to want to live in Norwich?

[takethatlady]

Sorry sorry sorry for posting this in AIBU - I couldn't see anywhere else to post it and I wanted to get maximum replies. What I would really like is advice from people who already live in the area.

I live in Cambridge but work as a lecturer at UEA and mine and DH's first baby is due in June. He's a secondary school teacher (history) and we have decided to relocate to Norwich to make our lives easier when the baby is born (providing DH can find a job in the area). We'll be using the UEA nursery 3 days a week which will save us huge amounts in childcare (and give us peace of mind as it's good and located at my place of work) and have already filled out the paperwork. DH has been a lifelong Norwich fan and never lived in Norfolk so he's pretty excited.

We're in negative equity on our house, which we bought in 2007. We can't sell it so have just applied for permission to rent it and it looks as though they're going to grant the permission, so we'll need to rent somewhere in Norwich.

The finances are a bit complicated: our mortgage (on a 2 up 2 down) is £1275 a month (we fixed for 5 years at 6.79%!) and we will be charging £800 a month in rent for it, plus paying a management company 9% for a full management service. We're looking to rent something in Norwich for around £600 a month and would like a similar property - a garden flat or a 2 bedroom house.

Can anybody help us on areas? We'd like to be as close to UEA as possible so that we can continue to have only one car. I've heard that Earlham and Lakenham are not very nice, and that Eaton and Cringleford are (though they're not on the bus routes from UEA). The Golden Triangle looks great (if expensive) and we're thinking we may end up there, but there must be better value areas we could consider. What about Three Score? Properties look cheap and convenient there, but I wonder if there's a reason. Any other suggestions?

Sorry for the longwinded post! There is so much to sort out.

[anonymosity]

Norwich IS lovely. I don't know it well enough to advise on areas specifically, but surely there's a housing office at UEA which can advise you? And I expect they may even have accommodation you can use - staff flats and so on. Best of luck, it all sounds very exciting.

[Jammyrella]

I am from Norwich originally, and love it still, though don't live there now. Can't advise on best areas but I hope you have a lovely time there - I'm sure you will!

[webwiz]

I'd check with the housing office or you may end up surrounded by students! DD1 lives off Earlham road where its cheap and convenient but so do hundreds of other 2nd and 3rd years.

[takethatlady]

Thanks! I am excited and think Norwich is a lovely place. Earlham Road and Unthank Road look great because the bus goes there, but you're right - they're likely to be full of students. That doesn't really matter as long as we're not surrounded by thumping parties at 2am every night!

UEA only offers temporary accommodation to visiting staff or staff who are new to UEA, so they're a no go, but I will go to the housing office and have a chat with them about potential areas. Good idea - thanks!

[bronze]

You'll have to come along to the meetups too

Maybe ask on the locals section as there are loads of Norwichers (ites?) around

[jezebelle]

My sister Lives In Bowthorpe area, that's ok and she used to cycle or bus to UEA so not far, i think a lot of the areas are like most-there are good bits and not so good, for £600 you're not gonna get the best of the best like Newmarket Road areas. Look at Costessy too oh and Thorpe/Dussindale- the bus routes are generally good everywhere.

[Fimbo]

I live in village just outside of Norwich. Thorpe/Dussindale are away over the other side of the A47 and would be far too far away unless you have use of the car. That is part of the problem with the UEA, it's not really that accessible unless you can drive, same with the hospital (almost next door to each other).

I live about 10 minutes away from both by car but it is impossible to get there without using 2 buses which would take forever.

Bowthorpe is a massive estate but the houses I would imagine are ok. It would be easty to walk/cycle to the UEA. There are a few schools in the area too for your dh. Has he looked at Norfolk County Council school vacancies? (if you type those words in it will come up).

As an incomer to Norwich I would say that whilst it is a nice place to live and bring up a family there isn't really that much to do especially when raining etc. There are not the walks etc Cambridge has.

[takethatlady]

Thanks jezebelle :) Duly noted. We can go up to £700 if necessary but would prefer to keep costs down as much as possible.

And thank you bronze - I didn't see that there was a local section - have just posted there! Thanks!

[TriggersBroom]

Do they still do Sale of the Century there?

[takethatlady]

Whoops - cross-post fimbo. Yes, it kind of all depends on where DH finds a job. There are no history vacancies on the Norfolk Schools website at present - there's a part-time job at Paston College but he needs full time. But it's still pretty early for jobs to be out so fingers crossed.

If he gets a job in a surrounding village we could live there and I could drive in (which would mean cheaper rent and easier access for me). That's what I was worried about with Thorpe/North City/Dussindale - there are some nice properties in all of them but if it's going to take me an hour to go four miles across the city it's not worth it. It's already bad enough that I can drive from my house in Cambridge to the Little Chef roundabout near Cringleford in under an hour and then it takes a good 20 minutes to crawl past the hospital, the research park and the Bowthorpe turn-off to get to UEA. At least if we lived nearer and I had the car I could go in earlier/later - at the moment the commute means I am travelling at peak times.

[Fimbo]

How about this - \link{http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-29045836.html\here}. Three Score/Bowthorpe are one in the same, they run into each other. I think one estate is slightly older than the other.

I will inbox you some in my village.

[4madboys]

I live in norwich, just off ipswich road, my kids go to eaton primary, my dp and i met at uea and had our first baby whilst there, he went to the UEA nursery which was fabulous, he is 11 now tho, but i know people who still use it and it is meant to be as lovely as ever :)

there are houses nearish to here to rent, i think the golden triangle will be out of your budget, as will the expensive side of eaton, but the side that we live in, just the other side of eaton, off ipswich road but not lakenham may be affordable.

norwich is a fabulous place to raise a family, hence why we stayed here after graduating.

i have several friends that work at UEA, if you find me on facebook sarah rebecca pearson, pic of a new baby as my profile pic, i will be happy to chat with you :)

[takethatlady]

Wow, thank you both! We have a list of Rightmove properties as long as our arm, so are trying to whittle things down by place now. There are a few nice 2 beds which the estate agents claim are in the Golden Triangle (but they may be stretching the definition, for all I know).

That's good to know that the area that's not quite Lakenham is still nice. And congratulations on your new baby! I'll try to find you on FB :) Glad you liked UEA and the nursery ... there are all sorts of reasons we're going for it. Mainly it's just reassuring to know the baby will be sort of coming with me to work, but also it looks lovely and there's a bit of peace of mind that the staff are permanent employees of the university and so there's more likely to be stability than at some other places. Also the salary sacrifice scheme makes it a lot cheaper than private nurseries.

Thanks for your lovely comments - it's been a big decision but I'm sure we're doing the right thing :) I had reservations because I grew up in Margate in Kent (nearest big town is Canterbury) and felt quite isolated and far from the action, and Norwich is not unlike Canterbury - especially in terms of remoteness from the rest of the world! But I love UEA and I really like the city, and DH feels at home there. I think it'll be a lovely place to raise a family - glad you're finding that too!

[MissyMorrison87]

Norwich is fabulous just DONT live on prince of wales road, or just off of POW - like i do (luckily we move to long stratton next week)

Got woken up at 4am last wednesday, heard the police car pull up outside our place and a guy screaming "I'm a nice man officer i swear, my pants just FELL down, Honest!"

Definitely somewhere like the golden triangle or a village outside of the city. If you go on RightMove.co.uk you can draw a search for rentals in a certain area (i.e near hospital/uea but out of the city). I'd say its worth a look x

[Fimbo]

Anybody on here want to join the "secret" mn meet up thread on FB?

[Fimbo]

or take a look at this \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/meetups/1107861-NORWICH-new-year-meet-up-anyone\this thread}.

[MissyMorrison87]

I would love to Fimbo! Link away :)

[Fimbo]

Are you searchable on FB? Inbox me on here with your name and a description of your photo.

[reluctanthomosapien]

My family live there, although I never have, it's a beautiful city. And very envious of your working at UEA, I love the campus.

I'd say Bowthorpe is a good bet, lots of new build/family housing/nice park/big supermarket on hand/not too far to town, plus I think from recall many of the bus routes go up to UEA from there via the hospital. Check out the houses around the Chapelbreak estate.

[4madboys]

oh i have just invited myself to that meet on 3rd is that ok?

thankyou for the congrats on dd, she is rather lovely and her brothers adore her, that is me done tho, i should change my name to 5andnomore!

UEA used to have a baby/toddler group once a week, for staff and students with children, i met a really good friend there, who still works at UEA. i am sure the group is still running, but depending on where you live, there are lots of groups available, plenty of parks, places to go etc. :)

[takethatlady]

If this thread is anything to go by Norwich is going to be the friendliest place ever :)

Anyone have any suggestions for villages on the N/W side of Norwich to look out for (in good/bad ways?). Wymondham? Hethersett?

Great about Bowthorpe/Three Score/Chapel Break ... looks like for about £650 we could even get a 3-bed with decent decor.

[jezebelle]

My sister is on Clover Hill ?? estate, i appears to be ok, she's never had any trouble or complains, she has a 4 bed detached newish build that is around £600 a month, it has a garden though :) I think where she is wasn't very good at one time, but is ok now if that makes sense. I live on the coast of Norfolk, oven in Yarmouth area, its ok and i love being near the sea :o

[mrswoodentop]

Norwich is great,I loved living there and would go back like a shot,we had ds1 when we lived there .We lived in Newmarket Street adn then on the City road opposite St Marks church.DH lived on college Road for a while.

I would try and bre in the City if possible but know people who lived in Swainsthorpe which was quite nice and Thorpe

[Anonorwich]

We love living in Norwich. I live in Eaton and work at UEA. You don't need a bus to get to UEA from Eaton, its 10minutes cycle or 30minutes walk. There are also some car shares from Eaton.

Cringleford is a lot more snooty. I think you'll be pleasantly surpised about house rental prices after cambridge.

Lakenham is alright to live in, but the school is pants.

Wymondham is nice to live in, with good schools.

I like Eaton though, as its close to the city, but two minutes walk you are on Marston Marshes, and its the right side of the city to the journey to london...

PM me if you want any further info.

Norwich is also the kind of city where everyone knows each other, hence the username so i don't out myself

[4madboys]

anon that is soo true, i am always bumping into someone i know who knows so and so etc etc.

and i concur the primary school nearest to me is not great at all, hence why my boys go to a slightly out of catchment one!

and yes i bike to the uni (to go swimming) have done it with kids as well and it takes 15mins :)