London's narrowest house

It is going to be a hard sell for even the most creative estate agent.

A property developer is planning to offer a house that is only 8 feet wide to the market for about £180,000.

Admittedly, it is in one of north London's most desirable suburbs, but its minuscule size and large price tag are a stark illustration of the pressure on the capital's property market.

Andrew Markey, 60, has applied for planning permission to transform the kitchen of an imposing family house in Crouch End into a self-contained, split-level "townhouse". Though precisely 8ft 21/2in wide, the building is deep enough to allow for a 21ft living room, a 15ft kitchen/diner and stairs up to the second storey with its 15ft bedroom and tiny bathroom.

"They are quite decent-sized rooms," said Mr Markey. "But it is a 'bijou' residence."

Mr Markey, who lives in Barnet, added: "The main building is a beautiful Victorian villa that used to be our home, but we've converted it into 11 bedsits.

"What was our kitchen was built on to the side of the house. We use it as a storeroom, but with the chronic shortage of space in London I think it's socially negligent. Of course I want to make money out of the thing - I would be a fool if I didn't.

"I am determined to maximise the use of the site in a sensitive way. I'm changing the louvre windows back to sash windows and replacing the roof on the whole house from nasty concrete tiles to slates."

While the planned house in Haringey Park is believed to be London's narrowest, it won't be Britain's smallest. That title goes to a cottage in Conwy, Wales, at less than 6 feet wide. Crouch Hill estate agent Martin Salmon, of Prickett & Ellis, said he would relish the challenge of the sale.

"Everything has a market," he said. "It's all about location. Crouch End is very attractive with a villagey feel and a real buzz. And it's less expensive than Highgate.

"I think we'd have quite a few interested parties simply because of the property's uniqueness. This would appeal to somebody at the right price as a pied-a-terre or a first-time buy."

The property could fetch £180,000, including £20,000 for novelty value.