moving to Brighton from London

[chumspam]

Hi all

I'm moving to Brighton (Preston Park to be exact) from London (East Dulwich) with the family (husband kids and cat) in early Aug and would love to talk to others who have done the same - I'm excited but also a bit nervous about such a big move.

The girls are aged 5 and 6 and my son is nearly eighteen months.

We'd also really appreciated iips on good places for the girls to do swimming lessons.

Sydney is just as beautiful as always Jackscat (I still do a mental "wow" every time I cross the bridge). Unfortunately the sun eluded us this Summer and we were soaking rather than frying, but Autumn is making up for it.

Have a nice holiday MABS. Will get off my ass to e-mail you one of these days ...

Hi still looking into the nursery thing (no I'm not obsessed just too lazy to get it organised before the 11th hour!). Has anyone heard anything about Robins? Spoke to admissions at St. Christophers and that is their recommendation but wondered if anyone else had experience of it.

Hi everyone, am also moving from London to Brighton once we've managed to sell our flat (fingers crossed it won't take too long..). Am very excited but apprehensive at the same time but reading your threads am a bit more hopeful that I'll meet a few people now!

We're looking in Preston Park/Fiveways, but haven't ruled out Hove. Any suggestions on where is nice for young families. I really like the look of Preston Park and even though my daughter's only 16 months we want to be near good schools (primary & secondary) even though this lottery thing sounds a bit confusing...

Ok, the lottery thing means that there are now fixed catchment areas for secondary schools. Most areas have two secondary schools. If one of those schools is oversubscribed, there will be a lottery to see who goes there. In THEORY the "losers" would go to the other school in catchment, but if BOTH schools are oversubscribed they could be sent anywhere.

Well, that's how I understand it anyway - please feel to correct me anyone...

Hove's a bit limited for schools unless you're going private or for faith schools. Shame, because it's lovely!

Anyone know if the lottery is being applied to primaries next year?

I haven't heard of any plans of that, BOTR, have you?

just anecdotal, furrycat...I'm sure they'd have a long long consultation period before doing it, so I'll check the council site when I get a chance.

It's taking 18 months to implement a parking scheme for our street, so I doubt they'll be doing something on that scale very quickly, lol!

thanks furrycat. I can understand why they do it, but it seems ridiculous that someone might have to drive their kid to school when there's a school on their doorstep. Anyway, that's a long way off for me...
BOTR - not going for private nor faith schools so reckon it's preston park for us then.

We've just gone through the applications process. The best schools in the area are Balfour & Downs. The catchment areas vary (sometimes wildly) by year, but can be incredibly narrow (800m walking distance).

If you're looking to buy, treat the house prices being asked in the roads east of Preston Park with scepticism. They've all been on the market for months because they're still trying to charge the premium they commanded in the pre-lottery days.

that's good to know BOTR, bec. it's exactly where we're looking! Can I ask what you think of Preston Drove (lower end) - we've seen a couple of nice houses on there but are worried that it's a busy road. Also, Beaconsfield Villas (although the houses seem to be over our budget) - it's on a bus route so not so sure.
And what are the real no-no roads (if any). Am I right in thinking it's best to stay west of Ditchling Road, and on the east side of the railway?
What about roads off Preston Drove e.g. Bavant?
Sorry for all the questions..

I don't think you can go far wrong in terms of roads around there. It's really down to personal preferences and priorities (shops, transport, etc).

We needed the mainline station nearby, and good on-street parking (small kids + shopping + no parking = very very bad).

I'd check the parking situation at different times of the day if you'll be using your car a lot. Busy roads tend to be harder ime.

Agents are still trying to claim Brighton will avoid the crash, but they're talking rubbish and people who are forced to sell are already dragging the prices down. We're renting so we can jump on a bargain in a few months. Rents on houses are excellent value imo.

agree on the shopping & no parking bit
if we manage to sell our flat we'll probably come down and rent too, get to know the streets a bit better & be out of a chain (fingers crossed)

Hi all, we moved down a few months ago and are renting but have to move again soon due to bad damp problem. Looking at Hanover as it's easy for DH to get to work from there, but also tempted by somewhere nearer the sea on the Hove side (which is highly inconvenient for his work!). Anyone have any views on Hanover, or Hanover vs Hove? My little one is only 10 months so schools not an issue yet...

both lovely Sleepless,but i'd personally always go for Hove.

I'd say Hanover We lived around there for 9 years and it is a fantastic place with young kids. Very friendly, lots happening and close enough to town (and the beach). Queen's Park is gorgeous in Summer and if you stick around there the primary schools are good, there aren't as many day nurseries though if you need that (lots in Hove). Housing tends to be terraces - a lot of them are bigger than you would think from the outside - pretty much no gardens though. It can be a bit up it's own bum sometimes (think creative, darling) but it's lots of fun at the right stage in your life.

Hi everyone, don't know if any of you can help me and my husband make up our minds - We have the choice to move to Brighton from East Dulwich, London if we want, but both of us are terrified to leave London and our friends behind. We have two daughters, 3.5yrs and 3 months so need to think about their future and schooling etc. Can you tell me the best bits about Brighton and what it's like living there day to day. We only know the lanes and the pier from days out! Could it be a case of grass is greener and will wish we stayed put? Initially we planned to stay in London for a few more years, but a possible job offer down on the coast has got us all confused - help!

I'm in a mental abusive relationship. and going to be leaving with my kids to come to Brighton .
my son is disabled and I'm not the best of health .help wot should I do ..need to get away

loveelvis I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. Please do start a new thread then people will see it and will reply to you.

Amaze is a great local organisation for children with disabilities.

We returned to Brighton and live nr Preston Circus. It's a great area, close to the station, Downs school, pubs, restaurants and shops and you can run to the beach in 15mins. Plus it's not up the bloody hill!

It is lovely here. But you can't drive in Brighton coz of the traffic so get used to it walking.