transport links to the City,” says Liam Keran, sales manager at Hodders, a local agent. “It offers good value: what you would pay for a studio in West Hampstead will get you a house here.” He says that, despite the media attention paid to crime in Harlesden, buyers were undeterred. “To date, we haven’t had anyone pull out of a sale. In fact, in common with the rest of the market, we have a shortage of properties to sell.”

The area has good transport links; trains run from Willesden Junction to Euston, the Bakerloo Line runs through Harlesden and Willesden Junction, and there are plenty of bus routes to catch along Harlesden High Street. Decent Victorian and Edwardian properties, many converted into spacious flats, abound, and there is a vibrant and ethnically diverse community.

Although Sainsbury’s and Tesco have yet to set up on Harlesden High Street, there is a range of local retailers – butchers, fishmongers, and fruit and vegetable shops – as well as a number of Portuguese delis and cafés catering for the Portuguese and Brazilian community.

Harlesden is also surrounded by more affluent neighbourhoods, such as Willesden, setting for Zadie Smith’s novel White Teeth, and Kensal Green, which has already had a big rise in house prices. “You’re not a million miles from Ladbroke Grove,” says Kenny Peters, of Churchills estate agents. “There’s a spillover from Brondesbury Park and Kensal Green. People will consider Harlesden now because it is affordable, and we’re selling to a lot of young professionals now.”

Harlesden has some way to go towards being the “new Notting Hill” it was once tipped to become – the new Brixton is a more likely tag – but there is no doubt that the profile of the area is changing. Media types are moving in: the journalist and television presenter Louis Theroux is one convert to the area. “He sold a onebed flat in Ladbroke Grove and purchased a three-storey house in Harlesden,” Keran says.

Regeneration, such as at the notorious Stonebridge estate, parts of which were virtual no-go areas, is helping to improve Harlesden’s profile. Stonebridge is undergoing a £65 million redevelopment by Countryside Properties. More than 200 new homes have already been built, with a further 300 still to be completed, along with shops and offices.

For first-time buyers, Harlesden’s attractions are obvious. One-bedroom flats are selling for as little as £170,000, though on the Kensal Green borders you are looking at £200,000 or about £220,000 to £250,000 for a one-bedroom garden flat. Two-bedroom flats sell for between £200,000 and £300,000, while three-bedroom flats sell for £250,000 to £350,000.

“Houses generally go for £350,000 to £400,000,” Peters says, while closer to Willesden Junction you could pay £450,000. If you are looking for a very large home, Faron Sutaria is selling a four-bedroom house, with two reception rooms, a huge kitchen, off-street parking and a garage, for £700,000. This may seem a lot but the house covers almost 1,800 sq ft.

At this rate, Harlesden may become the new Brixton faster than agents anticipate, and Louis Theroux won’t have to cycle far to find more willing celebrities for his Weird Weekends.

FACTFILE

The average house price locally is £280,000 – £20,000 less than Hackney.

Since 2001, the average price of a flat in the area has risen from £127,000 to £218,000. The price of a semi has gone up from £190,000 to £327,000.

The slowest-moving A-road in London – the A4002 Tubbs Road – is in Harlesden, at 12.2mph, according to Trafficmaster.

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