Tell me about Peterborough

[SardineJam]

Have been headhunted for a consultancy role. Having had an initial discussion with the 'headhunter' this morning, I was asked if I would be prepared to relocate to Peterborough, to which I responded, possibly. I would need to know more about the salary and relocation support, if any, to make an informed decision. I am told I will be contacted with further information later today

So...tell me about Peterborough. Is it nice? Which areas are good to live in(i have two young boys)? How much would I pay in rent for a 3 bed property (no flats)? Etc

Anything you think would be useful to know, is appreciated

I live in Peterborough. As everywhere it has it's good spots and bad spots.
Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Hampton, surrouding villages etc seem to be the more desirable areas but will cost more.

There are plenty of parks and places for young kids to play.
Shopping is ok, but is well situated for travelling to Cambridge, Leicester etc for day trips.

The seaside is an hour and a half ish drive away.
Not sure on rental prices as I own.
Hope that helps

I'd guess that a 3-bed house in a reasonable area would cost around £700-£800 per month. You can go for cheaper options at around £500+ per month or the more executive-style properties for £1,000+.

The city centre isn't that great for shopping but there are more out-of-town shopping centres springing up which are better.

It's quite a nice place to bring up children as there are quite a few parks and lots of green spaces for them to play in. There's a big country park too, with several lakes and play areas.

Public transport is expensive and not particularly well-run. If you have a car you should be fine though as planning seems to be based on car ownership.

Crime isn't that bad. A murder would feature on the front page of the local newspaper for quite a while, rather than tucked away on page 5 or 6 like the bigger cities' newspapers.

The railway station has pretty good links.

Locally the salaries tend to be quite low. A friend of mine was recently offered a managerial role here and was expecting much more than the £15k she was offered.

I live close to Peterborough, I work there and went to school there so I know it pretty well.

As MadamTwoSwords (fab name!) said, there are good and bad bits. The areas she listed are good and there are lots of villages, some more affordable than others, some with lots of facilities and some just with a phone box.

Peterborough does have a reputation but I don't think it's any worse than a lot of towns in the UK. There's plenty to do, some good schools and lots of places within reach if you need a day away. You can also get to London on the train in less than an hour.

For a 3 bed house rental prices are about 700-800pcm, depending on the area.

How old are your boys?

My boys are 5mo and 2.11 so wherever (if) we move I would want to be settled for schools and not have to move again in a year or two

I live in Swindon so to be fair I think anywhere is better

Re the not so great public transport, do most families have two cars? We only have one, with one of us relying on public transport

I'm surprised about the salary figures as it was mentioned to me on the call earlier, £30k+ which is all very well but DP would need a job too!

We currently live in a row of Victorian terraces, which we love, and would want similar, really not keen on new builds, are there specific good areas with victorian terraces?

Most of the victorian terraces tend to be close to the city centre which can vary a fair bit. There are a lot of multiple occupancy houses and not so many families in the city centre. You could look in Yaxley or one of the other villages close to Peterborough, Farcet has a few streets of victorian houses.

Hampton is all (very) new build, the Ortons have a few older houses here and there but mostly 70s-80s houses.

I used to rely on public transport. Within the city itself it's not so bad but if you go for a village then it can vary. My village only gets one bus an hour but Yaxley has regular buses. Not sure on villages north of the city.

The problem with the public transport is that there is a lack of competition from bus companies, so the prices are high. It can be cheaper if you buy a weekly ticket for £12, which can used as often as you like. A daily one is £3.50.

Bus routes tend to go through to the city centre, which is great if you just want to get into town. However, if you want to go to another part of the city, you will often need to get a bus to the centre, and then a second bus from there to the other part of the city.

There is an good network of cycle paths though, which will take you to most places in the city.

In my area I would say most families either have just one car or no car at all, but that depends more on finances and individual circumstances. Lots of places are within walking distance though, so it's not a problem if one person doesn't have access to a car.

The terraced areas tend to be in the more central areas, and they're not always particularly good places to live.

If you don't like new-builds I would avoid the Hamptons areas. They also have a problem with a lack of local school places being available, and they've had to build a second primary school to cope with the shortfall.

£30k would be considered a lot for many people in the area, but that will obviously depend on where you live and your other outgoings, expenses etc. This is why Peterborough tends to be a popular place to live for commuters.

Bus service seems very much like Swindon's, with ours being a little more expensive too

Looked on Rightmove and it seems to be flooded with homes in the Hamptons area! I think I need to have a proper look and focus specifically on the areas suggested to me

We are a one car family, where I live buses to the city centre are every ten minutes. £1.80 single fare.

I'm quite lucky in that I work within walking distance but even when I worked in city centre it was still cheaper on the bus than parking (although the weekly ticket was £6 then!)

I think wages depend on the type of job, I'm on more than DH who is a manager yet I'm an administrator.

Can anyone tell me what Parnwell is like to live etc as been offered a house there and want to know more thank you

Hello there im thinking of moving to Peterborough, please could u tell me the good areas with regards to schools and areas good for children, and good bus routes. Many thanks :)

Hi Pepper,

I don't know about primary schools as my DDs are not school age yet and we live in a village outside Peterborough anyway.

Orton Wistow is quite popular with families, there is a large country park nearby with lots of space to play. It's also on a major bus route. Orton Longueville and Orton Waterville are nice too but other Ortons (Goldhay and Brimbles) are not so nice.

Parts of Werrington are nice too, there is also a large park there and a bus route.

South Bretton is OK too, North Bretton not so much.

Longthorpe is probably the nicest part of Peterborough, Netherton has a lot of families too.

There aren't any truly awful bits of Peterborough, but the least nice parts of the city are Parnwell, Welland and the city centre (but there are a few hidden gems).

I don't know much about Hampton, it's all new, but there are schools and buses and I've driven through it without feeling the need to lock my doors

Hope that helps a bit.

Nicest areas IMHO near Central Park (quite central) ie. Broad Street, Prince's Street etc.; Longthorpe ; Werrington ( though a bit out of the way ) ; Orton Wistow ; Yaxley and Helpston (nearby villages). Stamford, Oundle etc also could be considered. Many lovely villages to the west of the city.

Anyone who lives in the area of Hampton or Crown Lakes country park can give some insight into how it is to live next to lakes? It is an option to move in that area, but not so sure about pros and cons? Any insight much appreciated!!

Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for some inside info about Peterborough.
We (me, husband, 2 kids one is 7 years other is 13) are looking to buy our first house in Hampton. Vale. We viewed few houses in Peterborough Hampton looks good to us and seens a hoise in hampton vale which we are thinking to buy. We are so confused as this area is totally new for us as we are moving from other city.
I searched online about it but it's really hard to work out it’s a nice place to live or not.
I have read few blogs but loads of people are talking about the city being dangerous and full of dodgy people.
Can anyone who lives there let me know what they think, especially in terms of buying a house and moving in with kids?
How's the area of Hampton Vale i heard schools are good of Hampton Hargate and hampton college.I have also heard of car thieves in this area is that so?
Please need your opinions thanks

Hampton has always struck me as a bit cut off from the rest of Peterborough but it’s popular. There’s bound to be a local FB group you could ask about crime on.

If you like newer houses, have a look at Sugar Way too. It’s closer to the town centre and nice for children.

Peterborough has an unjustifiably bad reputation IMHO. There are dodgy people but all big towns have them. It has lots of facilities and nice countryside if you head away from the Fens.

Part of the problem is that it lacks graduate recruiters but the new university building opening next year should have a knock-on effect.

Oh, and as a woman I’ve never felt less safe than I have anywhere else. The dodgy residential areas are well known.

Thanks for the honest opinion much appreciated