Upminster Area has gone downhill

[Bunintumm]

We were considering moving to this area however a few friends already living in Upminster/Hornchurch have advised us to look outside of London as since after Covid the area has gone downhill with lots of car theft/muggings etc.
im torn as the schools both primary and secondary are good and I’m currently pregnant (well less than 6 weeks) so am thinking long term too. Advice welcome.

It is! London Borough of Havering.

It became part of Greater London in the 60s but the postal address is still Romford, Essex.

DONT worry I now most definitely won’t be moving that way!

It's not. The official postal address doesn't include Essex.

You don't trust what people who live there say, so who do you want information from? Nobody knows what it's like apart from the people who live there!

I know lots of happy people in Chelmsford, there are a couple of nice parks centrally and Highlands park on the outskirts. It’s also surrounded by countryside and has two of the highest performing secondary schools in the UK.

@Vivabasvegas hit the nail on the head there too.

@Essex1900 yes! Let's definitely do that 😂

@Bunintumm thank goodness!

@Boohoo76 intetesting points

Grew up there, family still live there but are keen to move, due to small minded reform uk type people. Join a couple of fb groups, you'll see the type. Cultural wasteland, people only concerned with appearances. I live in an area that also might look crime-y if you check headlines, but there's so much more to it, and a much better community feel and plenty of culture.
But horses for courses - if you read the daily mail you might like it 🤷‍♀️

I think you might be confusing Upminster and Hornchurch with Harold Hill. Or Grays. Or Basildon. The MP for Sth Basildon and E Thurrock is an actual reform mp…Those places contain ‘typical’ reform voters - second or third gen families shipped out of central London to better quality social housing in Essex who are still bitter about 1. Being moved in the first place and 2. Having to share services with an increasing more diverse population.

All local FB pages include moaners, oddballs, nosey Parkers and small-minded individuals who repost unfounded conspiracy theory shite - it isn’t representative of everyone who lives there.

That’s exactly it! Exactly what I heard. People who are small minded, materialistic and only concerned with appearances!

It's only affordable if you have the cash to buy there.

If you haven't got, or can't borrow, the cash then no matter how "affordable" it is (whatever that may mean), you still can't afford it.

Sums up most of the human race in my experience.

So where are you planning on moving to then?

Berkshire

Good luck in Slough! All the best.

Haha

@Vivabasvegas you know exactly where this one is moving! Such a weird post hey?

Hi OP,
I know this thread is probably finished, but I thought I'd add my own experience of living in Upminster. I moved here 4 years ago, because I have always loved coming into the area and I like being on the tube (for trips into London and because my family live in East London so easy to get back to). I liked Hornchurch but I wasn't keen on the secondary schools there, so moved to Upminster for that reason. As everywhere else, it has it's good and bad points. I think it probably depends on where you come from and your own personal views. So, for me, I grew up in an area which is really rough and has a lot of crime. I am going to be completely honest with you: I specifically wanted to move to an area which was still 'in London/on tube' for work reasons and family. I also wanted an area which didn't have lots of council estates or lots of socio economic problems. Upminster is, in my opinion, friendly and welcoming. It can be expensive (my 3 bed semi cost 750k - and is nothing special). Lots of green space and parks. The local park is lovely, with a cafe and rugby club etc, and the high street is a good mix of shops. I walk down the road and nearly everyone smiles at each other. I live 5 mins walk from the high street and my children are in local schools. My youngest is due to start St Joseph's in Upminster soon. Upminster Ward is run by Havering Resident's Association councillors - they always get voted in above Labour and Conservatives because they are local people passionate about the area. Teenagers apparently do travel up on the district line (from where I used to live probably!) and try to rob the shops or the children, but it's not a regular occurrence and I've not seen it myself, just heard. In summary, previous posters mentioned that it's an area where Reform would be popular - I think that's probably correct, we're probably right of centre here, generally. We have a sizable Eastern European community but mainly it's white British (around 60%). It feels mixed ethnically as you walk around but the stats show that it isn't really. I like the area myself, it feels leafy and safe to me, however it's proximity to Romford is a worry as my kids get older. There's a lot of problems there and I probably would consider moving as the kids got older. I hope you find a lovely place to live! Happy house hunting!