Beckenham, chistlehurst or dulwich...please HELP

[Ullaviking]

What are the pros and cons with these places? Possibly relocating back to the uk from sydney around Christmas time and are not familiar with these areas at all, but they are all within commuting distance from my husband's prospective new job and all looks like nice places to stay...if you can believe the estate agents.

My son will turn four in September so any advice about preschools and schools would be most welcome. Also I am Scandinavian and my husband is African so I am very keen to find out if this could be an issue in any of the above mentioned areas.

Any information at all would be helpful. Panicking big time about making the right choice as we desperately want to settle somewhere.

Thanks in advance

Notagenious I do agree in a sense that a restricted budget requires you to focus more having said that 200000 more would make it easier...wouldn't have a clue though what to do if I had £3 millions to spend!

Totally agree that I need to focus on primary schools at the moment.

Cannot say that I have missed travelling in London. Remember almost passing out twice due to the heat and overcrowding on the tube, how buses are super cold in the winter, but heating is on in the summer and all the lovely strikes.

Dontcallmelen thanks for mentioning good primary schools in beckenham.

Ah! Hither Green Lane does have the main shops but there's not a lot - coop, children's shop, plant supplies place, dry cleaners, hairdressers, cafes. Big Sainsbury's at Lee Green is within walking distance, especially from the side your husband saw, or Tesco in Catford or Lewisham or Sainsbury's in Lewisham. Waitrose in Grove Park if you drive or Greenwich on the bus.

By preschool do you mean state run (very part time) or private? I can only speak for the latter but that can be tricky in most of London. We use a childminder which tends to be easier in a hurry.

I'm not totally sure on school application timings but I think the deadline is January. If you move you keep the place unless they think you were playing the system - but don't rely on my advice as my DD is younger.

Tell him to check out Manor House Gardens, Mountsfield Park or Ladywell Fields as well. We have so many lovely parks here.

If your child is 4 in September you need to apply by January I think for your reception place, starting in September 2016. If you moved house you wouldn't have to change schools (if you could practically still get there) but some schools have rules about children in catchment having priority over siblings out of catchment.

You'd have to check but I don't think Bromley LEA (which Beckenham falls under) does this yet.

Oh gosh, yes. Manor House Gardens is wonderful with small children. It has a cafe and the garden is supervised at all times. It feels so safe. I wonder if the Library is still there, just off the park. Perfect. Lottery money changed this park.

The Sainsburys at Lee has a taxi rank, so easy to lug home a big shop. The two schools, Brindishe and St Winifreds are very good. Think St Winifreds is outstanding in Ofsted, possibly Brindishe too.

OP, about not driving when you are here, online shopping is your friend. We moved 2 yrs and had our first shop delivered the morning after the move, it was so convenient that we have since not stepped into a supermarket; unless we need the odd extra pint of milk in between shops.

Thanks everyone, my husband went for his interview and he got the job. Think we have settled on trying to rent a place in Beckenham as it seems to tick most of the boxes. Feeling very excited.

Great choice. Daughter lives in Beckenham and works in Dartford. She loves Beckenham, lovely Waitrose & M&S Food and great links to London and lots of buzz.

Agree, good choice! Straightforward and good all round place to live.

Notyetthere-I love online grocery shopping for the heavy and bulky items.. however I like to squeeze and smell the fruit and vegetables before buying Also I somehow always end up spending a lot more online. Maybe I just need to perfect my approach.

Whatkaty that was exactly how my husband described Beckenham.

Claudia how does your daughter get to work?

Ullaglad your dh has job sorted, beckenham is lovely, lots of young families, there are many nursery/playgroups & sure mn can come up with many suggestions, also eden park is another really nice part of beckenham, could be worth having a look at, beckenham is very easy to walk around & has a 'centre' also bromley is 10 mins on the bus, good variety of shops & has a threatre, happy to help re housing/areas etc good luck

She drives via Chislehurst.

Great news, we'll done your DH! I don't know Beckenham but have always hears good things.

You can also get the train from either
Clock house/eden park/ new beckenham/ west wickham to lewisham, which connects with the dartford trains or the no54 bus goes to lewisham then onward by train.

Beckenham has tons of restaurants/coffee bars, it does have a villagey feel but its an easy commute into town so a good balance. House prices aren't as high as say, Dulwich.

Well done to your husband on getting a new job! and on settling on a new neighbourhood, word of warning, do NOT take bus to Lewisham for your commute, I live around that part now as said before, all the development works mean Lewisham station and surrounds during commute hours = nightmare!!

Take the train, better option.

Peckham? Direct trains to Dartford, huge African community, primaries pretty good.

Sorry, that was stupidly vague of me, huge West African community.

Notagenius yy to bus advice i forgot about the roadworks[blush
Ulla ignore my bit in pp about the no.54.

Congrats to your DH and enjoy beckanham! And for gods sake buy there if you like it, before the prices go up even more!

Thanks everyone we are over the moon and dontcallmelen I will get back to you when I need some more advice re specific areas.

Not in a position to buy straight away, but hoping to do that as soon as possible.