Whitchurch, Bristol urgent AREA feedback please

[simz3987]

Hi All,

New to this site :) so firstly hello! We need some help in terms of areas to live in Bristol.

We are looking to buy a new family home in Whitchurch near Bridge Farm Primary School. I am not sure about the area. We drove past a few dodgy looking shops (no offence intended) and what looks like a men's working club. When you get onto the street though it looks ok.

My fiancé loves the house but I am not so sure about the area. We have put in an offer however a colleague of mine has said it is a bit rough.

For some context, we work in Malmesbury and my other half's children live in Street, Somerset so we are looking for somewhere half way but also wanting to start a family of our own pretty soon so knowing the area is safe with good schools around is important.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks xx

Nope I wouldn't buy in whitchurch. If you work in malmsbury you should look to be closer there and accept the travel time to his children. You do not want a massive commute daily either pregnant or with small children. Presuming you see his children EOW?

If you work in Malmesbury you would be mad to go as far as Bristol. Bristol is renowned for high property prices and the competition to get into decent secondary schools is just insane. I would look to live closer to where you work and factor in the travel time to see the kids.

Hi Both, thank you for your responses

Yeah we see them EOW however he wants to be able to see them more frequently and his ex moans about them hating the drive. To be fair it is a 3-4 hour round trip for us from a Friday and Sunday.

We are prepared to accept the commute time and found Keynsham/Whitchurch to be acceptable but just need to know what the area is like.

I don't think my other half sees this as an option to move closer to work. Bristol at some point will be where we both look for work and I guess the house is more of a longer commit than the job

xx

Keynsham better, if those really are your only two options.

That commute is going to be utterly hideous. I'd look to change jobs and go to the outskirts closer to street if you're thinking long term plans.

As mentioned above. Schools are crap and good ones hard to get in to.

Brilliant thank you so much that is really helpful x

Yep but they do the drive EOW. You are looking at a horrid commute every single working day. Plus you will pay a fortune for living in a city you’re not even working in.
TBH if you want to start a family soon you won’t be looking for a new job in Bristol with any urgency.

Yeah I can definitely see the benefits you have both put across, it is trying to convince the Future Husband as it's his kids and don't want to see not to be understanding.

We both work at the same company so I guess the commute is only half as bad? :)

Bridge Farm primary is actually an Outstanding school.
It's secondary schools that are more problematic but you may want to move before then.
Personally I prefer the part of Whitchurch close to Whitchurch primary school which is nicer and closer to Keynsham. This part of Whitchurch is in BANES rather than Bristol LEA so you can access the Bath/Keynsham secondary schools or Chew Valley school.
I would also look at the Wellsway part of Keynsham or the new housing they are building on the old Cadbury site as a comparison to see if you both prefer that area.

PS I don't recognise what you mean by working men's club - do you mean the Leisure Centre?
The area is safe. There is a large Asda supermarket and you are close to Whitchurch leisure centre and swimming/cinema/children's play park in Hengrove. There is also a library near Asda so the community has good facilities.

Thank you catsndogslife. It looks like a men’s working club. It’s opposite some shops such as vaping one and tattoo parlour.

Thank you very much, that is very useful and will look in those areas. We are contemplating a new build but OH isn’t as keen and think he loves the one we viewed in Bordersley road. X

I wouldn't touch Whitchurch with a barge pole. Keynsham is much nicer. But traffic is absolutely appalling in the Greater Bristol Area and I think a commute to Malnesbury is going to be a nightmare.

Wouldn't somewhere a bit closer to the M5 be better for both Street and Malmesbury? How about the Severn Vale, Wooton under Edge or Dursley? I agree that the commute you are considering is pretty horrendous. Or what about Chippenham?

Bordesley Road has some lovely big houses! I don't think Whitchurch is THAT bad! Agree with PP about prioritising your commute

Would you consider moving to a Bristol job sooner rather than later? If so depending on budget that opens up the Chew Valley, or anywhere along the A37 (Pensford, Temple Cloud, Farrington Gurney etc), down to Wells, Priddy, Shepton/surrounding villages etc. All commutable to Bristol, a wide range of price points, some fab schools and all a very easy drive to Street.

Do you want town or country? Family home - so 4 (+?) bed/garden/drive? What’s your budget? Definitely state schools or do you also want a private option?

Also a job in Bristol? Whereabouts in Bristol determines whereabouts you would want to live. Traffic can be awful.

Definitely Keynsham over whitchurch, Whitchurch seems very run down in places. School choices are awful.

Traffic just hideous in and around Whitchurch - avoid, avoid! In fact Bristol is one big traffic jam for a lot of the time. And Whitchurch is a pretty depressing place too.

Agree with PP, Chippenham is a really sensible option. Loads of housing stock of all kinds, both new and older. Easy run to Malmesbury, to Bristol when you eventually move there and down M4 and M5 to Street, or cross-country. You may want to look at Bradford on Avon too and my personal favourite, Bath although the latter is expensive.

@princesstwilightstolemytoddler thought I’d respond one by one 😊

Bristol job move will be later as my current job offers amazing maternity and would like to build up at least two years on my CV.

Definitely a 4 bed with drive for more than one car, garage garden etc. State school is fine as long as it has a good ofsted. Budget is around £375 max but anything cheaper will be a bonus. Xx

Thank you everyone for all of your insightful knowledge. It’s really helped and made us think twice about where to position ourselves. So difficult that the OH has kids which live so far away from us. They really do hate the travel and I know it must be difficult for him being so far away

If you are where I think you are employer wise then yes, I have heard that they do have an excellent package and from what a friend who works there has said they are also v flexible on parental leave/flexible working (depending on what your role is).

If you might need to get to Malmesbury for a while, Bath would tick a lot of your boxes and would also work well if you do get jobs in Bristol but would stretch your budget a bit.

That budget would however be ample (and would get you a really nice family home) in Trowbridge, which would be about 40mins to work and about 50mins to your step kids (it will realistically take you longer than that from Whitchurch). Like this for example - www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-57008313.html#_full-description or this www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-53998404.html

Good luck though - moving is always very exciting!

Oh wow they are both beautiful!!! Trowbridge I’ve been told not to go near though but I’m thinking that every other person will tell you to avoid an area based on experience or what they’ve heard.

Ha yes probably the biggest employer in Malmesbury but yes they are are good on maternity and flexibility so it would be silly to move and I do quite enjoy my job there plus it’s great for my CV as I said.

Thank you ever so much for your help it really is much appreciated xx

I would say Keynsham.
. It's well served by public transport (10 minutes by train to Bath Spa or to Temple Meads) and plenty of buses, including the airport bus.
. All the schools are fine.
.a good mix of retailers, both independents and chains.

.

Yes - I know some people dislike Trowbridge, I personally rather like it (and certainly prefer it to Whitchurch) but can completely see that it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. As you say - personal views there I think! It defo isn’t as pretty as some of the other places nearby (Bradford on Avon, Warminster etc). Maybe worth a visit to Trowbridge though to see what you think? It is good on the amenities that you’ll need as a family IMO and very sensibly placed and priced for what you need. Maybe look at some of the surrounding villages too?

Or, if you could compromise on number of bedrooms (ie if a 3 bed could work, maybe one with potential for an extension or loft conversion in a few years time) then Bradford on Avon is very pretty. For example, this sort of place is 3 bed not 4 but is walking distance to the station and v close to a good school and looks to have a decent size plot (large driveway and garage etc) so could perhaps be extended over time. www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77009486.html

Thank you @MrsMoastyToasty

@PrincessTwilightStoleMyToddler that is beautiful! I think you need to be my realtor lol! OH is cancelling offer on the house in Whitchurch today. I feel bad as he loved the house and I do admit if the house could be moved into a better area I would have it as well because if has so much potential but it definitely is the area I am not happy with

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72756344.html

xx

I live near Whitchurch (Chew Valley way), and I wouldn't want to do that work commute to Malmesbury - I commute to Bristol (an easy part to commute to, I don't have to go far into the city or north), and it takes 45-60 minutes during rush hour (although only about 25 mins when clear), and about 45 mins to get to Street.

I think looking more around Bath/Trowbridge might be a bit more commuter-friendly?

I don't have strong feelings about Whitchurch in particular, but it is growing very quickly, and does have a lot of traffic going through it.