Moving back to UK.

[Odinsbeard]

Hiya all.

I'm moving back to the UK next year after working abroad for a couple of years. I'm looking to settle in or around Shrewsbury.

The priority is comprehensive schools for my oldest DS who starts senior school next september. Youngest DS is in primary school.

OH doesn't work yet, but will be looking for work when we move back.

Having never lived in shropshire before, i'm after general advise on where to live really. We're used to living in villages around market towns, but within 30mins of a City, so we've got the option for meals out and weekend activities. We're quite outdoorsy too.

Are there any area's to avoid? Are there catchment areas we need to look at in order to get decent schools? What's the job market like in and around shrewsbury?

Thanks in advance.

Priory, Meole Brace and Belvidere are good.

Shropshire is a good place to start - there are plenty of nice villages around market towns, and Shrewsbury has a good theatre, cinemas and interesting places to eat out.

Jobs-wise, depends on what sort of jobs. There are obviously "normal" town jobs in Shrewsbury and Telford - I think the job market is reasonably bouyant, although to be fair, that would be hearsay, from friends, as we live rurally and don't have conventional jobs.

The school in Church Stretton has a good reputation.

It's a very outdoorsy county, so you should fit in really well!

I was going to suggest Church Stretton, too. It's about 15 minutes from Shrewsbury and has its own community feel, not to mention the Long Mynd and Carding Mill Valley on its door step! And as PP said, the school's supposed to be good.

We're popping back to UK in a couple of weeks to have a look at areas.

Ideally we'd like Oldest DS to go to the Priory.

We've got a few areas that we want to look at but wanted opinions on areas.

So, we've seen a couple of houses in Bayston Hill, Sutton Farm and Radbrook Green.

We've seen a couple in Minsterely but think that this may be too far out of the way for the boys.

I've been advised to avoid North and East of the River, such as Harlescott, Monkmoor and Mount

But others say the Mount is ok. What's the Mount like?

We want to be in area that's good for the boys to grow up, where there is access to swimming, scouts and martial arts and a good youth football team.

Thanks in advance

Obviously it depends on your budget. I'm in Coleham/Belle Vue and both kids went to the Priory. Where I am has easy access on foot to the town centre and is relatively affordable but most houses don't have parking and on-street is max 2 hours with no resident permits. As you get into Belle Vue proper or up towards Meole Brace there's unrestricted on-street parking but it can be difficult to find a space. Roads that are worth a look are South Hermitage, Oakley Street, Raby Crescent, Burlington Place and all others around those.

I like The Mount and Coton Hill: they're worth a look. Monkmoor is mostly okay (and Underdale and Cherry Orchard are nice), and the closest school would be Belvidere, which is good. However, most of Monkmoor is not within realistic walking distance of the town centre if you're going to have to carry anything home. I'd avoid Mount Pleasant/Harlescott/Sundorne. Castlefields has a nice feel but also has limited parking and is quite a walk from schools.

Personally, I want to be able to get to all town-centre amenities without driving. I wouldn't want to live anywhere like Bayston Hill. Radbrook Green is very convenient for Priory/Meole Brace but is a bit soulless. Meole Brace/Meole Village is nice but too far from the town centre for my preference.

Should have said, most football is played at Sundorne. Easy bike ride from any of the places mentioned but not really walkable. Local MP is determined to close the Quarry swimming baths (although his business interests in Saudi Arabia seem to have distracted him up from this recently), so it might become necessary to travel out of town for swimming, too.