How Pet-Friendly Home Needs Inspired a Couple’s Move From India to Grand Union in Wembley

Discover how this pet-loving couple from India chose Grand Union in Wembley for its pet friendly homes, community feel and canal-side lifestyle.

We sat down with couple Rajeev and Gireesha to discuss their experience of relocating to London and finding a home that works for both them – and Donut. 

Why Pet-Friendly Living Was Key in Choosing London

In early 2023 Rajeev Mutyalu, 40, a part-time interior designer and creative technologist, was offered a global role with his company. He had the option to relocate from India to one of several international cities, including Montreal, Paris and London.

But for Rajeev and his wife, Gireesha, 40, the decision didn’t come down to lifestyle or landmarks, but Donut, their now five-year old dog. For Rajeev and Gireesha, ensuring their new home welcomed pets was just as important as transport links, amenities and community feel.

An image of the couple standing on the balcony of their apartment with their dog

From India to London: A Relocation Made for Pet Owners

“We brought Donut into our lives during the lockdown and he quickly became part of the family,” says Rajeev, “so when it came to deciding where to move to, we researched which cities were most pet-friendly, and London came out on top.”

A New Life in Wembley: Finding More Space and a New Home

Rajeev’s company initially secured a one-bedroom Build-to-Rent apartment in Wembley for him, Gireesha and Donut.

“We really like Wembley. It has a direct line into Central London, which made it easy to commute into the office, and we also found it very easy to walk to places such as the London Designer Outlet, which has lots of shops and restaurants. 

However, since both me and my wife work remotely majority of the time, we soon realised we needed more space.”

While originally planning to continue renting, the couple began exploring the property market and found that monthly mortgage payments were comparable to rental costs and so decided to look for somewhere to buy instead. That’s when they discovered Grand Union, a new waterside development located in Wembley.

“We looked into a few different options across London but Grand Union stood out to us as it still forms part of Wembley but is located in a calmer setting away from the crowds visiting the Stadium. We met with the sales team who took us through all of the available options and immediately liked the quality and specification of the show apartments we toured. But it was when we were taken to the top floor, three bedroom apartment with views of the Grand Union Canal and Wembley Stadium that we knew we had found our dream home”, explains Rajeev.

An image of the couple in the apartment playing with their dog

Life at Grand Union: Amenities, Green Spaces and Convenience

In June 2025, Rajeev, Gireesha and Donut moved into their new three-bedroom home at Grand Union, a vibrant canal-side neighbourhood of 3,350 homes, which, once complete, will have over 11 acres of green spaces and amenities to explore.

It is already home to a number of local facilities including an Anytime Fitness gym, Peapods nursery, Full of Beans soft play and café, Benham & Reeves estate agents and a convenient Co-op store. Residents also have exclusive access to The Lock, private amenities that include a two-lane, ten-pin bowling alley with a jukebox, e-darts, an entertainment room for film nights, gaming and karaoke, and co-working space.

“I like to cycle everywhere so I have already explored all of the different routes in the area and along the canal. It is also really easy to cycle into the office in Soho when I need to so I will look to do that in the summer months and then get the train when it is a bit colder”, says Rajeev.

An image of the dog laying on the sofa in the apartment

A Dog-Friendly Community at Grand Union

Donut has also embraced his new lifestyle.

“Donut loves walks along the canal and sunbathing on our balcony. The floor-to-ceiling windows give him plenty to watch, and we’ve been impressed by how dog-friendly the local shops are”, Rajeev tells us. 

The couple is also enjoying the strong sense of community at Grand Union, which hosts year-round events in the Community Hub and canal-side piazza. 

Rajeev explains: “I love the community here and have managed to meet quite a few people on my walks with Donut. There is a great Crepes café on the narrowboat which we all, including Donut, love to eat, and sometimes the cana-lside piazza will host street food stalls and community events, which are all good places to meet people. I have also been using our community app which has a marketplace function that has been really useful when selling some of my older furniture that we no longer need!”

Having now lived in the UK for the last two years, Rajeev and Gireesha are very pleased with their decision to move to London over other major cities, and Donut seems pretty content too!

An interior Bedroom image showing a close up of the Bed

New homes for sale at Grand Union: ready to move into this summer

Grand Union currently has a selection of one, two, and three-bedroom homes within the Peninsula House collection, available to move into from this summer.

These homes are located at the intersection of the serene Grand Union Canal and the banks of the River Brent and are currently available from £394,000. 

They combine all the benefits of canal-side living with excellent transport connections, with easy access to the Bakerloo and Lioness Line at Stonebridge Park Station and Piccadilly line at Alperton Station, for those travelling into the City, West End and further afield.

Find Out More About Grand Union Homes

To visit one of the Grand Union Show homes, the Marketing Suite is open daily from 10-6pm Monday – Saturday and 10-5pm on Sundays.

For further details about Grand Union and the homes for sale, please visit the Grand Union web pages, or contact the sales team on 020 8108 3136. 

You can also follow Grand Union on Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and events taking place: @GrandUnion.London