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Original poster

Relocation, Shoreditch job possibility

27 replies

Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 20:49

Hi all
We are considering a a move to the area around London (just assuming we can't afford London itself) - partner is being considered for a job in Shoreditch - I don't know the area at all, but would love to move closer to the capital.
Can you please recommend areas to live.

Decent commute (e.g. a direct train/tube), ideally not much more than 45 minutes
Affordable family property (three bedrooms minimum, garden)
Safe (not high on crime)
Village feel but close to good amenities - e.g a good pool (bonus with slides!), good sports facilities for the kids.
Near woods/forest and water would be a bonus.

Thank you.

OP posts:
Planeticket · 07/03/2019 20:56

If you're looking for a more affordable area, I would look towards Essex. Greater Anglia stops in London Liverpool Street which is a short walk for your husband to Shoreditch.

Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 21:19

Thanks. Any villages in particular to focus on?

OP posts:
AwkwardPaws27 · 07/03/2019 21:43

What's your budget?
45 minutes door-to-door, or allowing for a 10 minute walk from home-train and then train-office?
My first thought is Shenfield, Upminster, Brentwood or Harold Wood (Shepherds Hill area for countryside feel, not the Harold Hill end).
Maybe Loughton, or Theydon Bois?

Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 21:49

I think £500000 is doable, £600000 a stretch, depends also on commuting costs.

Thanks for those area suggestions, I'll go look.

OP posts:
Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 21:49

(I also really ideally want a detached home - I have noisy kids!)

OP posts:
mamamooloo · 07/03/2019 21:55

Hello, I live in a village near Chelmsford. It's 40 minutes to Liverpool st.

A 2nd station is due to be completed to the north of Chelmsford in a few years. Some of the villages to the north of Chelmsford are lovely, felsted, great waltham, little waltham..

Braintree is further out but again nice villages around there.

teejayem · 07/03/2019 22:08

I live about 30 minutes walk and a short bus ride semi rurally near Shenfield. It's 15 minutes on the train to Stratford, and then probably another 10 to Shoreditch
15 minutes to Lakeside shopping Center in the car, decent high street in Brentwood less than 25 minutes walk or 10 min drive, loads of parks and woods and plenty of schools locally. We live in a very quiet cul de sac with a good sized garden but feel close enough to be connected to the city for work.

AwkwardPaws27 · 07/03/2019 22:20

Just to add to the above, Shenfield Station to Shoreditch is about 45 minutes, not 25.

Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 22:32

Thank you all!
Am busy looking!

OP posts:
Mum2020 · 07/03/2019 23:00

Hi, I’m in West Wickham. Excellent area - 30 mins to London Bridge. Great schools and very safe area with lots of parks. You could get a nice semi with a large garden for £600k. In London zone5

AdoraBell · 07/03/2019 23:04

We used to commute from Essex to Liverpool Street as already suggested. Shoreditch is a short walk from there. I don’t know what the area is like now, but I believe it’s had gentrification since I moved away.

Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 23:10

Mum2020, is WW in Kent, or do you just class it as London?

OP posts:
nancy75 · 07/03/2019 23:16

West Wickham is London borough of Bromley, London for travel, police that kind of thing but very much in the outskirts ( it’s weird because it’s a London borough but the address is Kent!)
If you are looking at this area I would look more at penge/Sydenham because the overground goes straight to Shoreditch High Street in about 26 minutes. Both places are a bit more edgy than WW & probably have slightly higher crime so it depends what you prefer.

Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 23:22

Thanks - I can't quite understand the borough/counties thing.

I'd love for dp to have better commute times but love the idea of a little village with lower crime.

Any other suggestions please for that?

Are Penge/Sydenham in Kent or in London (and does it matter, in any way?)

I like the area of WW being more south (and closer to the south coast) than the earlier Essex ideas, but absolutely not ruling anything out for now.

OP posts:
Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 23:23

Seen a cute house in Freshfields, Shirley - any info on this area?

OP posts:
nancy75 · 07/03/2019 23:29

I don’t think Shirley is great for travel. It’s a suburb between West Wickham & Croydon, not much there.
Penge & Sydenham both have London postcodes - both very much NOT little villages! There’s no difference between an SE postcode & a BR postcode (West Wickham, Bromley etc you’re talking a couple of miles away from each other so it’s not something to worry about)

nancy75 · 07/03/2019 23:39

The plus side of anywhere in/around Bromley is that you can be in proper Kent countryside in about 30 minutes in the car (once you get out in the wilds public transport is rubbish)
Something to really consider is schools - catchment areas here are very small, most people buy the house based on the school they want & you need to be as close as possible, especially for primary

Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 23:43

Darn - the house is soooo cute! It doesn't look very far from WW, is it badly served by public transport?

Is there a difference between council tax bands for Kent/Surrey vs London? Any benefit or downside for either?

OP posts:
Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 23:46

I do like the idea of being able to get out into the countryside AND into the city of London, AND down to the coast as well.

Not bothered about schools - we home educate and whilst that may change, I'd rather not focus on schools - more interested in location and amenities, safety, lower pollution, and a friendly village feel.

OP posts:
nancy75 · 07/03/2019 23:46

London council tax depends on which bit you live in, I think Sydenham is slightly higher than Bromley but probably not a huge amount.
From Shirley you’d need to get to West Wickham station, train to London Bridge then tube to Shoreditch. Not an awful journey but it is bus, train & tube

nancy75 · 07/03/2019 23:49

I think for what you want you might be better looking slightly further out into Kent or Surrey. It would add to the work Journey time but I don’t think anywhere in/around West Wickham has a villagey feel, it’s a suburban commuter town.

nancy75 · 07/03/2019 23:50

Have a look at Oxted in Surrey, 34 minutes to London Bridge, more rural but with a nice little high street & more villagey.

Original poster
Yoozanaim · 07/03/2019 23:57

Thanks - off to look now!

OP posts:
MrsPatmore · 08/03/2019 16:28

If you don't know London or the South East at all then why not consider renting? Half a million is a lot to blow on a house on an area you don't know. With renting you can check out the commute, the community and be in a good position to make offers when you find an area that's suitable.

BlueSkiesLies · 08/03/2019 17:27

Shoreditch is a good location for work.

For affordable areas you can:

You can look north and east out of Liverpool Street, east on the central line, east off cross rail (ha!) and also trails to wellwen garden city stop at old street which gives you more options on that line.

Check out the ‘commute from’ website to see journey times and that can help you narrow down your search.

I would look north and east, not south into Surrey for journey time.

Some of the suggestions such as Shenfield (its x-rail so will be good with no changes soon...) are the same as I would have given. £500k isn’t much in reach of London. Theydon Bois is actually lovely but dunno if you’ll get 3 beds near the station for £500.

Thing is, you want what a LOT of people want. Nice village, easy access to Londom for work. Not surprisingly, those areas ain’t cheap!