Forestdale/Selsdon/Addington

I used to live in Croydon and we still visit occasionally because some of DP's family are still there.

His brother rented a flat on Forestdale until a year or two ago. Imo it's just like a council estate with better maintained common areas. The properties are crammed together and poorly soundproofed, a remarkably high proportion seem to be rented out, I think there are quite high service charges (they were certainly high back in the 80s) and they have some weird conditions, eg you can't have a van parked on the estate (BIL's mate spent £40k on a really swish motorhome, that wasn't allowed either).

The neighbouring estate, Selsdon Vale, is nicer imo, not so crammed in. Some of the cul-de-sacs have direct access to the nature reserve. In Selsdon itself there are some very nice roads of 20s/30s semis and detached houses.

Addington: depends on new or old. New Addington is where I grew up. It has a massive population (35k when I moved there in 1965. probably a lot more now) and imo the best thing about it is the tram service out. The old part (Biggin Hill end) is nicer than the newer bits and they are well built 1950s houses with decent gardens. I know someone who lives in that area and even though it's nice, the perfectly ordinary couple across the road beat a man to death in the local pub and no longer live across the road. BIL was threatened with a knife after hooting his horn at someone who'd just cut him up in his car. It's still iffy.

Addington village is a different matter and perfectly nice, if you can get somewhere away from the main road into Croydon.

Wherever you move to, make sure you can get the tram to the station and not have to rely on buses. The traffic is pretty bad, and I speak as someone who drives into Brighton regularly, so I'm used to bad traffic.

I'd try a bit further out, for example, Oxted is nice and has good rail links. But then I'm a country bumpkin, so unashamedly biased.

My brother lives in Forestdale in a lovely little house. His kids have been able to play out as they have a green they can access from their back garden which is safe with no cars. There are nature walks and woods 2 mins walk away. Their house is really well proportioned and not noisy at all. I like it there.

Selsdon is nice and has access to better schools, but getting to the station could be problematic. Is Sanderstead within your price range?

Not Monks Hill. Never Monks Hill.

You are a long way from any train station in all those locations.

You may be able to use the tram to get to E Croydon from Addington but other areas you would be relying on buses. South Croydon, Sanderstead and Purley have train stations.

Addington and New Addington are very different places - have you visited the area at all? Out of your choices, I would go for Selsdon.

Shirley and Addiscombe are pretty good, or go along the tram line towards Elmers End. Benefit of that is that if the trains are stuffed through east Croydon you can go in on the Hayes line into London Bridge and get into central that way. Makes a huge difference having both options when you have major delays on Southern routes.

or drive/park by the tram,

Parking by the tram stops can be ridiculously difficult. It's one flaw in an otherwise great system.

Buses are fairly reliable - traffic through Selsdon centre can be a nightmare at certain times of the day but if you are travelling away from that it isn't bad.

I wonder if making your commute reliant on bus, tram and train is going to make it a bit of a pain though.

I used to live in new addington the booths estate are the nicer houses they are older houses and mainly semi detached, but you are talking one road in and out of addington which in the winter if it snows you are blocked from getting to Croydon, have you looked at Addiscombe much nearer to Croydon and a nice area, or Shirley is nice too with good schools, the Shirley side of west wickham are decent houses and good access to Croydon too

We lived in Selsdon for 9 years and this summer moved up to Sanderstead. I have friends who live in Forestdale and Selsdon Vale.

Locally I would say that Selsdon and Forestdale are the nicest out of your options. Forestdale is very much of its time - a purpose built estate, but there's a lot of community there and plenty going on for families. Selsdon Vale is more spread out but I think because of that you lose some of the community feel (and the rooms in the houses are smaller). Selsdon Vale is in catchment for an Outstanding primary, but none of the schools around there are bad. There's still a surestart centre serving the area at Gilbert Scott, and the doctors surgery on Addington Rd is excellent.

We've both commuted into town at various points during our careers - you have two options really, we get the 64 (which is very reliable and comes every five minutes or so) to east croydon and change, or I drive to Sanderstead station and park there for the train to Victoria. That's easier but the parking costs more than the bus does!

There's plenty locally going on for families and green spaces - the local library runs events and toddler sessions all the time, there are three very good local playgroups I can think of, each Christmas the turning on of the lights is a big deal and Santa comes down the road to do it, there are various summer events. It's a nice place to live.

I grew up on Farley Road in Selsdon. There was a bus weekdays every 10 mins to East Croydon Station and could get from my front door to London Victoria in under an hour. Still have family in the area now. Selsdon has many houses with lovely gardens and the schools are good. Plus the public transport meant I could attend a school a little further away with no bother.
There are woods in Selsdon where we used to walk our dog and make dens in the summer.
Hope that helps!

Sanderstead and addiscombe are nicer and better situated for stations but you won't get as much for your money. Some beautiful houses in addiscombe though

Addington and New Addington are very different places

I should say so. When I lived in Croydon New Addington had a very poor reputation. Although we did used to go to the swimming pool there on a regular basis.

Forestdale is very much of its time

I remember when it was mostly fields. I could see the building work from my school on the hill opposite.

we get the 64 (which is very reliable and comes every five minutes or so

Bloody hell! It was never that good when I used to catch it in the 1970s.