East London move - Anyone w/ experience of Plaistow or surrounding?

[user1467718508]

I'm a very happy Clapton(ite?), but in a 1 bed (and hoping to start a family soon) so beginning to think of moving onto somewhere bigger (and hoping to stay East).

It's shameful that I don't really know the further flung parts of East London well at all (apart from limited knowledge of Stratford and Walthamstow).

I've seen some really beautiful properties in Plaistowe...do any of you live there/ have experience of that area?

I'm a fan of living somewhere with mixed cultures and classes, and value a good local pub and park.

Feeling really excited and hopeful!

Other half has some family in plaistow. It's like any other cheaper London borough. Rough around the edges. Wouldn't count on it coming up in the way Hackney has for example. I wouldn't want to live anywhere in Newham to be honest. Good transport links though...Narrow down a smaller area and visit at different times, get a feel for the vibe.

Thanks Kamma89. I'll plan a few trips to scope it out.

I'm fine with rough around the edges, but obviously if it comes with high crime levels (in proportion to neighboring boroughs), then i'll be rethink.

Transport links are one of the main draws right now - it's my only gripe with Clapton, only being connected via overground.

Would love a crystal ball right about now...

I live in E6, but just over the border from E13. Moved a year ago and am really loving it. Bought a two bed terrace house with a great sized garden and in London terms for the amount of space it was a great price. The area has great connections to the city, with the district or hammersmith and city as the main option but from us and Plaistow way it's a quick bus down Barking Road to Canning Town for the Jubilee. Also once Crossrail comes in it's not far to either Custom House or Forest Gate.

Cafes are opening up and some of the quirkier pub chains like Antic are moving into the area and there are some great independent restaurants in all different cuisines.

It's also really easy to get out of the city if you have a car, short hop on the A13 and you're out in the countryside.

I'm a 10-15 minute walk from Upton Park station and feel safe walking home at night. Off the main roads a lot of the streets are highly residential, so nice and quiet in the evenings. Yes it's rough around the edges but definitely not much more so that some other much more prosperous areas of London I've lived in or visited friends in. There are problems with fly tipping, but there's a handy app to report it and the council seem pretty quick to clear it away. There's also a lot of speeding, but again I don't think that's unique to the area.

There are some lovely parks and green spaces throughout newham and fantastic schools if you're considering children. I would really recommend it as an area.

Check out www.eastblam.co.uk/ for more E6 recommendations. There's also a new facebook group called Newham Life that highlights what's going on in the borough.

That's so helpful thanks @raffat89 - especially the blog; love it!

I'll start venturing around on the weekends to visit pubs get a feel for things.

We moved from Hackney to forest gate and it's been brilliant. Well trodden path so loads of young families, Wanstead flats is brilliant, great pub and a lot of new cafes opening.

Thanks, @harrietm87 - The people we bought our flat from were heading to Forest Gate, so it seems like that's the natural progression of things :)

Will have a wander around the FG area and Wanstead flats this weekend!

I have been living in Plaistow the last 4 years and can confidently say that it can be a hidden gem if you find the right place. We were renting and ended up buying the place we rented. In a sum, Plaistow is very multicultural and colourful, still a little rough around the edges probably but still relatively cheap, and that’s why we chose it.

If anyone wants to know more: The area has lots of affordable properties, young couples like us keep moving in, and has great transport links. I commute very easily to Whitechapel/Aldgate and my partner to Monument on the District line (which has aircon! Thank you TFL!) It’s as safe as any area I lived in- and we have lived in areas like Islington, Southwark and Hackney. Ignore anyone who says otherwise as they probably are outdated. I work late hours, but never had any problem walking home from either Plaistow or Canning Town station.

Our home is in south Plaistow near Barking road and we get lots of pizza places, grocery stores with food from all over the world, plus a couple of cute cafes and tradional pubs which I love- the Black Lion is my favourite.

Also lots of green- on weekends I go for jogging on the Jubilee Greenway, for those who don’t know it is a path for cycling and running with nice views of the city, that links Stratford to City Airport via Plaistow, West Ham and Abbey Mill. Not to mention that Stratford is a ten min drive, so we do all our big shopping in Westfield and we hit the park for cycling.

All in all, lived in lots of places all over London and I found Plaistow to be a quirky, quiet little place to make a home in. Hope this helps new people make up their minds about it! :)

I'm a police officer in the area - you couldn't pay me enough to live in Plaistow, bits of Forest Gate but not Plaistow or Canning Town - especially not if I had or was planning to have kids.

I live in East London and not a million miles away from where I work but it's not a bit of London that is going to gentrify anytime soon.

That should say "bits of Forest Gate, maybe but..."

Hi, please do you know anything about Cordelia Street and Langdon Park station please? Is it safe, please? Kind regards

Also lots of green- on weekends I go for jogging on the Jubilee Greenway, for those who don’t know it is a path for cycling and running with nice views of the city, that links Stratford to City Airport via Plaistow, West Ham and Abbey Mill.

Are you not aware that this part of the Greenway is notorious for muggings? Not just on pedestrians but also on cyclists!! Fine when it's busy but not somewhere to go alone when it's quiet.

I have similar questions about Thamesmead - property seems suspiciously cheap....

@RoseRedRoseBlue

I have similar questions about Thamesmead - property seems suspiciously cheap....

Thamesmead isn't very nice, and transport links are pants. You have to get a bus into Plumstead/Woolwich.

It's all new housing so just very generic with little character, local shops are a Nisa/generic off-license types and I don't think there's really any nice pubs or cafes (aside from Starbucks type places). I'd do Plumstead/Abbey Wood for a little more character.

Thank you very much, I thought it would be something like that