Now many workers have a mandated number of days they need to be in the office, commuting times and their associated journeys are back in the forefront of Londoners’ minds.
Last year 97 per cent of buyers and 91 per cent of tenants ranked proximity to public transport as important or very important when choosing where to live, according to JLL’s Buyer and Tenants Survey.
To aid Londoners prioritising quick journey times and convenient access to the transport network, the real estate firm has compared the connectivity of new build developments with homes currently for sale within London’s Zone 2.
The methodology involved combining the walking distance to the closest public transport with average service wait times once there.
Here are their top spots for new homes buyers.
Canada Water
Top of the list was British Land’s The Founding development in Canada Water, a one-minute walk from Canada Water Underground, from which commuters can take the Jubilee Line to London Bridge in four minutes and to Bond Street in 10.
Alternatively, on the Windrush Line, they can get to Shoreditch High Street in nine minutes.
For students, King’s College London is a 20-minute journey and London School of Economics is 25 minutes, door-to-door.
With such good transport links, it’s unsurprising that Canada Water has been earmarked for redevelopment.
Over the next decade, the 53-acre Canada Water masterplan will deliver 1 million sq ft of new retail, leisure and education amenity; up to 2 million sq ft of workspace and around 3,000 new homes; all alongside a 3.5-acre public park, a town square and a state-of-the-art new leisure centre.
Prices at The Founding start at £704,000.
Clapham Junction
The second best-connected new build, according to JLL, was the Mount Anvil/Peabody development, One Clapham.
This is a one-minute walk to Clapham Junction, which has variously claimed the title of busiest train station in Britain, Europe and the world. Suffice to say there are many regular train and Overground services that get you to, among many other destinations, Imperial Wharf in four minutes, London Victoria in six minutes and Waterloo in 11 minutes.
Those living in One Clapham benefit from a 24-hour concierge, sun terrace, woodland garden and Peleton Hub. Prices start at £497,000.
Battersea
The nearby Parkside St Peters from Thornsett was third on the list.
Flats available in the Horizon development range from £500,000 (a one-bedroom apartment) to £950,000 (a two-bedroom penthouse).
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Clapham Junction’s entrance is only a five-minute walk away, plus, you are within easy walking distance to Imperial Wharf and have fantastic views over York Gardens.
White City
Stanhope’s redevelopment of the BBC’s former HQ, Television Centre in west London benefits from a Pilates studio, wellness lounge, eighth-floor bar and co-working space alongside its excellent transport links.
Television Centre is a two-minute walk to both Wood Lane and White City Underground stations, and gives commuters the option of the Central, Hammersmith and City lines.
Journeys from here to the West End take 15 minutes, while Bond Street is just 12 minutes away.
Also in White City, is Berkeley St James’ White City Living, which is a three-minute walk to White City and two minutes to Wood Lane.
Facilities include a residents’ club with concierge, lounge, cinema and pools.
Best of the rest
Other developments in the top ten included Stroudley Walk/Upper East close to Bow Church in Tower Hamlets, Artisi in Ravenscourt Park and Verdica near Chalk Farm.
“When asking buyers and tenants in London about their list of must-haves for their next home, proximity to public transport has long topped the list,” said Marcus Dixon, director of UK residential research at JLL.
“It isn’t all about the commute either, with even those residents who work predominantly from home looking for easy access to other areas of the capital.
“This means that easy access to transport connections is highly prized and something we expect to continue to support growth in well-connected neighbourhoods in the future.”
