Sandbanks Peninsula - Perfect for work/life balance or an overhyped spit of sand outed post Lehman?


The view of globe-trotting local resident Alun Phillips ex-head of legal/planning at Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea on the pull of this exceptional piece of real estate.


Those who have heard of Sandbanks are familiar with the hype and spin-“England`s South Beach, Miami” (CBS News 2008), “The fourth most expensive location in the world” (the Internet). ”Footballers` wives coastal hangout” “the Riviera only near- ah” are examples.


All the hype misrepresents entirely why I and others have homes or live in Sandbanks. Having lived in Central London all my life, I never ever believed I would live outside Zone 1. I do not do the countryside. However since 1995, I spent part of each year in Laguna Beach, California (work / vacation), and what struck me about Sandbanks was a similar relaxed atmosphere close to a working environment but no claim for the so Cal climate,of course.


Others, for their own reasons, have been struck by Sandbanks. Way back in 1965, John Lennon bought a house for his Aunt Mimi on Panorama Road overlooking Poole harbour but the Nowhere Man said himself it was one of his favourite places in the world. Why then Sandbanks? - and forgive me for sounding in part like a local agent!


• Beach life and sailing- Sandbanks has approximately seven miles of the best sandy beaches to be found in the UK with the second biggest natural harbour in the world, ideal for sailing down the Jurassic Coast or over to the Isle of Wight. The views on good days take some beating.


• Access-2 hrs from Chelsea by car or by train from Waterloo, and only 1½ hrs from Heathrow, South West London and Surrey. Bournemouth (20mins) and Southampton Airports (45mins) are close by with all major European destinations available. Compare that with the stressful journey from London to


get to South Devon or the hassle of London airports to get to the Continent.


• Work/Life balance- Between 2001-2008, I worked for a Californian software company whose EMEA operation was based near Heathrow. Fortunately I was able to divide my work time between London and Sandbanks - perfect stress buster! I had work colleagues down (Californians, Italians and Asians) who were staggered when they saw the beach and experienced a relative micro climate. I could not move them from my balcony with its 180% views of the bay. Rather ungallantly, they all exclaimed “This simply cannot be England”.


How nouveaux, or trendy are the properties and the people? This criticism is flawed. Many new builds have very modern designs which maybe not to everyone`s taste but at least they function efficiently unlike most cottages in the West Country or Wales. As for the people, there are mostly middle aged professionals of the type


BEAUCHAMPESTATES September 2010


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