St Albans or Sutton

[May83]

Hi all,

We need to move out of Greenwich, in London, by March. I’m looking for a safe, family friendly area with excellent state schools (my little one will start school Sept 2023).

I’m a full-time working mum, and 3 months pregnant with our next child. I want to continue working 3-4 days a week after my mat leave so the location needs to be well connected to London.

Also unfortunately I’m not physically/emotionally resilient with difficult/long commutes so that’s a big factor too. Equally, we want the best free education for our children…!

So far we’ve whittled down St Albans and Sutton as 2 potential areas to move to. I have some Qs I’d appreciate some inputs on please:

1. What’s it like living here?
2. How was your commute to London in terms of travel time and also the journey itself (changes/ seat/ temperature/ people)?
3. suggestions of other places with great connectivity to London, outstanding state schools, and family friendly safe areas are welcome too!!

Many thanks in advance…we need to move by March so am really hoping to make an informed decision with your input!

A quick right move search suggests Sutton is c.£150-200k cheaper than St Albans for a 3 bed terrace/semi

*Thanks for your honest feedback - really appreciate it. Are you able to say what made the commute to Stratford so difficult? Do you think it’d be okay if you had to do it twice a week rather than travel in everyday?

Also, can you share why you wanted to move away rather than have your teenagers grow up there? It seems it has so many schools - primary and secondary - id have thought it was good for bringing up kids…*

I think it was just the commute in itself I got fed up of. Had to walk 15mins to either station (parking impractical/non-existent) then the crowded train (not sure what it’s like now, but rarely got a seat even when pregnant). Often cancellations, standing around on platforms etc.

Re the children, I found the schools overcrowded…the infant classes often had more than 30 in them…and not that good for secondary. If your child is able to get into and cope with grammar that’s great, but people tutor their kids form a young age to try to achieve this. The comps are ok but also very big, not much outdoor space etc. There wasn’t a lot for them to do as teens apart from go into Croydon or Sutton, both of which are awful IMO. My kids are very outdoorsy and my husbands a sailor, and we just couldn't access the activities we wanted. DH grew up in Cheam so knows the area well, and just got so fed up of the traffic, trying to get anywhere etc.

I could be biased though as we now live rurally outside of London and it suits us much better.

Hello, Ive lived in St Albans for 6 years having moved from Islington and love it. I don’t know how I ended up here but I did and honestly it’s ok. I’m always safe in the knowledge that if I don’t like it here I can always move back to london……

St albans is a lot more expensive than Sutton, but if budget isn’t your consideration I’d choose St Albans for your needs and here’s why:

No need to talk about schools as they are good in both areas, but……

St Albans is generally filled with nice people who seem very liberal, educated and open minded - that’s one of the big plus points for me. Lots of blow ins and the odd tourist type at the weekend in town which makes the place feel jolly and lively. And you’re in the green belt. So lovely!

Traffic in town can be shocking, but even at its worst, if you’re local you’ll know the back route and in any case you’re never stuck for more than 5 minutes.

Yes the house prices are expensive in comparison to the rest of Hertfordshire, and the travel card is eye watering, but it’s a very convenient place to be, and to live in an area with a similar vibe in london would be at least double the house price with a longer commute to everywhere. So when all is said and done it’s a major lifestyle upgrade here.

In terms of commuting, it’s best to assume you won’t get a seat on the fast train, which takes 23 minutes max into St Pancras, you will however always get a seat on the slow train as St Albans is the first stop, and that train will take you 30 minutes into St Pancras. Then it’s a very easy 2 minute walk to the Javelin platform, which takes 5 minutes to get to Stratford.

The St Albans train also runs 24/7, with Luton Airport on one side and Gatwick on the other. It’s also on the Brighton line so you can get to the seaside in one swift trip. I believe there’s also a service that takes you back to Grenwich too.

I don’t know anything about Sutton, but I think for what you’re looking for, St Albans fits the bill.

Do not move to Sutton if you need to be in Stratford a couple of times a week. It's a long tricky commute

St Albans has a lot going on - two great sports centres, plus private gyms etc

3-4 theatres (main one might be getting rebuilt), An outdoor Roman theatre, comedy nights

Food festivals

Loads of markets and street food stalls. Fashion shows in cathedral. Fireworks.

Lots of pubs, bars, restaurants etc

Kids activities like football, drama, karate, rock school etc

Ok if you’re 20 you probably won’t want to live here but for over 30s especially with families there is lots going on

Try Bishops Stortford or Saffron Walden. Sutton is the wrong side of London if you’re commuting to Stratford.

I'm also going to suggest Bishop's Stortford/Sawbridgeworth or Epping/Loughton/Woodford. These are not East London at all OP!

St Albans is a brilliant place to raise kids- we left London to come here and love it, a decade later.

Orpington is ok, you could also look at places like Beckenham and Chislehurst, though quite expensive too.

A work colleague lived in Billericay - it sounds quite nice but I've never been there.

Do the HS1 trains stop in Stratford? If so, that would open up Kent to you.

@May83

Can you say a bit more about the reasons for why it’s a rubbish area to live in? I figured one can always live in Sutton but hang out in Kingston/ Richmond/ Wimbledon over the weekends for kids activities/ shopping…

Also how affluent is the area? Is it very poor with lots of council housing or relatively middle class

I live in Sutton/Carshalton and love it. I feel the need to defend it in response to a lot of these comments. The high street has improved in the last 5 years. Yes the empty Debenhams is a gap in the shopping centre, but there is a new food court, dance school etc plus lots of development near the Sainsburys, including Sound Lounge etc. We live in a pretty middle class area. There is a council housing around too of course (10-15 min walk from us), but to me that is just London. I am happy to send my kids to the schools here. I grew up nearby myself and didn't have problems as a teenager.

What I think Sutton lacks is the posh independent coffee shops and restaurants, although it is improving. In my pre-kid brunch days this would have been annoying. With kids I am happy with the local offerings (especially the family friendly pubs) and happy to go to Wimbledon etc if fancy something different e.g. sushi, Mexican.

Saying all that, it feels like a tough commute for you, and St Albans might be easier on that front. Although if you could get the Elizabeth line from Farringdon to Stratford (4 stops) it might not be so bad. Carshalton Station is a good option for a Thameslink commute with lots of nice housing within a 10-15 min walk.

Can I ask why you’ve disregarded places in south east, like chislehurst and blackheath?

Did you make a decision on where to move to in the end OP?