Thornton Heath - What's it like?

[MovingToCroydon]

Hi!

We are a couple, moving from Lewisham to Croydon.

We've found a nice property in Thornton Heath (off Bensham Manor Road), and wanted to get some local impressions of the area. From visiting, it seems run down, but nice enough, but I know that living there can give a different impression to a fleeting visit.

We've lived in SE London for 3 years, and so understand that reputations are not always accurate. Thornton Heath doesn't have a great reputation, so we'd be really interested in hearing local opinions from people who live in the area. Does it feel safe? Should we be worried about moving to the area?

Thanks everyone!

Hi and welcome to Thornton Heath! :-)

I've bought up three children in the area, and have been here for 14 years. My youngest two are still at Whitehorse Manor school.

Thornton Heath is rough, no doubt about that, but I've always felt safe, and there are so many incredibly nice people here.

Please don't worry about crime - it's definitely not worse here than Lewisham (my daughter is at secondary school in Lewisham and I know what it's like). Things like fly-tipping, terrible parking, littering are really bad around here, and there are no posh cafes or any other signs of gentrification so far. However, when I want a bit of that I just toddle up to Crystal Palace.....

Thanks, that's really reassuring.

We're looking forward to getting the move sorted and settling in!

Moved here in 2004 with 2 little ones. Still alive! Kids very happy. there was a new group set up last year -Thornton Heath Community Action team - aim to make it greener and cleaner. We have about 60 members. We have good links with the council and are somewhat involved in putting pressure on our Councillors to help us make it nicer here. One of the local councillors for Bensham Manor Ward is Jamie Audsley who has been really active here. We plant flowers, organise litter picks, get fly tipping reported, sorted out a Christmas tree and loads of little projects. Next project is at the clock tower to plant flowers! The recreation ground also has an active friends group and a community garden. There is a festival in September which is well attended and usually a nice community event. Most people are friendly. Yes - it is a bit grubby but really "real". Search for a few of our groups on Facebook and Twitter. We would love some sort of community hub or cafe here but close enough to Crystal Palace for all that sort of thing! There is a little restaurant on the high street called the Blue and Orange which is quite nice and an eggless cake specialist locally!

Forgot to mention the council are spending 1.7m from the library to the whitehorse road roundabout in the next 2 years. Every little helps!

Hi there my brother in law lives in Croydon and is looking to buy a second hand car. Does anyone have any local recommendations? Many thanks.

Hi, we moved back to Thornton Heath a couple of months ago - and I'm so glad we did! Yes it's a little rough around the edges still but as Dorisdumble says, it feels real. You can't beat the West Indian take outs in the area and the doctors on Gillet Rd are fantastic!

I'm on Melfort - just across from Bensham and I've always felt safe here.
Hope that helps :)

I live in and raise my kids in Thornton Heath. Rough, yes, in parts. Lots of new people with money moving into the area. Some roads I wouldn't touch with a bargepole, some crime but not really any different from other S London areas, imo.

Positives - subway, superdrug, one nice restaurant, a really nice Costa, great chinese takeaway, good schools, some outstanding, a great leisure centre, brilliant housing stock, Weatherspoons, westfield on its way, cheap housing, 22 mins from Vic, and, get this, thornton heath is filled with FAMILIES living in actual FAMILY HOMES. It's probably the most family dominated area i have lived in in south london. We have a great carnival each year with a great turn out. It is multicultural, with all groups getting a long. I'd sooner raise my kids here that some boring commuter town.

You can still get roomy family homes in Thornton Heath for under 400k.

I'd sooner TH than South Norwood, much of south croydon, mitchem, west croydon.

We are happy, feel safe, and will raise our kids here, no matter what their age. And despite the post code, I feel very much a part of South London, in the heart of it really.

We recently bought a two bedroom house in Thornton Heath, as every day passes I appreciate what a good investment it is.

Lots of regeneration in the area with the recently opened box park and upcoming Westfield and some planned regeneration in Thornton heath itself. Coupled with the good transport links, only a fool would think the area won't improve.

I live between Thornton Heath and South Norwood. Both great local high streets, in different ways.

Hello, we are purchasing a house in Thornton Heath and moving from SE London where we’ve been renting 10+ years. As a first time buyer with school kids it’s been very difficult but our youngest is starting secondary school so it’s time to move on. Although leaving my local is so sad, I feel lucky as we finally be able to buy a house in area which doesn’t seem very popular but probably works for us.
I would love to hear what TH is like, if anyone moved to TH recently I would appreciate if you wouldn’t mind sharing how you find it. The house is near Spa Hill Allotment so it’s a bit far from train stations. I’m a bit worried about transport link and traffic for buses, my husband says he cycles to CP or Norwood Junction for commuting then leave his bike at the station (not sure how safe) to catch Overground.

Sorry MovingToCroydon for posting a long message just couldn’t find how to start a new chat. I’ve managed to create it.

It's been awhile since there's been any activity on this thread, but I'd love to hear an update.

We're currently in the process of buying our first home in TH after renting in Streatham for 8 years.

I believe Croydon Council is bankrupt but has apparently secured the Westfield development as of the last week despite it being in the works for like 10 years.

As for TH itself, I have seen a regeneration plan however it wasn't going to be funded by the Croydon Council. It was published in 2021, has much happened in that time. Has there been any investment in the area?

I appreciate it's still a bit rough and ready looking, but so was Streatham when I first moved there. I know these things take time, especially when the country's close to recession.

Anyway, looking forward to moving to the area.