Grove Park, Bromley - What's it like to live in?

[KezzieJJ]

Hi again everyone.

Thanks for the valuable insight to my last thread, regarding Woking and Guildford. After several weeks of desolate househunting at our meagre 250K budget, we have started to look locally again - and wondered if anyone had any insight to Grove Park in Bromley.

Fantastically large houses, good commute - schools seem pretty good - is there an unseen catch somewhere?

ANY and all opions highly welcome given we don't know the area and have seen two houses that we like and might suit our family.

Thanks in advance!

:)

Thanks so much for this response - we are also looking in Kent but struggling as husbie has to get to Hammersmith so this side has to be a short commute. Where did you end up going to in Kent?

We are specifically looking at Kynaston/Sandringham Road off Burnt Ash Lane - any further views on that particular area?

Contact an estate agency in Bromley called Sinclair Hammelton tel no 020 8464 5566 www.sinclairhammelton.co.uk, all the employees have worked in the business for years and know the borough of Bromley like the back of their hands when it comes to houses/flats/schools etc. They will be able to advise you on what you can afford with the budget you have. ( I have used them myself and they are fab )

Grove Park is quite rough IMHO. That's the reason the houses are so cheap!

Grove Park is rough but more on the area near the station/ Mottingham side. I know both the roads you've mentioned and they're very nice (and right near a Waitrose ). In my experience people from that area tend to identify themselves as living in Bromley rather than Grove Park as I believe your Borough would be Bromley rather than Lewisham.

I live fairly near and commute from Grove Park (it's zone 4 rather than Bromley's zone 5 so a lot cheaper).

Feel free to ask any specific questions.

Hi, I'm looking at the new build properties on Leamington close near Grove Park. Any info on the area would be appreciated.

Is it rough? I've notice a bit of graffiti - is that common? What is it like for children and what is the standard of the schools? I've seen that most of the local schools are rated "good" but are any better than others?

Thanks in advance!

Grove Park isn't very nice at all, it's fairly rough. Lots of social housing (not that always makes an area rough). I wouldn't live there myself. You'd be better off heading into Kent or Catford / Forest Hill.

Mottingham is awful. Give it a wide berth! Bromley's nicer. Not a nice commute to Hammersmith though. Have you exhausted all the north/west areas?

I've lived in Grove Park/Bromley for about 5-6 years now. Not only would I say we've had no issues at all since we moved here but that we really like the area and it seems to have gone from strength to strength over the last few years becoming a flourishing and fun commuter area without the downsides of living closer to London. We really enjoy the open green spaces, the relatively quiet roads(for London) and being close to lots of different towns and shopping areas.

My other half works in central London and commutes each day, it takes about 15 mins to London Bridge from Grove park(you can also stay on the train to go to Cannon St, Waterloo or Charing X) or you can go from Bromley South to Victoria in about the same length of time.

The nicest area is south of the train station going towards Bromley, but the houses there tend to be slightly more expensive as a result, most though are 1930s build so are big and ideal for a family.

Grove park is a bit rough, avoid anything around Downham Way. As you move closer to Bromley (near the Waitrose) and towards Lee (off Burnt Ash Lane) it’s a lot nicer. Mottingham is a bit rough too, but you will get more for your money.

It’s a bit grubby around Grove Park station but I commuted from there for years and never felt unsafe. It’s super fast to London.

Best tip is to drive the roads at different times of the day to get a feel for it.

If you can afford Lee, Bromley or onto Kent border I would go for that.

Have lived in/near Grove Park for almost 3 years now and have found it very easy commuting into London. it's been great bringing kids into London for fun-days at the museums and zoos. My partner and I commute into central London almost daily and there's frequent trains. New train timetable has definately eased congestion and I can even get a seat most days now!

It's definately nicer as you move more away from the station, avoid Downham way, but from Ridgeway Drive and Broadlands Road onwards it's great. Tree-lined roads, family homes with great communities around. Neighbours and the neighbourhood are very safe. Never had any issues.

There's some money going into the grove park station area, as they are repaving the entire area so will look brand new with wider pavements, so great for when I go around with buggy!

All in all, I would say if you can move more towards bromley way (broadlands road onwards is borough of bromley) it's a lot nicer than lewisham way or downham way. But good area to live in and it's definately getting invested in more and more. Great connections to London and well situated for family days out in Kent, for strawberry picking and deer spotting!

Hi there,

Thanks for all this information.

I'm currently living in Hither Green (by the station) but have been priced out of there for a larger property. So I'm considering a property on Hillcrest Road but was unsure how nice the area is as, looking at the map, it seems to be pretty equal distance between Downham Way (which is mentioned to not be nice) and the Waitrose (which is nicer according to this thread).

Any advice would be gratefully received as a single lady I need to feel safe walking to and from Grove Park station.

Depends where it is, precisely, in Grove Park. Like anywhere, some bits are good and some dire (I live fairly near).

There are other parts of Bromley which are better. Chatterton Village is nice for a start.

I would say in general the area is definately safe to walk to and from Gpark station, even Downham way. It's just when you compare Downham way vs. Burnt Ash Lane towards Bromley, the burnt ash lane and the roads leading off that is a lot nicer (tree lined roads, nice neighbours, lots of green and gardens etc).

I would look towards those, as it sounds like me, you're priced out of hither green, but we managed to find our money's worth in Grove Park/Bromley. I live near the Waitrose, but still less than a 12 minute walk to Grove Park Station, so really handy for going into central every day for work. There's also nicer places to go out in Bromley! Lots of restaurants, shopping and bars.

Hillcrest road wise - it's safe and all, but I found that area amongst Lancelot Road a little bit of a squeeze, but it depends what kind of property you're looking for. But the area in general has lovely old houses which are spacious!

Good luck!

Hi. I am looking at the Whitefoot Lane street , is it a good safe street?
Elena

I think the Whitefoot Lane area has a fairly high crime rate. You'd be better off looking at some of the roads/areas pp have mentioned.

As several people have mentioned the area once you go past the welcome to bromley sign on Burnt Ash Lane is generally the best area and has the nicest houses but everything comes down to budget. White foot Lane and Grove Park in genera is safe, I’ve walked around and come back from the station late at night for years and never had any problems. So I’d see if your budget will stretch to the nicer areas but I wouldn’t be put off by the safety of any of them. The other thing to look at is catchment areas, Bromley is known for its good schools! Lastly the best thing to do is come look at the area and any specific road, you will notice the renovation to the area around the station which is happening and the place in general.

As stated, best areas around Grove Park are near the Waitrose (to the South), or the roads off to the East of Baring Road/Burnt Ash Hill bounded by Coopers Lane to the South and Winn Road to the North and Mottingham Lane to the East.

Think for the budget mentioned by the OP, streets like Sandstone Road (estate but lots of privatrely owned and safe) and Marvels Lane might be an option whilst being closer to those nicer areas North of the Station (and with proximity to a decent Primary in Coopers Lane).

Hi folks were looking to buy south east London and honestly I can’t understand why property in and around grove park and downham way is so cheap.

If you search online for 2 bed houses under 370k in Bromley literally grove park is littered with properties that look like a great bang for the buck.

So basically the only thing I can think of is that the area is not that nice. High crime? Gangs? Loud noise on the streets at night? I really have no idea.

I’d love if someone could fill me in

As stated earlier, the Downham Estate is huge and has its social problems. Look up the crime stats for the roads you are considering. Property there is cheap as it's not as desirable an area as other parts of Grove Park/Bromley. However, that's typical for London and I would say it's a lot better than many other 'cheap' areas. The transport system is very good in the area.

If you are looking for a nicer area, then with that budget I'd be looking in Bexley or Sidcup - still London Boroughs - very good links to Central London from, for example, New Eltham station (15 mins to LB) and a few minutes more to Charing X. Change at Lewisham for Canary Wharf. Green and with good schools and high st shops.

I'm wondering if the poster actually meant to put 370k?

There should be plenty around for that price outside of Downham and in nicer areas nearby.

Indeed, there are 3 bed houses in Somertrees Avenue, and Jevington Way (really nice quiet area more towards Horn Park) for that price

I’d agree, I’d be VERY surprised if you found anything that was very nice for £370k and it would certainly be in Downham, not in great condition(I suspect) and probably a long walk to Grove Park station(which has the really fast links to central London). I’d guess nowadays if you are looking for a nice 3 bed on the good roads mentioned in this thread(generally the Bromley side of grove park, ridgeway drive, Broadlands Road, Trewell Gardens etc) I’d think you’d been looking closer to £500k, for the 3/4 bed chalet style ones that are all over the area it would be probably be another 50k again. Sadly the area is not as cheap as it once was but still looks cheap compared with most other areas that still offer the same benefits and good schools. Hope that helps!

Like most areas in London, Grove Park's a mixed bag - there's everything from rundown council/social housing estates to semi-detached and large detached houses in very leafy/picturesque streets. As mentioned in a few posts above, avoid the parts boarding Downham and also the parts boarding the Mottingham Estate like the plague - rough areas with many social problems/crime! Many commuters in the local area complain about the schoolkids of Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy – the main secondary school in Downham - because they behave like wild animals in public every morning and evening before and after school! Their behaviour’s atrocious to say the least so if you have a child/children don’t send them to that school! Most of the pupils at that school are from the Downham area or the rougher areas of inner London – e.g. Catford, New Cross, Deptford, Peckham. Most Grove Park parents don’t send their children to this school because of its poor reputation in the local community!

The parts of Grove Park heading south towards Bromley and north towards Lee are the nicer parts. In a nutshell, the best roads around the Bromley part of Grove Park are Burnt Ash Lane and the residential streets off that road e.g. Treewall Gardens, Broadlands Road and Powster Road etc, etc and the best roads around the Lee part of Grove Park are Baring Road, Burnt Ash Hill and the residential streets off those roads - Bramdean Crescent, Exford Road, Guibal Road, Summerfield Street, Ashwater Road, Farmcote Road, Winn Road, Blenheim Close, Heather Road etc, etc.

Good luck with your search for a property. Please keep us up to date.

To be honest with you me and my partner have been commuting to central London and back for over 5 years from Grove Park Station and in all that time however late we have arrived back at the station we have never had a problem at all. So yes there are better and worse areas around grove park station but in the grand scheme of London they are all pretty safe. So I wouldn’t let rowdy kids or the fact the station doesn’t look as swanky as some areas put you off, Grove Park and the surrounding areas is a great place to live, especially for the money.