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Original poster

Is Hanover /queens park a good area in Brighton to live?

47 replies

allgonebellyup · 08/07/2008 08:24

i did used to live off St James' street years ago but would like to move close to Queens Park, (am not in Brighton now!)
is it a nice area to live with kids?
What are schools like round there, including secondaries?

OP posts:
noddyholder · 08/07/2008 10:43

Yes its nice and family orientated.There are good primary schools and nurseries.The secondary school situation in Brighton is complicated but you will be in the catchment area for some good schools but if they are over subscribed it is a lottery system.The houses are sweet really typical brighton terraces but parking horrendous and no real gardens just patios.Lots of 3 storey houses period style.Hilly so good for exercise!

ListersSister · 08/07/2008 12:46

I would go for QP rather than Hanover - houses slightly more spacious and gardens a bit bigger. Houses not quite as cramped in as Hanover. Permit parking now though, I believe. Elm Grove and St Lukes are both highly regarded as are the nurseries in the area and the nursery schools. Catchments for secondary are Varndean and Dorothy Stringer, so good (for Brighton) schools. Hwr, like Noddy says, if oversubscribed, you would be directed to Falmer (but then so would anyone living next door to V or DS).
Personally, I'd go for a villa overlooking QP, but then all the labour councillors own those and they cost £££, so maybe not!
Hanover is getting a bit over-run with students these days, and a fair bit of anti social behaviour (plus you have to live with the muesli-mountain thinking....)

ListersSister · 08/07/2008 12:46

I would go for QP rather than Hanover - houses slightly more spacious and gardens a bit bigger. Houses not quite as cramped in as Hanover. Permit parking now though, I believe. Elm Grove and St Lukes are both highly regarded as are the nurseries in the area and the nursery schools. Catchments for secondary are Varndean and Dorothy Stringer, so good (for Brighton) schools. Hwr, like Noddy says, if oversubscribed, you would be directed to Falmer (but then so would anyone living next door to V or DS).
Personally, I'd go for a villa overlooking QP, but then all the labour councillors own those and they cost £££, so maybe not!
Hanover is getting a bit over-run with students these days, and a fair bit of anti social behaviour (plus you have to live with the muesli-mountain thinking....)

Original poster
allgonebellyup · 08/07/2008 15:50

i would go for Queens park rather than Hanover if i could bloody afford the place!!!!!!

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ListersSister · 08/07/2008 16:27

I live 'the wrong side' of Fiveways and it is great here. Parking much less of an issue, great views, good schools, houses have gardens not just patios, lovely neighbours and a feeling of community that isn't homogenous iykwim?
The houses are standard 1920/30's, so not exactly characterful, but I think it is a great place to live given Brighton's tricky housing issues .
Personally, I wouldn't want to live in Hanover with children...

Original poster
allgonebellyup · 08/07/2008 16:49

ooh why not?
i have found a couple of places near where i used to live in brighton, just a couple of roads east of queens park..

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ListersSister · 08/07/2008 17:12

Be careful about going too far eastwards . Seriously, go too far and you will miss the catchments for the 'good' schools and end up at the Whitehawk ones (which are improving yada yada, but still...)

Re Hanover - big hills means pita buggy pushing, whining children. Not much green space except QP itself. Lots of drugs and alcohol kicking around. Lots of bored yoof.

Houses quite often have damp problems. Just feels a bit too cramped when you want the children to have a bit more freedom.

Obviously it suits some people. Where I live I can be up by the golf course in 3 mins, but less than 10 mins from 5ways. Don't have to justify why I don't have an organic box delivered either .

Original poster
allgonebellyup · 08/07/2008 17:33

literally ,its only little 2 streets from queens park, so a 5 min walk? the nearest primary schools sound great, i wouldnt dream of moving any closer to Whitehawk!

What about Hove then, which areas are good and affordable too?

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Original poster
allgonebellyup · 08/07/2008 19:03

bump

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redshoes · 08/07/2008 21:47

Nicest areas in Hove IMO are along the seafront west of Sackville Road up to say Wish Park - but v v pricey. Poets corner area is nice - terraced Victorian, reasonably central, community feel - but patios and parking diddicult. Best value could be aldrington/lullington avenue area which is just north of railway but South of Old Shoreham Road. They are 30s semis with good gardens. HTH

Original poster
allgonebellyup · 09/07/2008 11:17

thanks red shoes - looking at Hove prices on rightmove, it is waaaaaaay out of my league, but for some reason queens park is almost affordable, is that cos its next door to Whitehawk??

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Original poster
allgonebellyup · 10/07/2008 19:59

bump

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emskaboo · 10/07/2008 21:16

Hove Poet's Corner is lovely, I live there. Parking all solved now, residents' parking bays etc all v easy. We have a little garden, but big enough for a paddling pool and a bbq, and there are two parks quite close. Houses are about the same price as Hanover and it is much nicer (was born and brought up in Hanover!)

Original poster
allgonebellyup · 10/07/2008 21:19

Which roads are in Poets Corner?
Cant find it on rightmove.

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ListersSister · 10/07/2008 21:28

Try Cowper, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron....

this is in the area, altho not typical If you click on this, you can then go to the map and have a look at the street names...

Original poster
allgonebellyup · 10/07/2008 21:34

Found it...hmm that house looks lovely but my limit is 240k!!

theres a 3 bed town house on for 250k in poets corner, with garage and garden.. (but it does back onto railway line!)

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Original poster
allgonebellyup · 10/07/2008 21:39

thanks by the way

looking at the area now

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ListersSister · 10/07/2008 22:05

I lived IN PC donkeys years ago, it was quite nice, although gardens were more like patios. House had character and good local shops. West Hove school has a good rep.

If your budget is about 240K, I would be wary of places described as QP - I suspect that might be estate-agent-speak. I would definitely check school catchments. I knew people who lived in the Bute St area which looks close to QP on the map, but wasn't that great tbh.

Happy hunting, but like Noddy would advise, prices are dropping by the week - I would hang on for as long as you can and you might get a bargain!

noddyholder · 10/07/2008 22:08

Lister you should be plugging your area its cool with a community vibe and not too many yummies!

ListersSister · 10/07/2008 22:27

I have been Noddy! I agree with you. The more I live here, the more I like it. Yes, it is not yummy mummy territory, but I like the fact it is not a purely MC, hubby-commuting-to-London, holidays-in-Tuscany kind of thing.

I go to a playgroup, and I have weeks where I chat about Haven holidays and Centerparcs, economics and allotments, private schools and the prices in the corner shop at the Dip. Much more my thing than the 'oh, is that Boden?' conversation and 'No biscuits for Jemima thankyou, we have organic ricecakes in my (expensive) handbag' which I have seen at other, more leafier neighbourhoods.

I have great sea views, countryside minutes walk away, 5ways minutes away, parking, a garden and lovely neighbours. Just wish the hill wasn't such a pita lol! Oh, and that when people from the other side of 5ways sometimes ask where I live, they just go 'oh...' when I tell them

I will go away now - sorry for hijack

noddyholder · 10/07/2008 22:31

weve lived in h'ford about 6yrs ago We would buy there again if we could find a house we liked.I am quite keen on b'ford I am in desperate to move mode again because our flat is so dark

ListersSister · 10/07/2008 22:38

Well, there is one on Hlby Rs, plus one in Bart Rd you know . I agree that Hert is the nicest road though...
Bet the estate agents are bugging you at the mo!

noddyholder · 10/07/2008 22:44

We offered cheeky on a house in march in hollinbury area they said no but rang me yesterday and said we could have it!

ListersSister · 10/07/2008 22:47

LOL! Not tempted though? Still hanging out for the best of the crop come Christmas? I reckon if you CAN hang on then things will be looking good from where you are sitting...

Couple of houses on rightmove in Ldn Rd area on for much, much less than they would have been just a few months ago. The housing market seems a lot more realsitic now

noddyholder · 10/07/2008 22:50

Dp is tempted but we have agreed not to do anything until the schools have gone back as I think the real drops will start then