Where to relocate for more space?

[BlanketSnow]

We live in a flat in zone 1 with no garden. I’m craving more space and a garden.

We are lucky to be able to walk to work and have brilliant local schools (girls currently at primary school). I worry about moving out and adding commutes to our schedule that would mean spending less time as a family doing the things we enjoy.

I have to be in the office 5 days per week and my husband once or twice a week. Offices within walking distance of Victoria and Vauxhall.

Where could we move to that would give us a house with outside space, ideally somewhere leafy, without adding huge commutes? We need 3 bedrooms and good local secondary schools. Budget £8-900k.

We moved out of a townhouse with a courtyard garden when my children were little into a five bedroom detached box thinking that it would make me happier but it didn’t. Daily loading the children in and out of the car became quite stressful.
The garden was not utilised as much as I wanted it to be or it ought to have been considering what we paid as a premium for it
You’re much better off staying where you are in my opinion and just being away more and if that means buying more holiday so that you get more time together in a villa in Spain or going part-time so that you can have relaxing afternoons in the park personally that’s where I would put my money for now.

Most primary schools in London are good or excellent so I wouldn’t worry about that.

You need to focus on

decent commute
Good secondary schools (far fewer of this & you need to think about catchment/commute.

I think the main difficulty is getting all that in budget because inner London is ££££.

Outer london (z4) you will get the space & schools but likely have a longer commute.

Also think about schools, everyone has different requirements & standards so what I class as a great school might be too restrictive for you.

Are you Catholic by any chance? This will give you more options.

There are lots of benefits to central living/flats but I would want a garden tbh as the dc get older.

Winchmore hill, Palmer's green, Walthamstow, ah, actually look at chingford, you've got Epping forest on your doorstep. No idea what the prices are like, but all those are easy for the Victoria line.

No real advice about where to go but I would say definitely move now. We are in a similar situation (but zone 2 and kids a little older). I wish we had moved when kids were smaller but oldest is now starting GCSE studies , we are more embedded in the community (group leaders etc) all of which will make moving feel much harder

I moved from z2/3 to 4 whilst dc where in primary. It was easier than I thought it would be but it was after covid when so many people did similar.