Need help deciding! Sundridge park or Palace Estate?

[Chouchou79]

Hi Everyone
I've been wanting to move to Bromley for the past year. We are currently living in Clapham SW4. The reason of the move were:

1. get a bigger place, house with garden
2. I'm pregnant due in January and look forward to meeting new mums in the area
3. find good state schools for my DS who will be 3 next month
4. enjoy a better quality of life

We've finally sold our flat and have been on the hunt for a property for 2 weeks. 2 properties stand out 1 near Sundridge Park the other in the Palace Estate. Regardless of costs (Sundridge park is more expensive), which area do you prefer and why? Many thanks for your views.

That depends what side of sundridge park you are - west side still has a lot of council properties for my taste. But then the Palace Estate is a bit of a desert ie no cafe, shop etc unless you go to the town centre (which isn't far so not really a big deal)
Consider your commute too though

I don't know either hugely well but love living in Petts wood. Sundridge Park is an awkward commute, changing at Grove Park and you never get a seat - I go through in the mornings and always feel sorry for the people trying to get on trains there! Bromley South would be your station for Palace Estate and Bromley South is due a revamp with new cinema, hotel etc. you can get fast trains from Bromley South but only to Victoria, also trains go to Blackfriars. From PW you have lovely properties and excellent Crofton School plus commuting into Cannon St, LB, Charing Cross, Victoria and Blackfriars. Good luck, generally Bromley is a lovely Borough to live in.

Sundridge Avenue is quite nice and close to Elmstead woods station. New private developments and outright owned/mortgaged properties mainly. Bickley & Chislehurst ward. Trains to London bridge, Cannon street and Charing Cross.

Many Thanks for your feedback! So finally the house in Sundridge park was just a bit too dark for us (east facing garden too) so now focusing search in the Palace Estate. Fingers crossed we find something, I found I'm pregnant so I want this to be sorted ASAP ;-)

Congratulations chouchou! Hope the search is fruitful.

Congratulations on the pregnancy.

Have you found a house yet?

I started my search years ago in Sundridge Park and Palace Estate. In the end, we found that Sundridge Park was either too expensive or on the side we didn't like where there are quite a few estates and not a nice community. Well, not all, some did come, but we didn't get them.

We ended up in Chatterton village and I am pleased we did. I know look at the Palace Estate and find it rather dull. Chatterton village gives you a selection of parks and shops, it has a vibrant community and commuting to Bromley South (which may get the tube and has good train links) is a lot easier. I'd say if you liked Sundridge Park, Chatterton is more similar to it than the Palace Estate.

Just one tip if you go down this route: make sure you're really close to Raglan primary or you won't get in. If you're close to Raglan and don't get in you'll get into St George's anyway. It gets a bit more complicated if you're on the south side of the village. Also, I personally think the nicest roads are the ones that are not in the village itself, so between Homesdale Road and Soutlands Road: Marlborough, Great Elms, Wellington, Bourne, Elliott, Raglan...

Good luck