Property advisor Adam Bourne gambled on a section of Crouch End when he

bought a flat three years ago for £60,000. He sold it recently for more

than £150,000.

"London is a city of mini-markets in terms of property values, and I've

spent years sniffing them out" says Mr Bourne, who believes that he has

found another location which looks good for a repeat performance.

"It is in the Bounds Green, Bowes Park area, bountiful in choice

Edwardian properties with decent gardens - larger gardens than, for

example, Crouch End. I tip it in three years."

If the name Bounds Green is familiar and Bowes Park isn't, that is

because the former has an Underground station and the latter is a

nondescript area in a nondescript part of north London. Southgate,

Palmers Green, Edmonton and Wood Green are neighbouring areas.

"I chose Bounds Green because it is slowly becoming gentrified, has

excellent transportation, good civic amenities, and the surrounding

areas are impoverished. For my purposes, this is good because it will

allow gentrification. And there is plenty of expansion room for shops

and restaurants," says Mr Bourne.

He feels that the worst aspect of the area is "waiting for

gentrification." Joanna Haydon-Knowell, who handles Bounds Green from

her Muswell Hill estate agency J H-K, volunteers another candidate:

"This area is sandwiched between Bounds Green Road, which is busy, and

the North Circular, which is very busy."

The area has some nice houses and pretty roads. "People who can't afford

Muswell Hill look at what the locals call Ally Pally, which is around

Alexandra Park Road. Then they look at Bounds Green. The schools in the

Bounds Green-All Pally area are quite good."

Ms Haydon-Knowell notes that "there are two bits to Bounds Green, and

prices can drop dramatically on the side of Bounds Green Road away from

Muswell Hill. And, of course, the closer you get to the North Circular,

the properties get even cheaper. I am currently selling a tatty double-

fronted house on the cheaper side for £210,000. If it were this side, I

could ask £310,000.

The 'wrong' side of Bounds Green means that, for the same amount of

money, you get more property for your money, or property in better

condition. If it is not too close to the noisy North Circular, there may

be nothing wrong with it at all.

Mr Bourne recalls that when he bought his Crouch End flat, "it was

considered the wrong end. It is really Hornsey, and a few years ago they

were happy to call it Hornsey but now they refer to it as Crouch End.

Bounds Green has a sense of community now but it will be raped and

pillaged in the process of gentrification."

That's when it will be time to take the money and run again, to a new

mini-market.

ROBERT LIEBMAN

end text

THE LOW DOWN

Properties and Prices

Tony Lucas of Adam Kennedy estate agents notes that the area contains

many conversions, with one-bedroom flats starting at £70,000, and large

three-bedroom Victorian homes with original features starting at

£150,000. "Because of the transportation, this area generally attracts

professional couples and families." Some students at nearby Middlesex

Polytechnic rent in the area.

Transportation

Bounds Green Underground is on the Piccadilly Line, four stops north of

Finsbury Park station, which is an interchange for the Victoria Line and

overground rail into Moorgate. The Bowes Park rail station is a short

walk from the tube station on a line which also links with Finsbury Park

tube. The area is attractive to people who work in the City.

Parks

A gratifyingly large number of small parks dot the southeast edge of

Bounds Green Road, and a few larger ones are nearby, in all directions.

To the south, Alexandra Park is home to Alexandra Palace and a pub with

a panoramic view with central London in the centre. To the north are

Arnos Park and, with its several lakes and running track, Broomfield

Park. Muswell Hill Golf Course is very near.

Estate Agents

J H-K 0181 883 5485

Adam Kennedy 0181 881 5288

Wilkinson Byrne 0181 365 8900

Boroughs

Part is in Haringey, part in Enfield. The borough boundary runs just

north of Bounds Green Road but cuts through the middle of Bowes Park.

Council Tax

In Haringey, band A is £570 and band H is £1,712; in Enfield A is £453

and H is £1,360.

Schools

Channing for girls, Highgate for boys, and Norfolk House are the

alternatives to the schools run by Enfield or Haringey Council.

The Worst Aspect of Bounds Green-Bowes Park

The North Circular Road A406

The Best Aspect of Bounds Green-Bowes Park

The North Circular Road A4-6. Okay, it is not really the best, but it is

very convenient for a nearby Tesco Superstore and the M1 and M11. Brent

Cross Shopping Centre and Ikea are also on the North Circular.

Garden Centre né Swimming Pool

It is not every garden centre that has, as a mailing address, Old

Swimming Pool. Sunshine Garden Centre is on the site of the old outdoor

swimming pool, for that bygone era when Britain actually had summers.

Shopping

The northerly end of Bounds Green Road is the North Circular Road, but

the other end is Wood Green, location of the huge Shopping City and Wood

Green Tube (Piccadilly Line).

End