In their first nine months living at Battersea Power Station, Paddy Rowe and her husband Barry say they have made more friends there than in a decade in their last home – a large family house in Putney. “When we decided to downsize, we were initially considering moving to a retirement village,” says Paddy, a former lecturer. “But being surrounded by people of all ages and backgrounds is great.”
She and Barry, a retired army officer, are renting at Circus West Village while the flat they have bought in another part of the development is being built. “I use the residents’ app all the time to network with neighbours and make friends,” adds Paddy. “I set up a book club, which now has 900 members...