Liverpool/Bradford/Swansea or where?

[Mushypeasandlemonjuice]

Happy Saturday everyone.

looking for some location advice. We’ll have a budget of around £200,000 and need a 3bed. Property could be either a flat or house & we’d be ok being more rural if there are safe public transport options.

i last lived in Scotland but for different reasons that’s not an option now so I’m a bit stuck where to move to & we’re coming back from time abroad so visiting to decide isn’t an easy option.
i’m familiar with and like Liverpool & Swansea but wondered about Bradford also? (Don't know Bradford at all but its been recommended & within budget)

Wish it didn’t matter but it’s relevant to add that I’m (white) British but visibly Muslim (hijab) & my husband & children are olive skinned.

Aware the budget isnt high but we don’t need schools (for continuity kids have been/will be homeschooled) & are happy to buy a fixer-upper.

kids are teenagers & are interested in active hobbies (rock climbing/gym/water-based stuff), chess, science, music..they want to be actively engaged in groups etc so that’s a consideration.

any ideas about which city/area might be a good match? Open to other suggestions if there’s somewhere i haven’t thought of - WFH so totally flexible.

thanks!

know it's seen as quite multicultural but do communities mix much

In Bradford, not really, no.

Ok so Sheffield looks really interesting. Anyone know which areas we'd want to avoid?

I have the complete opposite experience in Bradford. My dd goes to a school which is a complete melting pot of different cultures, I have friends who are all different cultures. I work for an organisation in the city centre which is very multicultural. I am white so I cannot speak on the views of others but there is no 'us and them' in the area I live.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=STATION%5E15037&minBedrooms=3&minPrice=200000&radius=1.0&sortType=1&propertyTypes=detached%2Csemi-detached%2Cterraced&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

@HeatonGrov I would agree.
I have friends from different communities here but the general mixing isn't as good as it might be. My DC have a diverse group of friends.
I remember visiting friends in London and we went to a park for a picnic and the mixing of races was very different to how it is here.
Nobody really has an issue with anyone really but people do tend to stay in their own communities more than they might in bigger cities

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/69395876/?search_identifier=78dcd88cd1fe43a15b5f6d633f59edcea50507a35acff8e2b495bc369be32714
this is Liverpool centre, vibrant area, loads to do.

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/69264399/?search_identifier=78dcd88cd1fe43a15b5f6d633f59edcea50507a35acff8e2b495bc369be32714
L7 but the nice end, quiet estate, good bus links to centre or a 20minute walk. Not far from Sefton park.

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/66871849/?search_identifier=78dcd88cd1fe43a15b5f6d633f59edcea50507a35acff8e2b495bc369be32714
on the docks, by the water sports centre and town.

My son bought a house in Mumbles last year and the op would not be able to afford much if anything there.

Not many hijab wearers there either. Sketty is the place for that as they have a mosque.

Bradford would be the OP's best bet.

Seconding @Keepgettingolder81 and agree with area suggestions. Parts of Sketty and Killay might also be within budget esp if you're open to fixer-upper or ex-LA. Best of both in these areas - city is diverse and has lots going on (although a bit crap for shopping), but also good local amenities and easy access to Gower beaches, plenty for your kids given the interests you've mentioned.

I would be looking into which Local Authorities are best for Home Education when making this decision as some will make your life very difficult.

I'm from Sheffield originally so another vote for there too, but like anywhere I think the specific area you live in hugely influences the experience you get. So I'd narrow it down a bit, visit lots of places and speak to lots of people who actually live there. Good luck OP 😃

I'd consider Leeds, Halifax and Huddersfield over Bradford personally. Sheffield is also a good suggestion.

Aintree and Orrell Park are much more multicultural than they used to be and looking at the shops opening around the area I’d say it’s only going to increase. There is a good Sixth Form in ABHS but hard to get into.

That said I’d still be suggesting more South Liverpool. Toxteth along Princes Road, near the Womens and Granby is a good option and has a really thriving community. I’d avoid the Dingle side, but the town end of Park Road is a good shout. Smithdown is studenty but I’d be happy to live there. Old Swan is also worth a look, as is the Grassendale end of Garston.

Please don’t move to Aintree, Orrell Park, Toxteth and Smithdown. I’ve already said why I wouldn’t move to the first three. My friend lives in Smithdown and the students make her life a living hell.

@Leeto888 it doesn’t sound like you’ve lived in any of the areas - I have! You’re right that Orrell Park and Aintree aren’t historically multicultural - my point is they’re increasingly much more multicultural and the change is happening fast. Orrell Park ballroom had Ramadan decorations up the other day…

Toxteth is a big area, some bits as I’ve mentioned aren’t the best, but other bits are fine. The same as the way some bits of West Derby are beautiful and some i avoid like the plague!

Smithdown is a hate or love - for some people the location would balance out the student issues, but it’s personal preference.

Might struggle with that budget in Leeds. May be a few doer uppers though

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E787&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=3&maxPrice=200000&propertyTypes=&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

Any that catch your eye in Leeds, give me a shout and I’ll fill you in about the area

@AelinAG i know these areas really well and have lived in one of them.
Have you lived in a student area? Any student area? Families are being driven out of Smithdown because of antisocial behaviour and noise. Student landlords have a habit of taking out layers of bricks between adjoining walls to make bigger interiors which makes noise for their neighbours unbearable. There is constant fly tipping. It has made people I know who live there ill. as for Toxteth, sorry but no way. I wish it was different but I would never bring teenagers into that environment especially ones who hadn’t grown up there.

Swansea is a good shout.
Penllegaer, Pontardullais, Pontlliw, Dunvant are a few suggestions.

You need to be looking at the roads off Ullet Road - you might get something there and it’s not far from lovely parks. The area around Park Road, more central in Toxteth, would be seen less desirable.

I think prices for 3 bed terraces in the streets off Allerton Road are mostly well over £200k. In Childwall you’ll need to be at the north end, heading towards Belle Vale, rather than the south end nearer Calderstones. I’d also look at Wavertree. The part of Garston near Woolton would be good, but I’d steer clear of the part of Garston bordering on Speke.

Thanks for the heads-up - do you think you could expand what you mean a little, please? We're not deregistering, so I wouldn't have thought they would come to the LAs attention & as they've all been homeschooled since age 4 (abroad), so 10+ years, and are well on track to achieve decent GCSEs I can't see what we'd have to be concerned about? Am I missing something?

useful info, thank you :)

@Mushypeasandlemonjuice there is alot of increased talks around Home Education at the moment in Parliament, alot of other services are overstepping and referring into the home ed team or social services. Such as GPs, Dentists etc

@Leeto888 I grew up and still live near to Aintree and Orrell Park. It's a fantastic family area. It's much more multicultural than it used to be. We have lovely Muslim neighbours. I'm in Fazakerley and it sounds exactly what the OP is looking for!!!

@Mushypeasandlemonjuice Huddersfield has one of the best sixth form colleges in the country.

Ah ok. I'd be willing to engage if necessary.