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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Moving to Norfolk or norwich

34 replies

GeraldineFamily · 09/03/2019 17:17

Hi me and my partner are considering moving to Norfolk or Norwich for a better life for our 4 children. We are looking for advice on the best areas. My partner is a bus driver and I work as a housekeeper and we are currently in a rough town called Luton. We have yearly trips to Great Yarmouth which our children love but I have heard negative comments about living there. We are looking for somewhere that is quite but has shops, good schools and not far from the beach and hopefully employment.

OP posts:

ShowOfHands · 09/03/2019 17:19

Are you planning to buy? What's your budget?

thecatneuterer · 09/03/2019 17:22

I lived in Norwich for around 12 years and it's just lovely. Gt Yarmouth not so much. I have no idea about schools, or employment, but for a lovely place to live you can't do better than the Golden Triangle area of Norwich.

Wildcate · 09/03/2019 17:24

We moved to Sprowston (a little North East of Norwich itself)
last year.

Absolutely love it.

Singlenotsingle · 09/03/2019 17:24

Great Yarmouth is a bit rough.

WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 09/03/2019 17:31

I went out with somebody, years ago, from Sprowstown .

Wistful thinking .
I love Norfolk . Envious in a nice way of you OP

Notwiththeseknees · 09/03/2019 17:31

Great Yarmouth is not very nice and has a big drug problem.
If you look further North, Fakenham is a lovely market town and affordable, 20 minutes from the sea with a decent school, Sheringham is a traditional seaside town, again decent school. As far as I can remember, there is a big coach company there that handles the school bus contracts, so job opportunities are there.
Usually hospitality industry openings or opportunity to start up as taxi/airport driver.
Hunstanton in the NE coast is affordable too.

WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 09/03/2019 17:31

Sprowston rather .

mogtheexcellent · 09/03/2019 18:23

Cromer is on the coast and great for kids. Expensive though.

cheesemumma · 09/03/2019 18:34

It's lovely. I would look at surrounding market towns. They all have easy access to Norwich but affordable. I second coast is lovely but expensive to buy. But most places are quick to norwich, the coast, the broads or Thetford forest. A lovely place to live!

I wouldn't advise Yarmouth or king's Lynn.

oleblackshuck · 09/03/2019 18:50

oi! lynn`s better than some places !

pinksquash13 · 09/03/2019 18:54

Norfolk is one of the worst performing areas in the country (schools wise). Be sure do your research.

CocoDeMoll · 09/03/2019 18:57

Can I tempt you with Suffolk? Kessingland is a nice town on the coast not far from the Norfolk border and is still super cheap. We still rent (not in Kessingland) but probably have a similar income to you and find everything more affordable than London. I’ve been on days and caravan holidays to Yarmouth and honestly it is a bit rough.

Wildcate · 09/03/2019 19:10

Norfolk is one of the worst performing areas in the country (schools wise). Be sure do your research.

Completely understand you’re talking at a macro level, but personally speaking, the two schools my DC attend have been far superior than where they went previously (different county)

So yes, do your research OP... but don’t be put off.

Bluestitch · 09/03/2019 19:13

I live in Norwich and have family who live near Yarmouth. I'd say moving to the city or the outskirts is your best bet. Norwich is a great city with loads to do and close enough that you can visit the coast etc easily.

twinkletoesimnot · 09/03/2019 19:15

South of Norwich there are some lovely villages with great schools.

crazycadetmum · 09/03/2019 19:16

We moved to Norfolk from Hertfordshire 18 months ago...we live in south Norfolk but half an hour from Norwich and half and hour from beach at Southwold and dunwich...wish we had moved years ago. Much nicer pace of life. Great Yarmouth is a not where I would want to live but each to the their own..spend some time looking round the towns and villages and get a feel for the area.

Original poster

GeraldineFamily · 09/03/2019 19:26

Hi we are planning to rent first then save to buy once we know it’s a nice area.

OP posts:

Original poster

GeraldineFamily · 09/03/2019 19:32

Thank you all very much appreciated. We are going to visit before we decide. At the minute here there is a lot of gun crime and drugs and I want a better life for them but we have no family in Norfolk or Norwich so it’s a new adventure, just hope we find the right area.

OP posts:

ForalltheSaints · 09/03/2019 19:34

If you want a life with what a town or city offers then Norwich, as other towns are limited in facilities, and the comments about Great Yarmouth are valid from what I know. If your DP is a bus driver, where are the bus depots?

I think you are being kind in calling Luton rough. It has one good thing, the airport to escape quickly.

mrsoutnumbered · 09/03/2019 19:41

I lived there for a while but we left. No work, poor transport, a lot of backwards attitudes. That's our experience of the place anyway. I absolutely hated being so cut off despite living in a city. It takes forever to get anywhere!

The schools my kids went to were nice but secondary schools are suffering there at the moment.

Be sure to do your research!

LipstickforFish · 09/03/2019 19:44

I live in North Norfolk currently but have lived in Norwich since birth.

I lived in and around Sprowston growing up and I don't like it. In recent years there have been lots of development and the area has gone downhill. It has started to get a bit rough in my opinion.

I also lived in Costessey and the less said about that the better - not pleasant!!

It depends what you want, if you want a city life - golden triangle can be nice.

If you want a quieter life, I vote going out towards the smaller villages in North Norfolk (although I don't rate certain parts of North Walsham or Stalham much)

User6949671 · 09/03/2019 19:51

I moved to Yarmouth about 8 months ago because the other half grew up here. I'm from a small leafy village in the 'posh' end off Essex and I was totally dreading it.
It's a pretty ok place to live in all honesty, its got it's bad points but if you drive and can get to other places it's nice. The people I've met are great, all the kids I work with seem to love their schools, there's good clubs about they all attend too. Not to mention the house prices are dirt cheap in comparison!
It's what you make it

Mamaloco84 · 02/03/2020 12:20

Hello fellow mums! We are moving from London to Norwich - hopefully soon. Buying house in Old Catton. Anyone familiar with the area - could you please advise on a good primary school and nursery, too. There's Garrick Green, is it any good?
Will be grateful for any help.

Solosttoday · 02/03/2020 12:48

Drive round see what you like.
Drive during evenings and weekends too. Check out the parking and noise situation.
I have lived in Luton and not far from Norwich, the latter wins hands down.

igotdemons · 02/03/2020 12:48

I’d personally pick a village on the outskirts of the city - the Golden Triangle area is very expensive, is close to the University so lots of student accommodation and if you have a car or cars, you’ll have the misery of dealing with on street permit parking (and thus never finding a space remotely close to your house, if you can find one at all)! I lived there for a few years and my parents currently still live there.

There are lots of lovely little villages all around Norwich that have good transport links and more reasonable rents. Plus you are more likely to find a house with a garage and or drive so parking is much less stressful! Those areas are generally quieter too. For example, Poringland, Easton, Old Catton, Sprowston, Hellesdon, Taverham, Spixworth, Drayton... there are so many to choose from! There are ‘rough’ parts everywhere now OP so don’t be put off by what is being said above. Less desirable areas are generally considered to be the Larkman, Mile Cross, West Earlham, parts of Costessey (new and old) and Lakenham. I also second not living in the Great Yarmouth area - it’s OK for a day out but I wouldn’t recommend living there!

Can’t comment on schools but as others have said, just do your research. Good luck, hope you find somewhere that ticks all the boxes! 😊

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