To be drawn to a lesser known Sanderstead rather than the more popular Epsom, Sutton, Cheam?

[commuters30]

It's a quiet spot and great for commuting, and it feels like a bit of a hidden gem given property prices still have potential to go up given it's proximity to Croydon.

But then it's a double edged sword! Being so close to Croydon... are we being a mug when we have the luxury of choice of being in other more popular places like Epsom, Cheam and Sutton?

Thoughts from locals living in these areas who can give a real every-day life comparison would be so great!

Lived in Epsom and it's okay. Not that exciting really and the High Street is nothing special. I preferred living in Ewell, which is in Zone 6, although I could also easily walk to Stoneleigh, which is in Zone 5. Both had good bus links though. Kingston is easy to get to.

I live half way between the station and the roads you listed :)

Now that the Thameslink upgrade work is complete, the trains are pretty good. 7.30-8.30am the trains are busy with the last few seats taken by people getting on at Sanderstead, you learn where to stand for the best chance!

I feel safe in the area, although there was a really sad mugging of an old man on the cut through footpath a year or so ago, but it doesn't seem to be part of a pattern.

Commuters park on our road, but you will be far enough away up the hill. You may want to get thoughts on how school traffic affects those roads.

The area is very residential, a few shops on Elmhurst way, the station parade and further away up in Sanderstead village at the top of the hill, but my one downside is that it lacks community and character a bit, due to the lack of any pub or cafes or restaurants. (It is old Quaker land do no pubs allowed). If you are into tennis there are good clubs around which are very sociable, and I guess the same with golf considering how many courses there are here!

Can't remember your other questions, will reread and post again if I missed anything!

@foobio so great that you are local!!!! thank you so much for your tips and insights it's put me at ease a bit more

what do you think of comment from @Quail15 though that there is a lot of residential burglary? I've never been burgled so that sounds really frigtening!!!

A final question... do you see many youths hanging around or anti social behaviour at the station and along the main road past bus stops towards the roads I mentioned?

@commuters30

Sorry I didn't mean to worry you. I'm just still bitter at coming home from work to find that some drugged up sh*t bag had rummaged through my knicker draw.

Shortly after this a few neighbours got together and put up a load of those dummy alarm boxes and some security lighting - no break ins since although the next road over was targeted. It's just about being sensible I guess x

@quail15 no it's good I'm glad you are sharing these things! so do you think the best deterrent is house alarm and motion lighting? or just front driveway lights that you leave on all night?

I'm near the station before Sanderstead. A far more deprived area, HMOs, conversions, that kind of thing.

I've had a few attempted break ins during the day (the first attempts were probably something to do with my arsehole ex, though, so I think it's probably two or three that weren't). I would set up cameras with good night vision if I lived in any large house in a very commuter-oriented location, any of them, as daytimes are the best time for burglars - and what your motion lighting would do is illustrate just how many foxes, badgers, cats and other mammals there are in the area. And piss off the neighbours when their viewing of the night sky (yep, you can see stars out that way) is interrupted by the security kit blazing with the light of a thousand suns.

No ratbags hanging around either station - there's not anything to entertain them - and the bus stops chuck out literally onto a little verge alongside Croham Hurst or on Sanderstead Hill, so there is nowhere to hang around.

If somebody were to be intent on being teenaged and annoying, they'd be in Selsdon High Street/Forestdale/Monks Hill if they came from the Addington direction, not trailing down Upper Selsdon Road and I've walked along the Brighton Road from a mate's round the corner from Sanderstead Station at stupid o'clock many times. If they were from the Brighton Road end, they'd stay around the shops down there - but nobody bothers with that, either.

The most disruption you're likely to have are family barbeques, bouncy castles for the PFB's seventh birthday party and a lot of Saturday/Sunday morning grass cutting/pressure washing the cars.

@MitziK ta your comments on rat bags and disruptions have cracked me up! thank you... based on these I think im more reassured now kinda

@MitziK and @foobio a thought on Sanderstead... I'm seeing huge detached properties being converted into apartments on The RidgeWay and Arkwright road. Do you think those roads are going to become less desirable, more congested with parked cars and noisier places to live? Just wondered if all these conversions are going to change the overall character and attractiveness of quiet roads like those.

I live 2m from Sanderstead, in fact I’ve always lived within about 8m of Sanderstead and I’ve never once considered living there.
For South London the public transport is very poor, there are only two trains an hour off peak and only to Victoria (for comparison nearby Purley has 9 off peak trains an hour to 3 different London termini and direct trains to Gatwick).
Because the area is so hilly it’s hard to drive there in snowy weather so the buses often get cancelled in the winter meaning it’s a longish walk to shops/other transport services.
As someone else has said it’s historically a ‘dry’ area with no licensed premises allowed meaning there are no pubs or restaurants nearby.

It is very pretty around there and the Waitrose is lovely but to me it has all the expense of living in Greater London but without any of the advantages.

Well, if massive houses along a posh road are being converted into flats, then the road will become less desirable. I live along such road and when we were looking, we discounted roads with flat conversions or care homes (a few of those around here too). We wanted to live in a family area with a good sense of community and not surrounded by renters coming and going.

Out of interest OP, what is it that puts you off Sutton, Cheam or Epsom compared to Sanderstead? Do you find the latter prettier or is it just because you expect investment potential? (mentioned in your first post).

@JoJoSM2 that's my fear too - lots of renters coming and going without a care for not partying til morning.

I love Sutton Cheam and Epsom. The main thing that puts me off is the commute. Its' just so much quicker on the 22 minute train from Sanderstead into London Bridge.

I think Sanderstead is nice. I wouldn't call it lesser known though. I'd prefer to live there than the places you name as alternatives.

Sanderstead is pretty and the 22 mins to London Bridge is definitely better than commuting anywhere from the borough of Sutton (and Epsom).

Not to be scare mongering, though, but the burglaries mentioned above and other crime are a bit of a trade off. I've had a look at the MET police and police uk website the other day and by contrast Sutton is now the safest borough in London (and crime rates lower than Guildford or St Albans, or Epsom and Ewell too). Another trade off is state schooling if you need it. Again Sutton is number 1 in England for GCSE attainment and one of the best for primaries too. In Sanderstead, you'd be pretty stuffed tbh. I can totally see why people put up with the longer commute.

However, I'd also like to make some other suggestions that might be a bit of a middle ground. Have you looked around the borough of Bromley? I think places like Chislehurst or Orpington are commutable in about 20 mins to London Bridge. They're superleafy and on the edge of London and safety shouldn't be much of an issue.

Or if you could bear 29 mins on the train, Carshalton Beeches could a consideration. It's in the borough of Sutton, relaxed and suburban. Small but handy parade of shops and some restaurants. Walking distance to fields of lavender, sheep and a country park in the south. Carshalton Village to the north (super pretty with nice pubs). £10 mini cab from the tube if you stay out till the small hours. Very good primaries.

Yeah we also considered both Bromley and Carshalton beeches - very similar commutes! I like those areas too.

I guess I just hadn't considered until now that Sanderstead may be (1) a high burglary area and (2) declining due to conversions of detached homes...

Sanderstead is lovely! The commute is brilliant (I lived there for a few years and now live one train stop on) - the train is so quick, and if you miss one from London Bridge, a quick change at East Croydon and you're home in no time, and you can sometimes get a seat if you go near the back of the train. It is a very quiet and safe area, but it depends what you're after - it does miss a pub, as many PP have said. Yes the area does have burglaries, but I think that's true of a lot of South London at the moment. What I love is that it has the countryside on it's doorstep - in 10 mins drive you can be sat in a lovely country pub or on a beautiful walk.

I sometimes feel like I'm on some sort of emotional rollercoaster haha...

Your comment @HGpg is so reassuring, because I'm concerned but equally I felt something great about Sanderstead.

Any tips on how to prevent burglaries? CCTV seems to be pointless because it doesn't stop them, only (maybe) catch them.

Never been burgled so really wanting to do everything we can do avoid one if it's something that's so common there...

In the expensive bits of SW London, people seem to have burglar alarms and Banham locks. Cameras are probably a very good thing as burglars would probably want to avoid video footage of the crime...

I hadn't realised about the pub thing. I knew that was the case in Woldingham, but it's only reading this thread that I realise there are none.

I live further down the Sanderstead train line and sanderstead is usually where the last few seats on the train are taken, so you need to be fairly sharp elbowed to get one.

You could go slightly further out to Warlingham/Whyteleafe. More countrified and access to stations (Upper Warlingham and Whyteleafe) within 3 mins walk of esch other one on the Caterham line, the other on the East Grinstead. Still zone 6. Riddlesdown and Warlingham schools both very good. Local primaries fine.

Council tax jumps when you cross from Croydon to Surrey mind.

Also there are pubs!

Btw, anyone heard about the announcement of the South London Downs? That's meant to cover Riddlesdown, Coulsdon and apparently some part of greenery in Sanderstead Kenley area, whatever that is.

We have a burglar alarm, and motion lighting and I leave lights on indoors on timers. But I will stress - the area does not feel unsafe - I think it's just sadly true that if you live in an area that is considered more affluent, then it will be more appealing to burglars! Some info here may be useful -
www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/met/croydon/sanderstead/?tab=Overview

I was living in Kenley until last year. Really liked it, quiet and friendly with the proper countryside about 5 mins drive away. We were walkable to Purley so excellent transport links. It’s really quite expensive on the hill above the station but we were in the valley and houses there are much cheaper.

Not sure if it will encompass Riddlesdown Common, but definitely Coulsdon / Kenley (round the airfield) / Happy Valley / Farthing Down.

Hopefully and end to the weird shit about putting on festivals!

There is a bloody LOAD of open space round these parts OP.

www.gov.uk/government/news/natural-england-to-declare-a-new-london-national-nature-reserve