Moving to Beckenham Junction

[Fely06]

Hello all, we are a young couple, both working near Canary Warf. We are looking to buy a 2 bedroom property . My bfr is very into a flat in Morden, but I read good reviews about Beckenham Junction (BJ). Also house prices seems more decent.I’m not keen on Morden, didn’t feel any life there. Would you recommend BJ or any other nice parts easy to commute to London?

@Fely06 I don’t really know Morden, so can’t comment but I live very near to Beckenham junction, transport links are very good & the high street is very useful good choice of food shops & lots n lots of bars restaurants coffee shops, cinema & leisure centre etc, Kelsey Park is a beautiful open space, as is Croydon Road rec which has lots of events concerts through the year, happy to help with any further questions.

Thanks a lot ! We currently living in Clapham Common, a very nice area, but unfordable to buy. We only going out locally and it seems BJ is ticking the points. Safety will be the main reason .Is anywhere else near BJ you would recommend ?

Crystal palace? East or West Dulwich. Greenwich. Herne hill. Streatham hill. What's your budget and where do you need to get to?

I'm biased but think South Norwood is a great area, particularly if you plan children in the future. And it's 13 minutes to London Bridge.

I also live near Beckenham junction but having also lived in Clapham I would say that the biggest difference is that Beckenham high Street has quite a lot of chain restaurants and shops and doesn't have the same feel as areas of Clapham. The house prices are what pulled us here and it is a nice place to live. But I would just like some more independent cafes, restaurants and shops. Transport is fairly good and has been very reliable since I've lived here.

Fely it’s a safe area & has excellent schools, nurseries, playgroups & more activities than you can shake a stick at for babies & children.

I loved beckenham when we lived there. We were nearer new beckenham station but beckenham junction was still only ten minutes walk. It was handy to have the two different train lines especially when one would be delayed. Also the trams to croydon for the Brighton line. Plus if you are in the right bit of beckenham, the overground from penge is handy.

It felt safe to me, leafy and a nice little high street. Plus Bromley down the road for more shopping.

I do miss it!

Believe yeah I think the high street is really good, especially since they spent some money sprucing it up & some really good cafes & coffee shops.

Yes budget and needs (how many beds) would be useful here.
Crystal Palace is just up the road and is a lot more independent and London-y than Beckenham, which, whilst lovely, is a bit suburbia imo.

Thank you all for your comments Looking for 2 bedroom house , max 340-350k

Fely you might get a two bed house possibly the roads off of churchfields road, Eden Park or Elmers End, not sure it would be possible right by BJ station a two bed flat you would get on that budget.

South Norwood is an absolute hole.... don't know how anyone can think differently, biased or not

I’d be surprised if you get anything on that budget BJ. Morden way, you could probably just about get sth towards Rose Hill and further from the station. I often visit Morden and definitely feel safe there but find it a bit dull and depressing.

Other areas worth considering, could be Sutton or Wallington with trains to London Bridge. You could get a cute Victorian cottage on that budget.

Hello OP

We live near BJ and absolutely love it!

It is great for commuting to Canary Wharf, DH does that journey for work- get the Charing Cross/Cannon Street train from New Beckenham then change at Lewisham for the DLR.

We have 2DC and there are so many activities and things to do with them.
Also lots of cafes, restaurants and bars.

We currently rent a 2 bed about 5mins walk from Beckenham junction station.

We were in the process of buying a 2 bed maisonette here (ex local authority property off Abbey lane) but that fell through not long ago.

We are now looking further out in West Wickham although we would much prefer to stay here, DC1 is settled in primary school etc.

With your budget, I think you'll struggle to buy a 2 bed near to BJ station (there are loads of flats round here!) but there are more (relatively) affordable properties towards Lower Sydenham or towards Elmers End/Eden park direction.

www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/69583969

This is the only property in your budget within 0.5 miles of bj station

@TurquoiseDress my dd moved from Southend Lane to West Wickham just over a year ago she has settled really well & is very happy, difficult I know when dc already settled in schools but any consolation some excellent schools in WW & lots of facilities/going on for families.
Good luck with the search.

@dontcallmelen

Thank you for that
We are not far from Southend road

It feels a really difficult decision to make but I'm starting to wonder if it's just not that sensible to stay in Beckenham any longer

Unless we continue to rent...the property we live in currently, there is no way we could afford to buy a similar one, and it's just a 2 bed terrace!

@TurquoiseDress I know so difficult, my dd was priced out of beckenham they were living in a one bed 5th floor flat with dgd, they have a really lovely spacious two bed flat in West Wickham now if I can be of any help with WW questions feel free to msg me.

Hi All, we divided to book a viewing on Saturday in BJ, 2 bedroom house. We never been in that area before, so will be nice to see how it feels .. we might go little bit further like Birkbrck, Elmers End. Will keep searching and keep you posted

Sorry , meant decided a viewing ! That’s when you type from a mobile phone !

I live near Elmers End and know the surroundings areas very well (Beckenham, West Wickham, Eden Park, used to live in South Norwood before). Would move all over Beckenham without hesitation.
South Norwood is not a hole by any means, but Beckenham is nicer.

Fely good luck with the viewing, stop off for lunch whilst in Beckenham lots of good places all the way down the high street from St George’s church end down to the cinema, in Eden Park you have a lovely Turkish coffee shop called maidens & in Elmers End just by the station is another place called Langley quarter, let’s us know how you get on.

Having lived at Clapham junction and Beckenham junction. I hated Beckenham Junction commute compared to cJ. On paper only 22 minute on a train as opposed to 6 minutes I was doing from CJ.

But train very rarely on time, standing room only, cancelled trains, train always takes longer than it says on the timetable. Miserable commute I wish I had never moved house.

Finally , we had a feeling of BJ area. Very lovely people , beautiful coffee shops and restaurants . Had a lovely walk in Kelsey Park and a pint at The George Inn . We liked very much the area and will be looking further down , West Wickham, Birkbeck, Lower Sydenham , to fit our budget . Any further recommendation would be much appreciated !

Dear Lasvegas, CJ is one of my fav area! Commuting to and from here no doubt is the best. Unfortunately , we can’t afford to buy a house here