Relocating to Brighton & Hove, advice welcome please!

[whosthedadda]

Hi everyone,

My husband and myself, plus bump are currently in the process of house hunting in Brighton & Hove, we have been for a while but for one or other reasons the properties we have offered on have fallen through, through no fault of our own.

With an impending mortgage offer expiring (I started a company last year and soon our mortgage will fall in to my new companies earnings), and a baby on the way in the early new year I'm starting to have endless sleepless nights thinking about it all...we currently live in a not so nice part of North London where we've had endless problems (our neighbour's trying to break in etc...and want to be out of here before baby arrives).

We've honed in on the Preston Park / Poets Corner area, and I was wondering if I could get any advice on what it's like living in either area at all please. I'm feeling a bit nervous about it all, I know so few people in B&H and am a fairly sociable human being, so it would be great to know where is good to live to meet people, potter around with the baby and somewhere that has a great community spirit. I'm also starting to think about schools, I know it's a few years off but we all know how time flies! And with my husband and I running our own companies I want to make a move that should future proof us for at least 10 years so we can settle for a bit.

Any advice / insight greatly appreciated! Thank you so much :-)

[Idontevencareanymore]

Hi, I'm from Brighton although more Hove right now.
Poet's corner is beautiful, lovely and quiet and close to stations and frequent bus routes. I believe parking is paid though by permit.
I don't know anything about Preston park area although I'm told withdean is a beautiful area to live!

There's a lovely school or 3 in the Hove area, lots of green space, some good shopping areas and close to Hove lagoon which is always worth a visit!

Brighton and Hove in general is quote lovely and lots of green spaces. All well maintained. I don't think you can go much wrong with the areas you've chosen, Portslade also is worth a look if you've not already checked it out.

[whosthedadda]

Thank you so much for your reply Idontevencareanymore we put an offer in on a place in Poets Corner that got accepted at the weekend so we're very much looking forward to the move! You're right, it all seems lovely down there and I think we would have been perfectly happy in either place, it was the fact we could live a 1 min walk from Stoneham Bakehouse that sold it to me though...their bread is so delicious!! Thank you again for your reply :-)

[Scootagal]

Hiya! Just in case anything happens re poets corner - we moved to Fiveways/Preston Park a few months back and love it! Won't go into details as you're in process of buying elsewhere but just shout if anything changes! :)

[MrsNathanDrake]

Good luck with the move! I live close by and love being in Hove. West Hove Infant/Junior School is excellent when the time comes. DD was at the junior school and I was so impressed.

Loads of awesome family friendly pubs as well!

Welcome to Hove!

[innagazing]

I moved to Poet Corner when I first moved here from London. It's great, and has a really nice community feel, good transport links and easy walking distance to the beach. And some good very child friendly pubs.
The main shopping street has improved enormously in recent years, and continues to get better and better.
It's a great place to live, and to bring up children. Hope your move goes well!

[happypoobum]

Poets corner is a lovely area with a good community feel. Do you or DH drive? If so you will need to practice your parallel parking before moving to B&H

[MrsNathanDrake]

happypoobum, totally!! I now drive the smallest car I can get away with and still wish I had parking sensors!

[OldPony]

I live in Preston Park and absolutely love it. Excellent schools too

[sophielucas]

I moved down here from North London a few months ago and it's been great so far. We are Hove station side of poets corner - it's a great area with loads of lovely places to go and a v short walk to the sea (which I still get excited to see every time!). Due early December and can honestly say that I'm really glad we decided to make the move before we had a baby. There are lots of things we miss about our old home (Green Lanes Turkish food is number one!) but the change of pace has made the prospect of a new baby a lot less stressful!

[myfeetarealwayscold]

Preston Park and Porthall/Prestonville area are fantastic for families ( very community focused, playing outs on the streets, street parties, and events on all the time) also brill for schools BUT check the catchments areas BEFORE you move. You need to live on top of them, and if you don't you aren't getting in and you'll be offered a place in a not very good primary school miles away. Stanford Infants is an amazing school, Balfours and Downs also outstanding, Brunswick very good but very big. Porthall/Prestonville area is in between 2 big parks, with playgrounds and lots of sports etc. less than 15 mins walk to train station and 15 mins walk to town and seafront. Preston park a little further out by foot.

[innagazing]

I went for a walk along the seafront today- the sun was shining and it was warm but hazy. It was gorgeous! I've lived here for 15 years (moved from London too, and remember the restaurants of Green Lanes and thereabouts well) and still feel so thankful that I made the move down here. And still get excited to see the sea!

[Bobbi73]

I've lived in both five ways and poets corner and Whilst they are both lovely areas, my vote is absolutely for poets corner. It's super friendly, loads of good schools, parks etc. It's also flat which after pushing a buggy up and down very steep hills in fiveways turns out to be a very good thing!
Good luck with your move. Maybe see you at one of the many baby groups soon xx