Those attributes — and a raft of high-end residential developments — are helping property prices defy the sluggishness plaguing much of the rest of prime central London (PCL). While the average price per square foot in PCL fell 3.4 per cent last year to £1,611, the price in W1U, which covers central Marylebone, climbed 9.6 per cent to £1,833, according to a report from property buying consultancy Black Brick and data provider LonRes. The average price per square foot in Marylebone rose 3.4 per cent, while Knight Frank reports that new buyer enquiries in the final quarter jumped 40 per cent year on year, compared to a 6 per cent drop in PCL.