Snooker table-sized flat for sale at £170,000

A flat consisting of little more than a room the size of a snooker table has gone on sale in one of London's most desirable areas - for roughly the same price as the average UK home.

In a move that would make even the most euphemistic of estate agents cringe at the use of "cosy" or "bijou" as a description, the £170,000 Chelsea residence is thought to be one of the smallest individual properties to be put on the market.

A former janitor's storeroom, the flat is made up of a 11ft by 7ft room, with the additional attractions of a cupboard space to shower in and a tiny kitchenette area.

And the decor? Well to say it needs a little work might be pushing things a little.

The basement flat at 18 Cadogan Place in SW1 has not had a spruce up in a while and the rubble may deter homebuyers.

In recent years it has been used as to store building materials and will need an estimated £30,000 to make it habitable.

The estate agents tasked with selling the property gave a realistic assessment of the property.

Jason North, associate director at Lane Fox, said: "It is an incredibly depressing flat. We have to go in with a torch because the lights do not work and it is full of rubble."

Nonetheless, the tiny studio flat does have its plus points. As Lane Fox points out, Cadogan Place is a much sought after location with "distinctive, mainly stucco terraces, overlooking beautiful gardens".

It is also close to a superb range of shops, the estate agent's description of the property noted.

And with property prices in the capital's plushest postcodes soaring in recent years, it could be one of the few "affordable" places left.

Figures released today from property website Rightmove showed that the average asking price for a house in Kensington & Chelsea in January stood at £1,145,791, up nearly 62% on the same month last year.

Copyright Press Association 2007