East or South East? Plaistow, Ilford, Forest Gate, Plumstead????

[NellytheEl]

Hi all. I’m a first time buyer in London trying to narrow down choices of where to buy. I’ve lived in Islington most of my life but sadly can’t afford to buy in this area.

I am doing a lot of research which is soon to include a number of day and night time visits to the areas in mind. My budget is just over £300k as I am buying alone. Rightmove and Zoopla indicate that the best areas commute (to work) and price wise are East... so... Plaistow, Ilford, Forest Gate... (I’d throw in Upton Park and East Ham too). Plumstead also seems to offer a similar commute time and potentially more for my budget. I’m not in a rush and will see how prices fair after the stamp duty holiday ends (if it does).

I like period houses, so am drawn to the Victorian conversions/maisonettes. Plumstead seems to have Victorian houses in my budget which is amazing!

Anyway I’m really hoping anyone and everyone with knowledge of these areas will chip in to the conversation. What are your comments about safety/crime? I’ve checked police stats but these aren’t a final picture as we all know. What do people think of the communities and amenities in those areas? Prices are going up in all those areas so they seem to all be “investments”. Any other pearls of wisdom are welcome!

Plumstead all day long, just make sure its the right side of the common as it gets progressively worse as you go downhill towards the high street. There are signs of improvement and crossrail will have a positive effect once it opens. It is way better here than any of the areas you have mentioned in East London.

I've lived around both Plumstead Common and Plumstead High Street, although was renting both times. I also lived in a house DF owned just a little closer to Woolwich town centre. If you do choose Plumstead, I would probably go for the area closer to the commons - you have a big Co Op there, easy access to Woolwich town centre and a huge Tesco, and the accessibility of the DLR etc without being right on the high street. The only thing I loathed was the irregularity of the 51 bus to get up the hill! You also have Charlton a few bus stops over with the massive Primark and the retail park. Overall not the most charming aesthetically, but loved the accessibility of it all. Been out of London for a year and I'm actually missing it!

Thanks @arinah... I think the thing that concerns me the most about Plumstead is the crime, knife crime in particular.... it’s gang related I’m sure but although I don’t have kids I do want the area to be safe enough for my family to visit. Did you see or experience anything when you lived there? I’ve seen houses by Winns Common in my budget.

@NellytheEl I think the peak of it was around 2016/2017, that was when I noticed it the most anyway. There was a period of time when I worked night shifts and in the morning would return home to pass Do Not Cross tapes. Since then, it's either died down or it's moved elsewhere. I do feel it's safe enough for family to visit, particularly the Commons area - I never really saw anything in those areas :)

Winns common is lovely, nice playground and summer paddling pool for kids. It is a safe area and continuing to improve.