Moving from London to Milton Keynes (MK)

[Tiiiaa]

My boyfriend and I are 24 year old black first-time buyers who are looking to relocate from London to MK. We would like to purchase our first home preferably 3 bedroom (minimum ) semidetached or detached house. We are not worried about commuting back into London for work, as my boyfriend works from home. However, we still don’t want to be too far from a station.
As Londoners we are very use to public transport every 2 to 5 minutes, and local amenities not being further than a 15 /20 minute max drive. Also having Having lots of activities to choose from such as Cinema, restaurants, bowling, etc. How does this compare to MK?..

We love that MK seems to have a lot more green area and isn’t as busy as London.

We are open to hearing advice from anyone who can tell us about MK. What areas are good and why and what areas we should stay away from and why? People..?

If anyone has done the move from London please let us know how you found it.

Thank you for your time.

[halloweenie13]

Honestly as someone who has lived in a few different places but is/was a northerner moving to London. I would give my right arm to move anywhere north of London again tomorrow. Yes the transport isn't as consistent as London, but you eventually get round to being car owners, Houses are far more affordable leaving a larger income aside for travels or other activities and it's a more relaxed pace of life with far nicer communities. Londoners are often presented with the narrative that it is so inclusive but I have found the opposite since living here, it's hostile and expensive and people raised solely within the London area seem to have a warped perception of the rest of the country. I had a much more pleasant way of life up north especially within the east midlands. There is a genuine community spirit, relaxed working processes and people are friendly and inclusive. More importantly, the wages do not differ that significantly within most sectors between London and anywhere else.

[Tiiiaa]

Thank you for replying

[TheNoonBell]

I always find MK a bit synthetic, a bit American with the road network. The housing stock has always seemed pretty good.

Have you tried looking anywhere else if your boyfriend WFH? You are in a great position to go anywhere.

You could try weekends away to random towns or cities to see what you think. We did the same when looking to move and it allowed us to do drives around new areas and see what we liked. You can do the same with coaches from London if you don't drive as quite a few do stops through various towns on the way.

What's your budget?

[Tardigrade001]

Most places in Milton Keynes are within 15-20 min drive. It is built for driving and the roads are quick. There's also a really good cycle path network. It's modern, which a lot of people think is dull, but it has a feeling of light and space. Very spread out, lots of green areas. Public transport is not too bad, but compared with London probably not great.
The centre has all the entertainment types you mentioned, plus a skiing dome and s parachute jump simulator type of thing.

Area-wise, there are the obvious ones to avoid (lots comes up if you google). I'm not sure how bad are they really.
On the west side, walking distance to the station are Great Holm and Loughton. Both are quite nice. Further out, bouth west and east side, are various new(ish) developments which also look nice - landscaped grounds, parks, etc.
Bletchley (on the south side) also has a train station. It's a more traditional type of town, quite run down in parts but ok.
It all depends on your budget and the type of house you like.
MK is quite multi-ethnic/international, which I like.

[Tiiiaa]

Our budget is around 350K

All our research points to the west side being the area to live in MK…

Also can you suggest why the other areas are ‘not so nice’… does this have to do with crime rate, House types etc?

I personally do not want to be too far from London despite not having to travel there for work. Both my boyfriend and I families still live in London.

For University we both lived in Cambridge but other than this we have always lived in London. We would like to live somewhere that’s not too busy(has more green areas..parks) , but also not a village area. we feel MK fits that description?

[Tardigrade001]

You can definitely get something nice for your bidget.
The not-so-nice areas: yes, crime rates. There's a general perception that they are areas of mostly run-down social housing and best avoided if you can help it. Some have housing that was quickly and cheeply constructed with (apparently) substandard materials which are now coming to the end of their natural lifespan. There are plans to demolish and rebuild at some point in the future.

A lot of people are not keen on 1970s 'boxy' type housing anyway, council or not. New developments tend to imitate 'traditional' houses, 1920s and earlier, or go for a completely modern look.

Apart from the west side, there are some nice looking areas that are central and close to the station - around Campbel Park, for example. Most are modern flats, but there are some houses too. Oldbrook also seems nice.
Generally, MK has an urban feel to it, and there is no need to 'fit in' as most people are new.

[Rainbowdropz]

I moved to MK in 2017 and I was 26 at the time. I've been here 4 years now and I'm used to it now. I originally grew up in South London, so I thought this place was too quiet initially. Now I wouldn't move back to London if someone paid me. I love the open spaces and there's so much to do down here. I think it's the perfect environment for children and I couldn't imagine raising my son in London.

There's plenty of afro carribbean shops to get the food you're used to etc. Good transport links into London if you don't want to drive. I think it's a bit of a shock from the business of London, but when you visit London after moving here you'll realise how much you prefer peace.