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Dozens of homebuyers camped overnight in the icy cold to secure the latest flats to go on sale at the former Olympic Park — with the first in line having queued since Wednesday morning.

They aimed to guarantee that they get the best homes at the Chobham Manor development, where one-bedroom properties start at £375,000 and two-bedroom mews houses are expected to fetch up to £695,000.

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey set up a marquee outside their marketing suite in Stratford for queuers to camp in. It laid on free food for the mix of British and foreign buyers.

First in line was William Smith, 29, from Stratford, who is hoping to buy a two-bedroom flat where he can start a family with his fiancée.

Mr Smith, who works in law, said: “It’s such a good area, spacious but central enough that you can see the city, and what with demand around here you can only hope it goes up in value.

“I am buying for the future. Hopefully by the time it’s ready I’ll be married and we’ll be thinking of starting a family.”

Jo Cullen, 43, a fitness instructor from Folkestone in Kent, had been queuing in shifts with her brother and husband to buy a one-bedroom crashpad. She said: “My husband commutes into London so we want the flat in case he wants to stay over, or if we go the theatre we can stay and it’s not a long train journey back. By the time it’s built my eldest will be 16 or 17 so he might be able to use it if he comes up to London.

“I keep getting nervous phone calls from them to see if I’ve got it. I think people have been queuing to try and get the best views across the park.”

K Chiu, 37, a restaurant owner from Hong Kong, said: “I’m buying this as an investment in London, a buy-to-let. It will be amazing after it’s completed and I think the area around it will have developed really nicely.

“With Crossrail coming here and the number of students from nearby universities looking for accommodation, hopefully the rental and selling price will go up quite a bit.”

The office opened at 10am, with 23 one-bed flats, nine two-beds and four mews houses up for grabs. The properties are all off-plan.