Moving to Gloucester area

[poppy101]

Need advice where to look for houses in the area, where are the best places and best schools etc.

What are the playgroups etc. like ?

Any advice appreciated.

Moving within the next 2 months due to dh job promotion.

[Furball]

gloucester is fairly big, which part is your dh working in and do you want estate, village or something else? IMHO Gloucester city centre is tired and not really upto much.

[poppy101]

Going to work near to Glos. hospital.

Would like to live 20 minute drive away from city centre. Don't really want to live in centre, don't mind village or nice residental established estate.

[carol3]

hi I live in gloucester, Churchdown is nice, depends what your looking for I live 2 mins walk from the hospital, I now a fab playgroup just near there where all mine have gone and dd2 is sill there. Would be glad to help with any info.

[carol3]

(know)

[Furball]

Was going to suggest Churchdown

[carol3]

snap or cheltenham if you can afford it

[poppy101]

Which are the best areas to look at in Churchdown and Cheltenham then ?

[Furball]

I think Churchdown in general is fairly good, don't really know of any particularly 'bad' bits? maybe Carol can throw some light on that. Cheltenham I would try and avoid Hesters Way, Springbank, Whaddon, Wymans Brook sort of areas.

[carol3]

I think if your looking out of the centre most areas are ok, depends what you like. Abbydale is a residential estate which alot of people like, all quite new houses.
Or there are some pretty villiages, upton st leanards, is nice.

Most villiages around are quite nice though, really depends on your price range. Don't really know cheltenham as well but would agree with furball on areas to avoid. In gloucester I would avoid tredworth, barton, white city, (tuffly) although alot of people like it.
Let me know if I can help anymore

[DontCallMeBaby]

Cheltenham ... Whaddon and Hesters Way as 'no go's I would agree with, but Springbank and Wymans Brook are not all bad. When I first moved here I was told not to live anywhere starting with 'St' ... it doesn't stand quite so well any more, but they're still not the most family-friendly areas. Montpellier, Lansdown and the Suffolks are the VERY nice areas, the first two in particular are probably how you imagine Cheltenham. Needless to say, very expensive, and mostly flats (the houses are so big that they are mostly prohibitively expensive as houses, so get converted). The classically family-friendly areas (good primary schools, and reasonable distance of the two really good state comprehensives) are Leckhampton and Charlton Kings, correspondingly pricey.

I really don't know Gloucester at all, but friends are considering a move from lovely Lansdown flat to 'Kingsway village' which is really a vast new build near Quedgeley, big enough to be getting its own school, I think. May be worth a look.

[poppy101]

Thanks all, we are going to pop down at the weekend and drive around some areas, i.e. look at the outside of some houses that we have details to.

Will look out for the areas that you have all mentioned and will probably get back to you all about different areas and advice.

Thanks

[bubblerock]

Hi Poppy, I'm Gloucestershire born and bred (although live oop north now). Brockworth and Hucclecote are definately worth looking at. Unless you can afford a really nice area in Cheltenham I would avoid it - it might have a posh reputation but it has the same problems as any other town but you pay more to live there.
Let us know how you get on!

[poppy101]

Hi, we drove around Churchdown and likes the Village part.

We also drove around and looked at the Longlevens site near to the Uni. the houses looked quite nice, is this a nice area ??

[poppy101]

I was also a bit confused about the local schools, agent mentioned about Elmbridge being a good school in the past, queried this as knew the school in the infant area had a slating, Junior came out really well.

Does anyone know what the Elmbridge area is like, as it is near to Longlevens.

[Furball]

Sory poppy, not ignoring you but don't know the answer.

[emkana]

Longlevens is a reasonably nice area, but Elmbridge School isn't great, I have heard some bad things about it.

I would say Hucclecote is a really nice area to look at, and very easy to get to the hospital from there, or Churchdown Village. Both areas have very good schools as well.
E/mail me if you'd like to know more, emkana at gmx dot net

[bubblerock]

My Dad lives in Churchdown - the schools are good there (Chosen Hill was always our - Brockworth comps - posh rival) and it's a nice area. Longlevens is ok, we looked at a couple of houses there but they were new ones and so pokey, we went for an old terrace instead - garden was massive

[yellowshoes]

hi poppy, both my eldest two go to elbridge and I can't fault it all my friends kids go there two several of who are teachers and they are very happy with the school too.

The area round elbridge is nice, nice houses and area. imho

[tegan]

We live in Forest of Dean and tbh I wouldn't want to live any closer than this to Gloucester centre.

It only takes 20 to 30 mins to get to Gloucester and in Coleford (where we are) it is a very respectable area with not a huge amount of crime etc..

[yellowshoes]

and longlevens near uni is nice have two friends who live there fab big houses

[bubblerock]

Hmmm - lots of nice places but also lots to avoid in the forest.

[tegan]

And where exactly should people avoid in the forest????

[2sprogsmum]

Churchdown village is lovely and the churchdown village school is also a very very good school.
Elmbridge area is lovely also. In the 'leazes' I think the estate was once council or raf but is mostly private now. The gardens are huge.

[bubblerock]

It's the same as anywhere, some parts are nice others are not, there are places in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud and the forest that I wouldn't move to if you paid me. Surely you can't say that there are not places to avoid in the Forest?