Harpenden

[MummyPlaydoh123]

Morning!

I posted on here a few weeks ago trying to gather information on St Albans and Berkhamsted as potential new areas for us, our search now includes Harpenden. The reasons for us moving away from North London are the secondary schools in our area are all in the requires improvement category and the crime rates are pretty scary, there have been fatal stabbings just a few roads away, aside from those reasons we just want to move to a prettier place with more like minded people.

My question for those of you that know Harpenden is - do the crime rates in Luton ever overflow into the town, or is there a fear that it will as I know it is extremely close being the next train station away. I know that everywhere has crime, but I’m talking the violent crime we’re seeing so much of in London and the surrounding areas. I just want to give us as a family the best chance of moving to somewhere where we feel our children will have a safer future than they currently have.

Thanks in advance, sorry for the ramble, this is a real emotional decision for us and we want to make the right one.

Xx

In a word no! Although Luton and Harpenden are only a stop away on the train there is no obvious overspill in terms of crime and anti social behaviour.

No. It's often referred to (both +ve and -ve) as the Harpenden bubble.
V little crime compared to St Albans, negligible compared to Luton

Thank you so much for your responses, it’s so hard to get a real understanding of a place without talking to those who live it. We’re coming from, supposedly one of the nicer parts of our borough and our worry is that it will end up being a like for like trade in time so it’s good to hear your views.

While I’m asking, could anyone give any information on The Grove infant and junior school, I know results aren’t as high as some of the other primaries but I get a good feel from their website and social media accounts.
Thanks again xx

To be honest, you can't really go wrong with Harpenden schools. No direct experience of The Grove, but colleagues that work in there have never fed back negatively. Harpenden is lovely, as pp mentioned, the 'bubble' is a thing, it's a bit self consciously middle class, but a lovely place to live

I don’t think you need to worry, OP. I don’t live in Harpenden but am not too far away (not Luton though ) and go there semi-regularly. Have you visited it at all? It might as well be in a different universe to Luton. It is indeed middle-class central. I mean, there’s an Aga shop....

I remember your thread as I think I posted saying I have family in St Albans and my Dad lives in Tring, a very short hop from Berko and I am often over there with him. Before then, he lived in Harpenden which is absolutely lovely. I know a few people who live there and have never heard of Luton crime impacting, similarly with Hitchin which is also near to Luton. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the three locations you have mentioned. You need to take time to visit each area properly but none will disappoint!

Thanks for all your messages, we have visited all 3 but will certainly do some family activities in each to get a real feel. My husband commutes so I will be left to make friends and build a community for us, a scary prospect but I hope my 3 DC will help with that :-)

xx

@MummyPlaydoh123 may I ask where you moved to in the end? We moving from Harringay to either Harpenden or Hitchin this year year with our three young children xx

@Littlepuddleducks we moved to Berkhamsted and we absolutely love it :-) good luck x

Amazing! Thanks for letting me know :) that’s still on our list too

That's still on our list as well, thanks for letting me know. fireboy and watergirl