thinking of moving to Norwich (NR3) anyone know the area?

[SweetBeadieRussell]

We're looking to move from the sticks to the city next year, to be closer to the amenities/ schools/ pubs/ etc. I think Norwich is great, generally speaking, (we tend to go there mainly for shopping etc at the moment) but have no idea what its like to live in.

After consulting Rightmove, NR3 seems to be our best bet; lots of smallish terraced houses within our budget/ walking distance to the city, some good primary schools nearby. Reminds me a bit of the area I grew up in, so I'm hoping it'll be the right place to raise our growing brood!

In fact it seems so right for us i'm wondering what the catch is. Anyone around who can fill me in on what it's really like round there? Is it very studenty? Are lots of the houses empty, cos I'm hoping to get away from that (we live in a very touristy, second homey bit of Norfolk) is it the kind of place young families tend to settle, or is it very transient? cos we're hoping to find somewhere with a bit of community spirit really...

I was the one running past that damn Captain Pugwash ride on thing by the Homebase exit, telling dd that it's broken and no she can't go on it. I am also very enamoured of the rickety tables near the entrance with broken crap on them, reduced to £1. Did you see them? If you heard anybody arguing about tiles, that was probably us too.

Oh I love garden centres at Christmas. Will get to Notcutts first thing tomorrow! I wonder if Highways Garden and Leisure has its tat out yet...?

We are moving to Norwich! (Hassled, Fimbo et al will probably remember many similar threads from me!) We looked at NR2/NR4 (Rec Rd or Colman catchments) but houses too small within our budget. We are buying a house in NR7 so just outside the ring road but easy driving to the centre, plus excellent schools and nowhere near Mile Cross/Larkman etc! DH is Naaarch born and bred so will pick his brains on NR3. We also looked at Sprowston but saw nothing but bungalows!

Def up for a meet-up :)

Yes, Highways is fully bedecked. And the pensioners lunch looked v popular.

Tis true. There is a lot of bungalow in Naaaarich. Especially Spruston.

I used to live in NR7. Near River Green in Thorpe St Andrew.

Highways is brilliant. I like it when they wheel out that old bloke and his keyboard and make him play golden oldies to the bored shoppers. And then you have to resist sliding down the bannister to the café, which yes, admittedly, is God's Waiting Room. And they sell hot tubs. Norfolk is 95% farmers and 5% cows. Who has a hot tub? Human soup. Eugh.

oh so there are a few of us norwich ladies on mumsnet, how funny that we were all so close at the weekend!

Spruston and Loostarft are famed for bungalows.

And I apologise for my earlier typos. I, obviously, meant HUMbase.

Have Highways got their enormous, gaudy trees out?

It's not just a bed shop. There's a crap pet shop next door.

Notcutts Cafe is a woeful pile of shite. I was incensed when I went there - they couldn't give DS3 a bacon sandwich, only a toasted bacon sandwich. I asked them if they could just not toast it and they looked at me as if I'd asked them to turn it into a gold sandwich. And then it was flabby. I complained. A lot. I even demanded "a form" and I swear I saw some eye-rolling.

DH lives solely to go to Humbase. It's his favourite place in the whole wide world. Every minor DIY job requires at least three trips.

I agree with Hassled on Notcutts cafe. It is shite. lol @ Highways being God's waiting room, so true but north norfolk is costa del geriatrica.

I can't work out whether I despise Humbase more than B & Q, I think B & Q has it by a whisker.

Not finished reading the thread, but SBR, you & I have met (I freaked you out at a toddler group when you realised I recognised you from MN). And I have an elephant brain so I am about to convince you I am a stalker...

The Thursday breastfeeding support group wondered why you haven't been back, they are afraid they upset you in some way. That group's funding has been cut, btw, won't exist much longer...

Why not move to the town where your OH works, SBR?

If you really want to go with Norwich I'd think about Eaton, too.

The world's most miserable woman works at Notcutts café. It's sheer comedy gold.

Humbase and B&Q are marginally less migraine-inducing than being hit round the head by a bit of 2 by 4. But we're buying a house. Wandering up aisles of grouting tools is obligatory atm.

We could go there for a meet up to diss the christmas tat

Can I join in? I live in NR3, and we've been here for 12 years.

I know what SOH is saying about all her DH's 'customers' being here, but really they are all kept together in there own areas. Sandwiched between them is Silver Road to Aylsham Road and out towards Old Catton/Spruston etc. Lots of terraced housing closer to town and then semis getting bigger as you go out of the city.

Yes, Anglia Square is disgusting but you don't have to shop there. 10 minutes walk along Magdalen St and you are at the Cathedral. Or cut through past the Art School, and you are in the centre.

There are three good infant/primary schools that I know of. Angel Rd, Mousehold and Magdalen Gates. High schools aren't brilliant, but we can't all live in Aylsham. I've found that there is enough diversity of ambition that as long as your child picks his friendship group well, they will get on.

My PIL live in Swaffham and love it. I think it is going the way of Fakenham though. Nothing there except Estate Agents and Charity shops.

Glad to hear the garden centres are getting their Christmas tatt in. I feel a trip to Taverham coming on...

oh Ragged, you're my only favourite stalker, and like me you're a complulsive namechanger! They didn't piss me off i just had to leave NW because dd1 started school where we live (thank god). I think it's hard with all this moving business as you end up trying to make friends with people who've known each other for 10 years, and what with lugging dd2 around in a sling (which people assume you do out of a weird lifestyle choice, even when she weighs a metric tonne) it all got a bit much tbh. After we move this time I shall put down roots so long and refuse to budge, ever, ever again. Did look at moving out west but didn't find anywhere we liked. How are you anyway?

4madboys - wow so much info and so little ability to process it (dd2 crawling round the room looking for things to pull down on herself). I'm going to read and reread to check i haven't missed out on which bed dept to hang out in!

SoH - I totally agree about the not driving thing - i only know Ragged because of the ridiculous and excessive lengths i had to go to to get dd1 to preschool via public transport the last academic year.

Foundwanting - at last someone living in NR3! I knew it couldn't be all bad... I love the look of some of the little terraced places (except I can't be doing with bisected gardens - i just want to be able to stick the kids outside and forget about them for a bit) do tell me more...

I'm definitely up for a christmas dec scorning meetup btw

What do you need to know SBR? Consider me your expert in all things NR3-ish.

They can't possibly all have bisexted gardens, can they? Some seem to have huge spaces at the back.

Where exactly are you looking, and what's your price range? We've got a semi off Sprowston Rd with allotments at the back and Mousehold Heath a mere stumble away.

The cafe at Taverham is comical.

I don't drive but could make a cafe meet at either Aldiss or Notcutts. I think Aldiss is marginally better then we could gossip about the bed staff.....

thanks FW, erm, i suppose i'm going back to my original post really - is it community-ish at all? Transient or homely? that kind of thing... i know i shouldn't say lol as it's mumsnet, but lol at 'we can't all live in Aylsham' so true, whenever i meet parents of 10/11 year olds they're champing at the bit to get their kids in to the high school there.

oh, and what's so disgusting about Anglia Square itself? is it a run down shopping centre of some kind? And what are Wensum and Waterlook parks like? Needle ridden hell holes or fairly pleasant for an afternoon's toddling?

this is why I ran away from Norfolk - even bed shop staff can't do anything without the whole county knowing about it!!

Anglia Square is a 60's concrete monstrosity, advertised on local radio as a "town within a city". Ha ha it has a random selection of pound shops and a "square" with childrens rides. Oh and the obligatory hot dog stall. Upstairs is a very old fashioned cinema.

\link{http://www.nr23.net/govt/unfinishedangliasqhtm.htm\Just for you SBR}

this is the kind of area/thing although some interior shots would be helpful, estate agent people...

MMm my friend rented on St Olaves Road which is the next street up and didn't like the area.