ISLAND finally open for viewings after a long and difficult birth

It may not be appropriate to exactly describe the ISLAND building - formerly IYLO in Croydon - as "fashionably late", given the very real pain of the very real setbacks that the project encountered during its protracted construction. Anyone who has read the local Croydon media over the last few years will be aware of the stop-start nature of IYLO's building process, which has finally recently concluded.

The scale of those setbacks certainly cannot be downplayed, but nor can the difficulty of avoiding them for those overseeing the IYLO project at the time. This elegant glass structure, towering some 20 storeys above Croydon's streets, was always a project of great promise for those from around the United Kingdom and the world who aspired to a luxury London lifestyle at an affordable price. However, for a time, it looked like a dream that would never be realised.

With Summer 2012 having been the initially intended completion date, construction was going well until 2009, when the wider global economic collapse also accelerated the slide into administration of HBOS, which had been funding IYLO up to that point. Construction did recommence in late 2010, but then, in the middle of 2011 - with the international economic recovery still fragile - the building company itself entered administration.

These were immense obstacles that might have led to the permanent mothballing of many residential projects, but that did not prove the case for IYLO in Croydon. The building was subsequently delivered safely into the hands of new owners Regency Homes Ltd and construction was able to begin again, and this time, the coast was clear for the long-delayed completion of work. By the end of 2014, with many of its penthouses and apartments already reserved, the former IYLO - now rechristened ISLAND - could finally say goodbye to the construction cranes and swing open its doors.

Every aspect of the finished building, in fact - not merely the doors - is impressive. With the final specification including everything from a stunning double-height entrance lobby and water-fountain communal garden to engineered wooden flooring, underfloor heating and supremely well-appointed living/kitchen, bedroom and bathroom areas, one would have never guessed that ISLAND had undergone such a painful birth.

That's a hugely positive sign as the building looks forward to a long and successful presence in Croydon, powering forward the regeneration of the wider neighbourhood while also providing the most comfortable living quarters for residents in the here and now. Those interested in the final few available ISLAND apartments and penthouses are urged to get in touch swiftly if they are not to miss this golden opportunity of an attainable - but exciting - London life.