Moving to Leeds Area

[kirbymamma]

Hi,

My husband and I currently live in south London. I am originally from Harrogate and we are seriously considering a move back up north. There is a high chance that work wise we would be based in Leeds so we are looking for nice villages/towns a reasonable commuting distance from the city centre by road or car. We have a three year old and an 18 month old so schools are really important to us - both primary and secondary as we dont want to have to relocate again for a good secondary school. Obviously i would consider Harrogate but its pretty expensive in comparison to other areas so also been looking at Otley, Ilkley, Menston, Guiseley. I think these are good areas. Are there other places we should be looking. I have foudn some great values houses in the direction of keighley (riddlesden, braithwaite, utley etc) but i do not klnow these areas at all and have no idea about schools... We want to be in the country as much as possible. Can anyone shed any light for me please?

Thanks xx

If you can afford it, Ilkley is lovely. That's our next move I hope

Ilkley is very nice, and so is Otley. Both have good schools. If you're likely to be working in Leeds then being close to the railway would be good.

Keighley is a bit of a trek from Leeds, and the main town isn't great to be honest. There are lovely properties around but they're cheaper due to the location.

Do you want to be in the countryside proper, like a small village? Or in a town with the countryside on your doorstep?

thanks for the replaies and sorry for the delayed response. We would love to be in a village really or somewhere with a village/community feel...

We live in Horsforth. 5 miles from centre. Excellent primary schools. Secondary school also very good. Own train station. Lots of young families. We love it and planning on our third move within Horsforth (working up property ladder). House prices rocketing in the area though as high school cachement area closed to ls18 (horsforth only) now.

Hope no one minds me resurrecting this thread.

kirbymamma we're doing a similar move - from Herts up to Leeds or Harrogate. We had looked at York too but have discounted it as too far away from family.

Have you got any further in looking at areas?

I know Menston, Ilkley and Otley quite well and they are lovely. Ilkley is very expensive though.

My family is from Keighley originally. As a previous poster said, you get quite a bit for your money but the town has gone a bit downhill in previous years. The centre looks quite shabby.

We're hoping to move to Harrogate but it may be too pricey for us. We're also looking at north Leeds - I've found a lovely house in Chapel Allerton that seems to be good value. Anyone know much about this area? Thanks.

Chapel Allerton is nice. It's got a bit of a trendy reputation (independent shops, lots of bars and restaurants). It is close to Chapeltown and Harehills which aren't regarded as highly, and some estate agents have a habit of defining houses which really are in those areas as being Chapel Allerton. I think there's a few people on here from the area who might be able to help more.

Hi, I'm in Chapel Allerton too. I agree with the above poster- agents often list properties as being in Chapel Allerton when they're not.

I am in the process of doing a similar move, we are SE London now and looking to relocate to Leeds. Exciting as I cant wait to see the back of London but feel really resposinble for getting it right, especially for my son who will be 3 in March. Please keep me posted with where you end up and any recommendations for a fellow mum new to the area would be great.

Lndnmummy, it really does depend on what you want, and your budget. There are lots of nice areas, but some may be better for you than others. Feel free to ask questions!

Agree. What's your budget & your wish list, beginning with the stuff you won't budge on & then going onto the things you'd like, if at at possible!

Hi ladies, thank you so much for your replies and I am sorry it has taken me an age to reply. For us the most important thing is for my son who is 3 and mixed race (white/black) to feel safe and included so a diverse area and primary school would be my "cant budge on", or if not such a diverse area at the very least an area where there is a culture of including everyone and an acceptance towards everyone regardless of cultural background.

I can be flexible on pretty much everything else really as his welfare is the only thing that matters really. The easier and faster access into the centre of Leeds the better so probably suburb rather than rural.

In terms of primary schools, as important as ofsted and league tables are, the most important thing to me is happy, caring and safe environment for children or all backgrounds.

In terms of budget, ideally below 300k if at all possible. One of the reasons for the move is to reduce our living costs so that I can continue to work part time and spend more quality time with my son. A big fancy house on the poshest street is not at all important to me. Coming from a cramped London flat I am sure most houses in Leeds will feel like a castle in comparison anyway!

We will prob start with renting first but would still like to get the area as right as I can so that we can settle and my son can make some friends (me too actually, I need friends too!).

Chapel Allerton always gets mentioned, and it sounds like it would suit you. The schools are diverse, there's a nice centre, a park, not too far from the city centre. These are the sort of houses available for your budget (or and a windmill!)

I'm in Horsforth, and whilst not as diverse, I'm not aware of their being any issues as such. My daughters class is majority white but there are some mixed race, black and asian kids too. It's a bit further out from Leeds but there is a train station which is very handy, and the schools have very good reputations (the high school too). There's a mix of houses again, with lovely Yorkshire stone and more modern ones.

I think for 300k you will be able to find a good house in a good area in Leeds. I'm in Chapel Allerton & have been going along to local primary school open days where there seems to be a real mix of kids - black, white, asian & mixed race. Our street is a lovely mix too & the area itself is really family friendly & really convenient for the city centre.

I'd second Horsforth. Lived here for years and really like it. Schools are great and it's nicely in-between the country and city. High school is supposed to be very good.

Adel and Meanwood both have good schools. Adel is quite posh but there should be houses below £300k there. There is an estate called Woodlea Park in Meanwood. The houses there should be within your budget. If you live here, your children are likely to attend St Urbans Catholic primary school which has scored an 'outstanding' ofsted rating. Another school called Meanwood CofE is also an outstanding school located just 0.5 miles away. Adel Primarcy school and Weetwood Primary school are also within the catchment area and they are very good school. There is also a waitrose here and given that there are only 2 waitrose in Leeds, I guess Meanwood is upcoming. David LLoyds Gym with DL kids is located just 0.5 miles away too. hope this helps!

Unlikely to get into either of those faith schools unless regular church goers & bringing child up within the faith (Catholic for St Urbans or CofE for Meanwood). Weetwood Primary is good & not a faith school. There'salso Shire Oak Primary which is CofE but not a faith school as such

My husband has got a job in Leeds and we are an indian family (Myself,Husband,5 year old son) who are moving to Leeds on 31 May 2015 . My husbands office is in Leeds City Office Park ,meadow lane LS 11. We need a furnished home-kitchen for 1 month ideally a studio or single bed room near to office(walkable for my husband)...so that in that time we can figure out where to live and what school to put my son in. Some people suggested that we can live with families ..but am not sure if that is practical...also i want a kitchen where I can cook Indian food...so will prefer private space even if small. Not sure of budget but if we try to look for 600 pounds for the month would it be reasonable.