Moving to Southampton

[WaitingInTheBushesOfLove]

DH and i are looking to move around Southampton.

We don't know much about the areas and what is like living there. We have an almost one year old and a dog, so schools is something to consider and dog friendly places to walk the dog.

Houses have been coming up in our list in:

Chandler's ford
Eastleigh
Totton
Bitterne
Bitterne Park
Woolston
Hedge end
Shirley
Dibden Purlieu
Sholing
Nettley
Marchwood

Any advice of what areas to avoid and what areas to look into? Areas that might get affected by air traffic because of SH airport?Any more areas to suggest that aren't in the list?

I don't know if it's of any use to you but Southampton Airport held a public consultation on their airport expansion plans last year. They publicised this document: www.southamptonairport.com/media/4908/southampton-airport-draft-masterplan.pdf

At the very end of the document it shows recent (2016) and predicted (2021 & 2037) noise contour maps for the surrounding areas.

WeAreAllAdults

Thank you, i will have a look at the maps and see what are their predictions.

We will be viewing a couple of houses in Rownhams in the next few days. Also, we will have a look at west totton. DH saw a couple of houses he liked. Although, to be honest, I feel a bit weary about it. Earning the name rotten totton, well.. makes you cautious really.

We also had a viewing in Romsey, but DH wasn't very keen on the house.

Thank you all so much for the information. All very useful.

How are you getting on with your house search? We moved to Rownhams last year and we are very happy here. We find it quiet and very friendly. There are local parks and shops and a good Church of England school in the area. I am familiar with the area as we didn't move all that far but when we were looking at houses our favourite locations were Rownhams, Nursling, North Baddesley, Romsey, Valley Park and Chandlers Ford which are all next to each other however we did look out in West Totton too, I found West Totton to be nicer than the other side of Totton. We feel we made the right choice with Rownhams.

Hi,
Not a local to Southampton area. Comparing similar houses in Old Calmore, Old Totton and New West Totton.
Can anyone tell me which area is better for family life, shopping, transport, low crime, schools etc?
So far I have had friends say Old Calmore is the best of these 3 but I would like a broader perspective. Thanks.

@WhichAreaisGood
Even though this thread is now several years old (gave me a jolt seeing it on my watch list) I would still recommend an area like Hedge End for the balance that you're looking for.
Calmore is still a good area to live in but it is a complete pain in the arse for a daily commute particularly if you're heading out of the Calmore or near there every day as traffic is a horrendous issue. You're also not really 'near' anything other than the New Forest. My manager lives out that way and it takes them at least an hour to get to Southampton on a good day and if there's an accident then can take 3+hrs.
Other areas to consider are Chandlers Ford/Fair Oak/ Horton Heath/West End which have excellent schools, relatively low crime, good transport links.
Although Hedge End is undergoing a big house building phase it will still tick your boxes. I still say it's a lovely area to raise children with plenty of good schools, outdoor areas, shops and a village centre. I wouldn't recommend any of the new builds put up in the last few years as they are on the outskirts and are not near any decent facilities. See my original post on page 1 (?) of this thread because my opinion is largely unchanged since 2019.

Which area do you recommend? xx