Plumstead? Safe? Good value?

[Jordan31]

Hello all

Looking at moving to Plumstead from leafy Buckinghamshire.

Why?

• To be in London - nearer work (city)
• Crossrail
• Value for money - Plumstead 2/3 bed house versus bucks 1 bed flat
• Hopefully make some money on the property as this is the last affordable place in London for most.

Roads tipped are around the common but which are best?

Would you recommend the area?
Is it safe?
Is it worth taking the risk for a cheaper and quicker journey to work?
Could it be worth maybe buying a place which needs some work and living in the area for 2/3 years hoping the housing market continues its upward trend and we make £50k or so profit.

We don't have kids.
Both need to commute to city/central
We have £400k
We want a house over a flat.

Any other recommended area welcome.

My sole worry is the crime in the area. Is Plumstead and the surrounding areas safe?
Bear in mind where we live we only hear a police siren maybe once every two weeks?

Go on the Met Police website for exact crime information.

If your main goal is medium-term profit, then a fixer upper in Plumstead could be a very good option.

Hi yy checking crime figures, noise & sirens will definitely be heard a lot more, it’s true it’s a cheap area of London & some good housing stock but it has quite deprived areas & has always felt quite isolated compared to other parts of London, it’s not somewhere I would actively choose to the live, but you could probably make some money with the impact of crossrail, I think fifty thousand profit is a bit unrealistic though.

50k is only 12% of 400k so a refurb alone should create that profit if done with a business hat on. And the Crossrail effect could bump up the profit further. (But, yes, personally too much of a snob to ever consider living there).

The housing market is not making an upward trend in London. There are lots of price reductions.

Plumstead would not float my boat but Crossrail will give it a boost if you can buy within a reasonable walk of the station of course. £400,000 does not go far in London and building costs seem to be way more expensive there! You might make money, but do not bank on it.

Crime is a factor in London - anywhere "reasonably" priced. Well, more or less anywhere really! Drug-taking and fights etc are fairly "normal" but often between people who are known to each other. Burglaries can be a problem, so safety locks etc are essential. As families and the uppwardly mobile move in and cafe culture arrives, communities are displaced and a neighbourhood becomes more attractive, crime is displaced elsewhere. It does not happen overnight. London is what it is!

@jojoSM2 you are probably right, I didnt actually look at the figures properly, I think I’m a bit meh about the area, as have some family in the surrounding area & never really liked the vibe of the place.

"The housing market is not making an upward trend in London. There are lots of price reductions. "

Is this true of Plumstead? I appreciate others know better, but I had thoguht that Crossrail had already had a impact and my experience is that this virtuous cycle continues for a while as new money coming into the area impacts on shops, restaurants, schools and public realm.

I like SE London. I dont get why everyone is so snobby. But then my worst nightmare would be living in the affluent home counties with peopel who discuss their kitchen islands or their Crucial Trading carpet whilst sitting at the 19th hole.

Need, Plumstead has lovely housing stock around the Commons. Vintage tea shop just opened and at the Slade, the old public toilets are being turned into a trendy cafe. New street feast market at Woolwich and more redevelopments on Plumstead High St planned and in Woolwich of course due to imminent arrival of Crossrail. It's a very friendly, community minded place. There is a similar level of crime to other areas of London but as usual, there are pockets of deprivation, particularly around the council estates of Woolwich. Shooters Hill is the posher bit but it's further away from transport links. I hear there is a commuter mini bus service direct to the Jubilee line at North Greenwich though. Plumstead People Facebook page gives a flavour of the area.

MrsPatmore, what do you mean by lovely housing stock? I've just had a look at Rightmove and it seems just lots of small Victorian worker cottages. Are there any larger houses in the area?

I lived in plumstead for years we call police sirens the ‘Plumstead chorus’.

"small Victorian worker cottages"

Have you been to Fulham?!

I am feeling a MN social coming on. Perhaps in the vintage tea shop. SE Londoners only as we already possess the flak-jackets.

Jojo, there are cheaper two up two down properties in the 300-350K range by the Common but also large Victorians as you start to ascend the hill towards Shrewsbury Park (400-600k range). Nicest houses are at the top by the golf club/tennis club - can't remember the name but its a mini estate of Arts and Crafts houses close to Oxleas Woods.

Haha, Betty's or the Pantry, need?!

I live in Plumstead, like everywhere there are better and worse areas. We are about to move out but I've loved living here and seeing the area change. And our house has gone up in value over 50% which is insane. I think the rapid price rises have probably gone now but there's still some money to be made. And lots of fixer-uppers if you fancy a project (ours was a total wreck when we bought it).

I grew up in leafy Bucks and worked in Plumstead. Bluntly, you will find it a hell of a culture shock. Plumstead has gentrified a bit in recent years and is much nicer than it used to be but it is still seriously gritty and borders the rather unlovely Thamesmead and Woolwich. Parts of Eltham and Bexley are leafier.

We’d similar concerns about the area before we did the research, took the plunge and bought a house there four years ago. Have never regretted the move.

Plumstead itself is a neighbourhood of two halves. We’re at the top of the hill, close by to Woolwich and a just few minutes from Plumstead Common. Strolling through the common on a spring day, past the tennis grounds and bowling green, sometimes feels - dare I say it - bucolic! Winn’s Common is a little further down, with Bostall Woods not too far away, and there’s a fantastic local cafe, The Plumstead Pantry, located on the edge of the common. Friends from more salubrious London postcodes are pleasantly shocked visiting the area!

Plumstead High Street, at the foot of the hill, is sadly down-at-heel. A great shame as it has bags of potential. It boasts some attractive Victorian architecture, and the high street could look terrific with some investment and TLC. That said, I suspect the area will feel the ripple effects of the regeneration Woolwich is undergoing and there is some lovely housing around there.

As mentioned, Street Feast has just opened in the old Woolwich Covered Market and proved a huge hit. On top of that, you have some flourishing local businesses, from Nepalese, Eritrean and Vietnamese restaurants, to a successful microbrewery with its own pub, and a twice monthly farmer’s market within Woolwich Arsenal. More’s planned for the coming years including new bars, a theatre complex, a cultural quarter with cinema and cafes and a new leisure centre. In Plumstead itself, plans have just been unveiled to convert a disused electricity station into artists studios with a market and crèche. So there’s a lot in the pipeline and the area is changing rapidly.

Transport-wise you’ve excellent links to the city via overground to Cannon St and Woolwich DLR to Bank, and this May, Plumstead will be served by Thameslink, with trains going to Blackfriars via St Pancras. And then of course, Crossrail arrives in December. Woolwich Centre can sometimes be lively at night, but can’t say I’ve ever felt threatened or unsafe.

Of course, the area won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but there’s a great community spirit and we really do love it here.

Thanks all for the really great comments. On the whole it's is fairly positive with some saying they love it versus others saying 'not for me'.

BUT no one has outright said to avoid the area as you will be scared for your life.

Is there any roads to recommend. I know around the common.

And any roads to avoid?

Even if living in the nicer part (the common). Do you still find that trouble comes to that area or do they stick to the high street and council estates?

Lastly, walking around the high street and to the station is safe? I've heard there have been a couple of murders in the area along with other violence and crimes (some in broad daylight)

Plumstead High Street is at the bottom of the hill and is quite down at heel at the moment but as Mamaroux says, there is a lot of redevelopment going on (new leisure centre/library going in soon). Go to the top for nicer roads such as Macoma Rd/Tuam Rd etc for the larger Victorians and any roads going up to Shrewsbury Park/Oxleas Woods which is very pleasant but not as well connected transport wise. For smaller houses, the Slade area Timbercroft Lane, Sutcliffe Rd, Garland Rd, Tormount Rd area.

There is a nice house for sale at the moment on St Johns Terrace which overlooks the bowling green. I'd rather live by the commons and get one of the numerous 5-10 minute bus journeys into Woolwich station than use Plumstead station as it's not as well connected as Woolwich and I think there is only one bus that goes to the top of the hill from there? (although I didn't realise Thameslink trains will be starting soon so that'll be good).

Mamaroux, where is the microbrewery pub please?

The Met Police will show you a detailed breakdown of crimes month by month and the streets they happened in.
‘not for me’ is what people say to be polite to others.

MrsPatmore, pub's called The Taproom which is linked to the Hopstuff Brewery - both located in the Arsenal.

@JoJOSM2. I know, but wanted peoples opinions. Always better than just taking a look at stats. Half the crimes people actually see may not even be reported.
I get what 'not for me' means

Thanks @MrsPatmore :). Really useful tips there and some good road names to visit and see in person.

Looking at the police statistics and comparing to where I live (one of the safest parts of London but my ward does include a large council estate for crime stat purposes), the crime rate in Plumstead is 3 times higher. The most common types of crime are violence, sexual offences, anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, vehicle crime, public order and burglaries.

Cross posted. Obv don't know what goes unreported and not great perceptions from me (I visit people in the area but don't live there).

I’ll stick my neck out and say I would not feel comfortable walking alone around plumstead at night. I’ve lived and worked all over se London and I work in the local hospital. plumstead and woolwich are the roughest areas I’ve lived in. Far worse than deptford or lewisham or catford where I’ve also lived. I’m looking to buy now and there’s so many lovely houses there but I’d never go back.

@JoJoSM2. Thanks for your input :). The crime is extremely outputting. I'll visit the area at the weekend and see what my initial feel for it is.

Looking at the stats im seeing plumstead averaging over 150 reported crimes a month

Uxbridge where i'm also considering is around 100 reported crimes a month

Where i currently live is about 20 reported crimes a month

OP, there are some inexpensive Airbnbs in Plumstead. I’d go for the weekend and see for yourself what it’s like after dark, especially once the weather warms up.

I don’t know which part of Bucks you are from but you will inevitably find Plumstead very different to even the rougher parts of, for example, High Wycombe.