Upper Edmonton

[BuildingThings]

Hi,

My DP and I have been on a flat viewing this weekend in Upper Edmonton, specifically the area between White Hart Lane and Silver Street Overground Stations. We really like the flat but don't know the area at all. We have lived in SE London for many years and rarely venture so far North.

We're aware the area is rough but live in a fairly rough area already so are not put off by this. I'd be really interested if anyone else has looked into the area and would love it if other people were also considering it as a viable possibility. It just about the only place inside the North Circular that still seems vaguely affordable and is only 10-15 minutes drive/bicycle/overground ride from some very nice areas/things to do in any direction!

It would also be nice to hear from people who live in the area? Is it changing? For better or worse? Are there any nice things to do? Parks, pubs, cafes, etc? Or do you always travel to other areas?

Anyways, I would be very grateful for some advise good or bad!

I'm very surprised to hear that area called anything but Tottenham? Seems it's being gentrified.
Be aware if you are anywhere near the stadium it's going to be absolute chaos when Spurs return to play there. I Have visited the stadium there for 40 years and it's a nightmare on match days

Look at crime figures for the area to help you make an informed decision as you can compare it to South London www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/

We were in that area over the weekend as friends live in Tottenham. It felt a bit more edgy than the area of SE London (quite rough) that we live in. It is gentrifying though. Friends houses have doubled in the last 4 years! As pp said, new stadium will cause traffic chaos. Personally, I wouldn't be buying a flat anywhere in London right now - prices are really stalling.

That area isn't necessarily the best... where do you need to travel to / budget ?

Thank you all for your replies!

@MissCherryCakeyBun that's interesting! Originally we thought it was Tottenham, but the property address said Edmonton - so we were a little bit confused - hence the title. We both like Tottenham! The vendor said the same thing about the Spurs matches, definitely something to think about!

@MrsPatmore we wouldn’t be offering asking price, so hopefully can negotiate a reduction that will give us a bit of security against the falling market. Whereabouts do your friends live? Did you do something nice while you were there?

@Plural we know this area is not the best, but we simply can’t afford a “good” area, so our strategy is to focus on being near the nice areas and it seems that Wood Green, Harringay, Stoke Newington and Walthamstow are all within 10-20 minute drive. Other areas we’re looking is Plumstead (which we both love) and were considering Croydon, but decided against it in the end because it just felt ‘too far away’ even though it's well connected.

We were watching the footy at the Beehive pub! Tottenham's rough and ready but well connected and as you say, fairly close to nicer areas. I know Plumstead well. It's a safer area than Tottenham, psrticulsrly nice on the roads around the Common - do the upper bit. Lots of green space, families and local Council workers. You will probably get a house for your budget there rather than a flat and it's a 15 minute bike ride along the river to Greenwich/Blackheath. Lots going on in the local community - yoga, new community cafe/arts space, Plumstead Pantry etc. Crossrail imminent and the new Thameslink service in operation. It has a different feel to Tottenham - not quite so urban/young (but you have Woolwich next door if you want gritty!!).

Sorry, lots of typo's!

I used to live in lower edmonton in the 60s to 80s and silver street area was also known as Upper edmonton or Angel edmonton, never thought of it as Tottenham

N17 is Tottenham postcode, N18 is Upper Edmonton. The boundary between the two roughly follows Brantwood Road off Fore St and the boundary between Enfield borough and Haringey borough is also about here.
It’s pretty rough.... definitely not desirable in estate agent terms (the nicer / slightly more cultured bits of Tottenham are more towards Bruce Grove I think). In fact N18 is one of the most deprived areas in London and has a not entirely unfounded reputation for gangs, knives, guns and drugs. Personally, I would compromise on living inside the north circular and move a little further out to get something nicer and safer for my money - but obviously, the suburbs aren’t for everyone. For thousands of people Edmonton / Tottenham are “home”, and when you know somewhere well, it feels less intimidating.

As for Tottenham - with all the money going into local regeneration around the stadium, I reckon it could be on the up? Not sure about Edmonton though!
Look at Peckham; that was a byword for gang crime and deprivation 10 or 15 years ago - and now it’s one of the trendiest areas of South London.

@MrsPatmore That sounds fun! Have to check out the Beehive pub. Plumstead is amazing! We are pretty sold on it, we live nearby and we always find ourselves going for a coffee at the pantry on the weekend. It’s so nice! However, there isn’t anything on the market right now that we would like to buy, we are looking for a very specific fixer upper with extension potential as both are architects and quite keen to get our hands dirty.

@Enfieldlady the postcode of the flat is indeed N18 but does seem to feel closer to some of the N17 postcodes than to the rest of N18. I think the north circular is a pretty big barrier. That’s really what my DP and I are interested in, we don’t mind a rough area but want to try and find an area that is well connected, not just to central London but to the neighbouring areas. I can see your point about Peckham (it seemed to really kick off once the Overground got up and running and South London became better connected) - Upper Edmonton already has that and our hypothesis is that by being surrounded by nice areas, overtime, they will start bleeding into each other.

I live further down the A10 corridor into Herts and dont feel any less connected than i did when I lived in Edmonton or South London. Oyster cards now go out to Hertford East on one line and Broxbourne on the other line.

Yet another fatality tonight. I’d hold out for Plumstead... poor Edmonton really is in the doldrums.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-44637583

I would try farther up the a10 corridor into Herts.

@Enfieldlady Unfortunately I think that's the sad reality for most of London as the government withdrew financial support from youth organisations across the country. With the closure of youth clubs, these kids don't have any good adult role models / positive / educational things to do after school. Now we are seeing the results of these budget cuts as these kids are growing up. This is happening all over London, not only in Edmonton.

How long would you hold out for? We've been looking on and off since August last year. Are we missing a trick? Are we being too picky?

@Bruffin Thank you for the tip, I have looked into this, but think it's a little bit too far for us, we are looking for somewhere a bit more urban.

I don't think there's any rush and you might be better holding off until March 2019 to see which direction Brexit is heading.

As someone from that next of the woods, you couldn't pay me to go back. It was rough and dirty when I lived there and has got worse.

What about Walthamstow or is that expensive these days? Great connections into London too. Also, as a PP said, even further out along the A10 connections into London are pretty good.

I did district nursing there as a student placement, there is a lot of poverty, it is quite rough, there are a lot of gang problems.

I live in East London, but I wouldn't live in Edmonton.

What’s your budget?

@Enfieldlady DP and I are gearing up to starting our own architecture practice and using a potential extension as our first project. Our top budget could be £350000 - however we don't want to spend more than £250000. The plan is to fix for two years while we design and apply for planning and then refinance onto a self-build mortgage. This is why it is quite tricky as we don't want to overextend ourselves by taking out the maximum mortgage we can afford now and then see our equity diminish should the market keep falling and not being able to do any work / extend in the future. Basically, we are looking for ground floor flats with a garden around that pricetag. Hope this makes sense.

@Wowzel Is Upper Edmonton different from the northern part of Edmonton? The part near Edmonton Green?

@moomoogalicious Walthamstow is lovely, but already out of our pricerange.

Other areas I have looked into is Manor Park and East Ham.

Hi there, we bought a little house in Lower Edmonton about 6 months ago. I really wanted to respond to this because we were very sceptical and honestly a bit anxious about moving here. We quite liked the vibe of the area when we first visited in spring 18, but realistically if we could have afforded to live somewhere else in London, we would have.
We had previously lived on a nice, quite street in Hackney but could were keen to move forwards and get on the ladder. Pay our own mortgage instead of someone else's!
Well so far...we really like it! Of course you have to be careful at night time, have your wits about, be streetwise. But Edmonton has a really great shopping centre - with a nice new cafe, and a brilliant fruit and veg market and a large gym. There's also really nice parks big enough for a decent stroll. There are some really lovely streets around Lower Edmonton, I would definitely have a look of you haven't already bought a place. After all, when I first moved to London, everyone told me to avoid Hackney... And look how that turned out...

@WhatsupButtercup I wanted to check in and see who you are finding Edmonton? We are looking around here after being priced out of Wood Green (where we have lived for 12 years).

Hi Gordita! Thank you for your message. We've been here for over two years now and haven't looked back. We find lower Edmonton definitely has more appeal with Jubilee Park and being walking distance to the nice bars and restaurants in Winchmore hill. Brews café in the shopping centre is great and there are some really nice beauticians after opening on Hertford Road. Also we're a 12 minute drive to Forty Hall which has huge grounds for walking and a monthly farmer's market. They've finally upgraded the trains, and we're well connected to east London and Liverpool Street. It's still dodgy but no more than anywhere else I've lived in London TBH. Hope that helps x

@WhatsupButtercup Cheers for the quick response!
What general areas/streets are nice(ish) to start looking in your opinion? I don't even know where to start. We don't have a car so really can't be far away from public transport.

We also had everyone tell us to avoid Wood Green when we moved here years ago but we have really liked it... it's just become sooo expensive now.
We had seen a few places in Tottenham proper, and I really liked it but my DP didn't at all :(

@WhatsupButtercup hi there, I know this thread is old but Im currently in the same situation as you guys were and hope you dont mind me asking how its going? Im currently living in Hackney and looking to buy for the same reasons you were...basically pay off our own mortgage rather than someone elses. Weve found a potentially nice property in Upper Edmonton, near Pymmes park and wondering what the vibe is there now? I dont know the area but have read about the big redevelopment project thats about to start there. Can I ask how safe it feels at night time for walking home etc? And what the park itself is like? Thanks for any info in advance :)

It was Upper Edmonton when I loved in Lower Edmonton.

@Chickenboo hello! created an account just to respond to this thread…
did you end up buying in upper edmonton near pymmes park?
my partner and I are just about to move there, having previously lived in hackney. I’m happy with the decision and think it’ll be a good investment over time, plus good transport links. but very curious to know how you’ve got on?
obviously doesn’t have the best rep but if you give back and involve yourself in the community where you can, keep yourself safe otherwise, then hoping we’ll have a good experience!