SE mums need your help to find a good area (Grove Park, Beckenham and surroundings)

[OztoLdn]

Hi,

We need to move by the end of the year from our rental in Hither Green, we live on the Catford end so unfortunately we get a lot of petty crime and incidents so we want to move somewhere else.
My daughter will go to Bonus Pastor so we are considering the following areas:
-Grove Park/Horn Park/Lee
-Sundridge Park
-New Beckenham/Beckenham Junction

We need/want;
-An easy not long commute to London Bridge/Cannon Street.
-A good state primary school for our 8 yo son.
-A safe area, at least safer than Hither Green, I know there is petty crime all over London but in some areas less than others.

Would you recommend the areas above?
Any streets/specific areas to avoid?

We are considering buying a house.

Thank you

Sundridge Park is very nice. Good schools. Parish or Scotts Park. Bullers Boys for secondary.

Thank you, Sundridge seems nice but just realised that the train only goes to Grove Park and the trains are not very frequent.
Do you know if there are any plans to extend that train line by any chance?

Yes there were plans. Maybe look around Hayes or West Wickham

Bumping to see if I can get more answers:)

Most trains from Sunridge Park go to Bromley North where you can pick up a train to London.

Sundridge Park is near Bromley so you've also got Bromley South which is a larger station. Elmstead Woods & Chislehurst are good choices & also have trains to Canon street, London bridge & Charing X.

Choose a house in Bromley Borough for better schools; Beckenham & Sundridge are both in Bromley Borough.

Beckenham has excellent transport links, my dd attended Bonus Pastor when we moved here (was a long time ago) from memory she got the train from Clockhouse to Catford then hopped on a bus her other option I think was the 54 bus from Beckenham Junction.
Beckenham/West Wickham/Hayes all good family friendly areas the last two would be a longer commute for the school though.

You can also get the 54 bus from Croydon Road end of Beckenham also further up runs by Eden Park near the big Tesco.
The Hayes line is good for London Bridge/Cannon St

We really liked the feel of Sunridge Park, it seems like a calm area.
But having to catch two trains to go to Central London is not ideal, I had a look at the time schedule and that would mean having to wait 10+ mins at Grove Park for a train.
We may do it for the right house.

The train from New Beckenham (the Hayes line) is direct to London Bridge - about 25 mins.

Beckenham junction is (mainly) direct to Victoria. It’s handy being close to both and definitely nicer than Catford.

Can’t you move to Hither Green ?

the non Catford end

ie, near Lee station or Hither Green station

We’ve considered the Lee green side but I wonder how much it is going to change, there’s lots of regular incidents (mugging, intimidation) near Hither Green Station and also in Manor House Park Gardens in Lee Green.

Definitely not Lee Green!
I have friends in the roads off the main road - Handen/micheldever/manor lane. No problems round there at all.

What's your budget

Does your daughter already have her place confirmed?
It's a popular school so you need to be sure you'd get in.

I’m in the HG/LG FB group and issues are reported regularly om both sides of the station. LG is definitely nicer but still issues.

£950k maybe a little more for the perfect house.

Yes, she got her first option, Bonus Pastor in Downham, so we want to stay close that’s why we are considering Grove Park, Beckenham etc.

How will your daughter get to school

she will catch the bus so hoping it’s max 15 mins bus ride and hoping she doesn’t have to walk more than 5-10 mins to/from the bus stop.

You might also want to check with the admissions team that moving before the start of term won't jepodise her place.
If you are moving closer and distance is a selection criteria you will probably be ok but speak to the schools team (there may be a bit of a wait to get through as lots of people are calling about waiting lists.

The Beckenham side of Penge? Also Kent House area? Both will offer a short walk to a station on Catford Bridge/London Bridge line - New Beckenham or Clock House. Penge is getting a lot of hype lately as it was named the coolest place in London (and one of 11 in whole of UK) in Sunday Times, so articles have since appeared in Daily Mail, Times, Metro and Express. Lots of nice houses, parks and community stuff, plus usual cafes, bars, practical shops, etc.

Surprised to see this post, we’ve lived in Catford the side near HG for years and never had any issues at all. It’s always felt like a very safe neighbourhood. Maybe you just got unlucky! We’re also considering Bonus Pastor for secondary school, seems a great option and an acceptable commute.

Another vote for Beckenham. Great transport links and buzzy but safe.

Sundridge Park, Beckenham & Bromley are all great, family areas, lots of open spaces but a lot of other local amenities, decent cafes, access to shops and activities.

West Wickham similar…

Would avoid Lee Green personally, traffic is hideous all the time and the general feel has sunk in recent years, with lots more crime than before.

Grove Park has always felt a bit cut off with everything you’re likely to need a drive away… but some great houses/streets.

Hope you find somewhere that works for you all, it’s never easy sussing out where might be best.

Could you move to an area like Brockley or Telegraph Hill. Certainly the latter doesn’t have massive crime issues.