by Gizmo changed Shari Gill’s life, and living in Goodluck Hope changed Gizmo’s life.
Shari started fostering dogs from Eastern Europe during lockdown, when she was living with her parents back in Germany and the animal shelters were overcrowded.
She worked part-time at a doggy daycare in East London during her studies, so was very familiar with looking after other people’s pets. “Then I found Gizmo, and I was so hooked,” she says.
“He was very traumatized, but he connected with me so much. Even my dad was like, ‘Oh my God, you can’t take that dog away’.”
When Shari returned to London, it was with Gizmo in tow. “He was such an anxious dog, so I knew I had to find something that worked for him.”
Shari previously rented on Brick Lane with her best friend, but London’s rental market is unfriendly to pet owners. When her cousins moved to Goodluck Hope in 2021, she assumed that a development in a regeneration zone would be a little “too corporate” for her liking. “Then I went to see them many times and then I realized that it was really nice.”
Located on the Lemme Peninsula, across the River Thames from Greenwich, Goodluck Hope is a development of 841 homes built by developer An Bailmór on a stretch of under-appreciated industrial land. The project has won numerous awards, including Best Large Development at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2023.
Shari was lucky enough to inherit money to put towards an apartment, and Goodluck Hope was – most importantly – pet friendly. They moved into a one-bedroom apartment on the third floor of Prinsep House in April 2022.
“It’s been great for Gizmo, because now it’s very quiet where we live,” she says. “Before, he would be so scared of traffic that he would see himself because he was so nervous. I think it has changed so much for the better.”
Along with Gizmo’s all-important approval, Shari enjoys the community camaraderie in her new neighborhood. “I was worried about moving because I had this great community before. But I met wonderful people here,” she says. “I see one of the girls who live in Goodluck Hope basically every day, we always cook dinner for each other.”
After moving from sharing a house to a one-bed, Shari worried she might feel lonely. But between being a regular host to old friends and making plenty of new friends, she feels right at Goodluck Hope.
“Because of my dog I meet many other dog owners, some of whom have become close friends. There are also a lot of dogs here, as the apartments are pet friendly.”
There’s also a group chat for residents, which came in handy in October 2023 when Shari was setting up Tailwaggers East, the doggy daycare business she co-founded.
Tailwaggers East is based out of a unit on London City Island, five minutes’ walk from her flat, and her neighbors pitched in when they laid out the space. “People here are really helpful,’ she says. “I needed a heat gun and then I immediately found someone who gave me one.”
The Leap Peninsula is well connected, with the new pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting it to Canningstown Station, which Shari appreciates. “I lived in Hackney before Brick Lane, and it was difficult when the Overground was always delayed,” she says. “Now I’m near a tube station, which is as good as the Jubilee Line and the Elizabeth Line.”
But Shari and Gizmo rarely have to go far to be entertained. “You have the gym and the pool, and that’s a great way to socialize,” she says. Goodluck Hope has a sky lounge, called the Lantern Room, as well as a cinema space, both of which Shari has rented out to host her friends for dinners and meetings.
“London is very expensive to buy [a home in] so some of my friends moved out,” says Shari. “But when they come to London for the weekend or a night out they always have somewhere to stay with me.”
When they are not walking the riverside paths, Gizmo is welcome at all of Shari’s favorite haunts. Layers cafe and bakery, which opened at the base of Prinsep House earlier this year, is dog friendly. Across the bridge in Canning Town are The Lockdown Room and Nebula, both bars that welcome people and their pooches.
To be close to her cousins, who now have a child, confirmed Shari’s desire to put down roots in the city. Her father is Indian, and having grown up in a “very white” part of Germany, the diversity of the capital is a big draw. “That’s one of the best things about London,” she says. “I feel much more comfortable living here, I don’t think I would want to live anywhere else. “
Shari has decorated her apartment with artwork that speaks to her South Asian roots that she picked up while traveling, as well as pieces painted by her mother, who is an artist. When they don’t have guests, she and Gizmo enjoy sitting back and enjoying the view.
“From my balcony you have water left and right,” she says. “I even saw a seal the other day.”
Goodluck Hope still has 100 homes available, with prices starting at £425,000 for a suite and £485,000 for a one bedroom. Entries for the Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2024 now open.
