To move to Milton Keynes?

[Nelumbo]

I currently live in West London, paying quite high rent, been wanting to get out of the steadily declining area for years but never had the means.
I now have an opportunity to move to a place, which is smaller but cheaper in Wavendon Gate.
My worries are not knowing what school my 12yr old will get a place in and mixed things I'm hearing about MK.
It would be a massive upheaval for the kids, as they have grown up here and made ties here, I would also need to commute to work until I find a job up there.
Can anyone tell me what it's really like to live there? and what it will be like for my 12 and 16yr old, specifically around the wavendon gate/walnut tree area?
Will they have plenty to do to stay away from trouble?
I've been up there a few times and it has been very very quiet, but have not been there during the week.

I chose MK as its away from London but still lots going on for the kids and an equal distance from my parents and siblings. I would like to be closer to family support as I feel pretty much alone here.
Trying to get a gage on what people think and it's very mixed.

I have to make a decision on this house like now, oh and I probably won't likely find another rental easily in my circumstance (single working mum)
My DD is doing good at the school she is in and her dad doesn't want to move her, however the area is becoming very unsafe in my opinion, I really don't want her hanging around this area in the years to come
I'm not 100% on the house but In my situation I cannot be very picky, as the estate agents won't touch me.
I could wait and see if something else comes up but it may or may not happen and I may get stuck here for another few years. If the area is good it will be worth it
WWYD? ....help!?

I would definitely recommend mk. I've lived here all my life and would recommend the shenleys,furzton areas. Feel free to pm if want any info

Do it.
...but get out of that commute asap!

Moved to MK two years ago, no regrets. Commute into London is relatively civilised, particularly if you're close enough to cycle to the train station. Personally definitely prefer being here than somewhere smaller with a lot less going on.

Moved here 24 years ago, never regretted it.
It’s not soulless at all, it’s what you make it. Loads to do and so many parks and green spaces.
Avoid anywhere near the city centre.
Happy to help more if you want to pm.

Wavendon Gate is lovely, and Walnut Tree is nice too. The kids hanging about at the shops/takeaways is just because it’s round the corner from the high school, so they all pop there for lunch! I’ve never seen any trouble there, or felt in any way unsafe. It’s a really good school and I’m sure it’s drummed into them to be respectful when out and about.

And as for there being rough areas, the same is true of any town, the unique thing with MK is that you would have literally no reason to venture into any of the dodgy areas. They’re self contained grid squares of housing with local shops, some of which are nicer than others. The CMK shopping centre is totally separate and everything you need can be found either within your own grid square or in the city centre.

So Unless you live in Fishermead, you don’t actually need to go there, and most of the violence/crime I read about there is gang/drug related so unless you’re planning on a change of career, you’re unlikely to get caught up in it!

Wav Gate is only a 5-10 minute drive from CMK (as is everywhere really) so still not ‘out in the sticks’ but close to some beautiful villages on the outskirts, like Wavendon, Woburn Sands, Aspley Guise etc where there are nice pubs/restaurants, delis, garden centres etc plus woods, lakes etc. nearby.

When I first moved here, the advice I was given was to avoid anywhere the houses are laid out in straight lines! It’s a bit of a catch-all but it will give you an idea of which areas to look at. The original parts of MK carried on the ‘grid’ idea within each square, whereas the later parts have a more natural feel about the layout.

Brooklands is a new development on the same side which is lovely. The good thing about Brooklands/Broughton Gate is that there’s a new school there, so a) you’re likely to get into your closest school and b) everybody will be joining as new pupils for a while yet, which might make it easier for your DCs than moving into a school where everyone has established friend groups already?

If you need any help feel free to PM me. I deliver parcels all over MK so know all the areas pretty well! Good luck if you decide to make the move - we should organise a MN/MK meet up to welcome you if you do!

Actually looking at a map it’s only south of the city centre I’d definitely avoid. The older areas to the north are perfectly nice. But you can see as you go further out the road layouts change to random winding streets instead of straight lines.

Wavendon is quite far from train station. If you want short commute, look for a place in Loughton, any of Shenleys or Furzton. Great Holm is okay too, Two Mile Ash is okay.
Children in these areas generally go to Denbigh school which is brilliant. My DS goes there and I have no problems with them ever. I’m sure they would find a space for your DCs.
Bus traffic in MK exists, but annoyingly late a lot. I wouldn’t rely on it.
Everything else here is awesome. It’s so green and beautiful and the redway system is brilliant. I can walk to the other end of the town without crossing any major roads. And I do walk a lot.

You're right OP. Everywhere in MK takes no more than 10-15 minutes to reach. The only exception being if the M1 and A5 are snarled up, as it has a knock on effect with the grid roads.

A PP was right that you're near to the A421 in Wavendon and Walnut Tree, which can get busy too.

If you're seeking somewhere close to the M1, maybe consider Newport Pagnell, it's well established as it's a lot older than MK, with a lovely High Street full of shops, pubs and restaurants.

Another PP was right to avoid any estates with roads and streets laid out in extact straight lines, they tend to be the less desirable areas, although I can't say I've ever felt unsafe when visiting those estates for whatever reason.

I'd recommend you come up here for a weekend and drive around, get a feel for the place. I personally find the brand new estates a bit soulless (and as an MK lover, I hate using that word!), I much prefer the villages and hamlets inside MK... Simpson Village, Middleton / Milton Keynes Village, Bradwell Village, Loughton, Great Linford, Shenley Church End and Woolstone.

Other notable nice estates are Great Holm, Willen, Shenley Brook End and Bancroft.

Plus you have the MK cornerstones of Wolverton, Newport Pagnell, Bletchley, Fenny Stratford and Stony Stratford. Although these areas are hit and miss and a mix of gorgeous homes with less desirable pockets of houses.

Feel free to PM me if you need any help. Also we have houses for rent advertised on the intranet at my work, so I'm happy to send you any of you decide to pursue a move.

Oh and to second @HoomanMoomin's comment. The buses here are shocking, often you have to take two buses to reach CMK and it can take over an hour. On the upside, cabs are cheap here!

Personally I would not recommend Newport Pagnell.
Yes it is pretty, lots of nice shops, rural etc but quite a strong 'village mentality/clique' there I find.

The bus for your teenager to go shopping or whatever from Wavendon Gate would be the number 8 and about half hour. Just had a look at maps and it's every 20 mins, then every half hour after 7 until the last bus at 2250.

DD lived in Walnut Tree until recently. Lovely place and very quiet. I believe there has been planning granted for flats up by the shops though so look into that.

She's now moved to Emerson Valley. Again, lovely and the home turf of the Co-op robots which are an endless source of amusement when I visit.

I'm always impressed with how much there is to actually do down there on a weekend from karting to skiing.

Love Mk, lived here for over 30 years, there are 42 parks which all link up so you can walk and cycle for miles. I often pop into London to watch a show or meet up with friends, the station is 10 mins walk from my house, loads to do for my teenage daughter in CMK we are 5 mins drive away, we have all this on our door step but live in the village part of Loughton which is like a different world compared CMK. Schools are good, PM me if you need any advice

Thanks everyone for your advise, it has been so helpful.
I think I will make the jump, I'm a little worried the house is not quite what I wanted, but beggars cant be choosers and I just need to keep a positive mindset and make the most of it, the main thing is I'll be out of this crap hole, however diseuptive and stressful it may be initially. Longer term financially it should be better aswell as my current landlord has only got to put rent up again( which I'm sure he will) and I may not be able to afford to live here anyway

Ah that's great news @Nelumbo - Keep us updated and if you want to meet some new friends when you get here, give us all a shout on here and we can meet you for a coffee!

What sort of work do you do? There's loads of companies HQ here in MK and lots of new places opening up too, so plenty of work around. Hopefully you won't have to do that commute for too long.

Great news. Good luck with it all!

Hey Everyone,
Just popped on to give an update, so I made the move and have been here a month now!
I'm loving it so far...
Me and my daughter have been driving down to school/work and its not been too bad actually, takes between 1hr20-30mins depending, though Fridays we are there in just over an hour!.

I applied for the local school and she got accepted! She starts next week, of course I'm naturally anxious about her settling in and making new friends, they are just over 3 weeks into the new term, so at least she has not missed months of stuff, which could of happened had she not got in and I needed to go through the process of applying for others.

I've heard mixed opinions on the school so a little worried, I could not look round all the schools so had to just go for the one closest to home, and its very close, so she wont have to get buses or anything, so just hoping for the best.
If all goes well with her than so far no major problems, the house is fine, road is very quiet and we have everything we need close by.
My son is going to MK College, though he is only there 3 days week and bumming around the other 2!, as he doesn't really know anybody it means he is sitting in front of a screen all day, which is not ideal, I'm looking for things he can do on his two days off, but don't really know where to start? Hopefully he will get a part time job soon.

I've been looking for a job but not having much luck, I'd like to stay within NHS really but not much is coming up, they are either fixed term posts or part time which is no good to me.
Maybe I should look for something a bit different (and better paid), been looking at Open university, but not sure I have the right experience, though they look like a great place to work for.
The commute is costing a fair bit and I can't sustain it for that long, hoping to find and start somewhere up here in the next few months at least. I'm a experienced medical secretary/administrator in the NHS, if anyone knows of anything!

Anyway, would be nice to get to know some of you guys, I don't know anyone here! and want to start getting out more and living my new life to the full!

@Nelumbo congratulations on the move. Glad you seem to like it here already.

Out of interest, which area did you pick to move to?

I work at the OU and happy to give you any tips if need be.

Also happy to recommend places to visit, eat, party! Give me a shout if you need anything.

Thanks for the update, good luck, I hope it all works out xx

@GetMeOffThisCycleOfMisery thanks, I moved to Wavendon Gate. There are a few jobs advertised with the OU in admin at the moment, I just don't have the experience in the education department, I've worked in a mental health team for 7 years. It is a good place to work for?

@Nelumbo in that case you're perfectly located for the OU.

We recently had a lady join who had been a self employed fitness teacher all her life, got an admin job there and six months later she's a PA to a member of senior management. I think the OU really do look at skills rather than job title and if you do well there, it's always evolving and there's opportunities available.

If you PM me a couple of jobs you're looking at, I can offer tips for the application form (which is like war and peace!) and possibly which department would be better.

It genuinely is a great place to work, no dress code, good pay, annual pay rise, you can do a free degree, 33 days leave plus bank holidays, fairly flexible working (department and role dependant), oh and the campus is really lovely. I love working there. I'm on a fixed term contract and really hope to get made permanent.

Congrats on your move OP. I don’t live in MK but a few years ago we moved from the city to a seaside town, I knew I loved the house but I really wasn’t sure if I would settle. DH knew if I wasn’t happy we would move back to the city. I have never looked back. The best decision we have ever made. Enjoy.

I loved living in Crownhill and the school in Two Mile Ash is great.

I used to live in Milton Keynes. I miss it. Wavendon gate is a nice area, I’m not sure about schools but they have a fair number there. I’d move back to MK of I could. Good luck op. XX