AIBU to think leaving London for a new city is preferable to the suburbs?

[jumpyfrog]

I'm a born & raised Londoner (SW), husband the same (SE). We currently live in SW London & in the catchment of an outstanding school. As my mum is 10 mins walk & inlaws 10 min drive we also have a great support network & have 1 day of childcare plus babysitting provided by them.

However looking to the next few yrs we really would like a bigger property & perhaps try for DC3. 90% of our friends have moved out to either zone 5 (Sutton, Bromley, S.Croydon) or to surrounding counties (Kent, Surrey, Sussex & Essex) & this seems to be the natural step.

AIBU to hate the idea of moving to the suburbs/countryside & thinking moving to another city would be better for me?
I've always lived within 10 mins walk of the high street & the tube & cant stand the idea of driving everywhere. Obviously jobs are an issue but I run a small online business & my husband would still get a decent salary in areas such as Bristol.

Has anyone moved from London to a new city? was it a good decision? where did you go?

I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of being close to friends/family. That would be by far the biggest consideration for me.

Brighton? It’s brilliant for kids and an hour on the train to London. Definitely not boring either.
We moved from London to Brighton and never looked back.

I moved from zone 3-6 but now in Surrey and a train to London rather than tube. We really love the space easy access to "country" but close to London.

We dont have family close but I wouldn't move to another town if I were you. Why? Because it's a nightmare driving in and out of London to visit your family. Tube and train still doable for visits. And car too but drive to /from say Bristol and then having to get across London/ rely on m25 being clear / south / north circular at weekends for "quick" visits..... spare yourself!

Ps and with 3 dc it will just be more of a mission believe me!

A couple of friends live in Sevenoaks, it’s 30 mins to Waterloo East/Victoria. It’s a lot more convenient for seeing people in London, going to theatre/exhibitions than the friends of mine who’ve moved to Bath and Bristol. Very good schools round there too as Kent has its grammars.

Guildford’s also good. Bigger than Sevenoaks, good shops, but near to London.

If you don't feel Bromley is enough of a city for you it's very unlikely that most other U.K. cities would be either
Really, while Bromley is reasonable priced for house size & it does have great schools & good shopping I defo find it too small.

Obviously there are places outside of zone 3 with stuff going on but my knowledge outside of where I live is pretty limited. My family are both immigrants so we have no connections to other places in the UK & they bought a holiday home in France over 25 years ago so I've never holidayed in the UK either as a child/teen.

I went to university in Southampton & felt I'd outgrown that after my 3 yrs. I'm in the Clapham area if that helps so I am a bit spoiled currently.

OP think about how it would be moving to a new city with no family support , coping yourselves with 2 DCs and (possibly) a baby? Just for a bigger house? Why dont you hold on a bit where you actually enjoy living and see what happens. Your current set up sounds terrific.

I moved to a small city. I am born and bred in London, and yes, it's surprising how small the city is. However, that's what I love most about it. All of city life in a small place! I lived in the suburbs for the same reasons- couldn't afford London proper. We never went into London for pleasure, because it was such a hassle. I now spend most weekends in the city and its no hassle at all sticking the kids on the bus and going in. Granted, it's small, but there are museums, libraries, theatres, lovely independent cinemas, shopping just there. I would say that the museums aren't free and we have to pay for the bus for the kids, but there are an awful lot of bus fares you can pay for the 1K a month we were paying extra in mortgage costs, so swings and roundabouts! We can also be in central London in a couple of hours if we want.

I grew up on Nottingham and now live in London. I would definitely move to another city rather than zone 5. You still get the shops, the music, the theatre etc but everything is so much easier.

Bristol is lovely but expensive for the area. Cardiff is small but lovely. You would get a big house, but not a mansion.
It's a fantastic family place though.
We wouldn't move back to se and both from there

For 850 you can have a lovely house in bristol or Brighton. I would choose Brighton in your shoes as its nearer to your supportive family

Defo feel I'm not appreciating the family aspect although it does have downsides having a overinvolvedmother & mother in law so close, but that's a whole other thread 😆.

I broached the subject with my mum today & she refused to discuss it, bear in mind she cried when my brother bought a flat in N.London as it was so far away.

Brighton is full actually.

Bristol just has a lovely feel. We lived in Clifton so definitely not the cheapest area! Great restaurants/shops/parks etc. Great for families. My second favourite city after Madrid!
Having family around is important though.

And yes, £850k would get you a lovely house in Bristol.

We moved to somewhere in Essex. I live 5 mins from the high street and 5 mins from the train station (take 30 minutes to get to London). I also hate driving everywhere. I would prefer to live in a city but I love being close to London.

There are some lovely cities or the middle of a large towns you could live in.

I like Birmingham funnily enough. I also like Chester which is smaller and touristy

I'm not really a city person - I like small market towns with links to London, which tends to mean expensive. Is St Albans a city. That was nice.

I have friends who moved from London to Bristol and were really unhappy. They moved again to Manchester where they already have family and friends but are down to London regularly still. I wouldn't move some place you don't know anyone just to get a bigger house. 850k can get you a house for a family of 5 in SE London and you'd still be close to family. Where in SW London are you?

I’m zone 6. We moved from Clapham (pre-kids) and TBH at the time I shared your worries but where I am is fab and has changed a lot in the ten years we’ve been here. Plenty of indie restaurants and cafes, lovely independent bookshop, good pubs, we’ve even got an independent butcher. Regular train service 16 minutes into Waterloo. We’re currently a 15 minute walk to the station - I definitely don’t feel the need to drive everywhere. Great buses too.

That said both Bristol and Brighton are lovely.

We moved from east London (very) to a small city/town two years ago. I've found it hard tbh. I had such a network in London (small but really solid and reliable and friends for life type thing). We consciously chose a town over village because I was worried about isolation but I actually look back and think I'd possibly have preferred a village (although I can walk most places which is good) because we would have more country iyswim. I don't think I'd give up on the family network in your position but good luck on the decision as I can see from both sides!

Guildford’s also good. Bigger than Sevenoaks, good shops, but near to London

Urgh not Guildford if you like city living. I’ve lived there too and it’s dire.

The point is that Guildford is near London so you continue getting your city fix from London.

It has nice big houses, good views, good schools.

Has anyone done London to norwich? That’s what we are considering

I definitely wouldn’t underestimate having family support. If you can stay close to them then I would do that.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51681339.html

here's a 4 bed that's not too far from where you are and it's in budget!