London property areas for couple / family

[housingladder]

Just read a thread about a London property purchase and it got me thinking about mine and DH's situation and interested to know others' opinions- particularly London owners.

We are extremely lucky to have a good income. We bought our first home 2 years ago, and went for a 3-bed flat in East London zone 2/3. It's huge (1300 sq/ft) and all things considered we felt the space and value for money plus excellent transport links was what swung it. (We previously lived in Clapham and loved it but no way we could afford this amount of space anywhere like that.

Thinking ahead, I expect with Brexit uncertainty we will stay here for a long time, so this is not an immediate question but something to mull over. We are TTC and think the current flat should be convenient for young DCs as there is loads of space, open plan, lifts and a park right outside. However, if and when the time comes does anyone have any views as to a good next step and next area all things considered?

Neither of us are keen to live in suburbs ever, and ideally like the more central London the better, but zones a bit further out would be okay of course. Keen for access to green space. DH works long hours so good transport is important especially if we did have DC's. Just interested in hearing about any areas we've not thought of that sound suitable. DH works in Canary Wharf and City, and I work from home.

(Current flat was £550 and we would hope to have increased our budget quite a bit by the next move allowing for Brexit etc).

What do you mean by ‘suburbs’? How bothered or not are you by schools? Do you intend to use state or independent?

You may well change your mind in a few years when you have kids, toys, prams, scooters, bikes and laundry everywhere and kids wanting to play football, jump on a trampoline, you need good schools etc. We are moving from a fairly central area of SE London to Bromley, mainly for the big plots and decent secondaries and above reasons.

Hi @housingladder - would you consider less area if it meant being more central or more conveniently located for access to good amenities and DH's commute? For some reason West Hampstead came to mind as it's well located from that perspective. You might want to also check out searchsmartly or a similar tool - it's quite clever and shows which areas would suit you for the Canary Wharf commute, access to green space, good transport links, good schools nearby, etc - i.e. all the things that matter to most of us here!

I lived Between The Commons and really enjoyed Clapham pre-children. We’re now in Sutton and I find it vastly superior to the inner suburbs/central London for family life.

Stillborn curious what you mean by ‘suburbs’, what you dislike about them and how you envisage your family life.

If you're working in Canary Wharf then Greenwich, Westcombe Park, Blackheath seem like very obvious family friendly choices.

If you like east London then Leytonstone (either the areas like Bushwood next to Wanstead flats or the big houses in upper Leytonstone) is well connected and leafy/close to big open spaces but definitely doesn't feel "suburban".

Wanstead is also very nice. One stop further out and it feels very villagey and a bit posh. Maybe too suburban for you?

Any further out and I personally would definitely put it in to the "suburban" category.

Thanks for all the tips! We had looked at Greenwich etc and loved it- if we can afford it. The search engine thing looks interesting too, thank you!

Re suburbs, no offence intended to anyone else, but it's not for us. We like the central / city energy and not keen on the 'suburban' vibe- it's hard to summarise I suppose. It's just a personal thing. Also we don't want to have to rely on a car to make every trip. One day we might move out, but if we did it would be to rural countryside within 30 mins of a city like Edinburgh or Cambridge, and that's a long way on the future. We want to raise DC in London if we can afford to.

I have more on my doorstep in zone 5 than 2 (parks, playgrounds, sports clubs, climbing wall, trampoline park and softplay, eateries, cinema, leisure centre and gyms, library, public golf course, tons of baby and child classes etc). As well as being walking distance to the coutryside. DH cycles to his office in central London. Just saying. Don’t know what some people imagine outer suburbs to be like

That aside, other than limited amenities and lack of space, my biggest issue for family living in zones 1-3 would be state schools if you’re planning to use those. There will be a good primary most places if you buy in the right catchment. Secondaries have much larger catchments so a very mixed intake, often poor behaviour, often poor academically.

Having said that, if I had to live in a more build up Victorian suburb, I’d probably look along the river in SW London. Barnes is good (but you’d probably move for secondary), Richmond is a good spot, part of Twickenham, Teddington. They have good state schools all through (if you’re in the right catchment) with nice, behaved kids, excellent results. Low crime levels. Definitely buzzy + the river + Richmond/Bushey Parks.

Personally, I would discount West Hampstead, Greenwich, Blackheath, Dulwich. In North London, Muswell Hill is fab for state schools.

Obvs all changes if you’re going independent.

You could try North Kingston too. Trains from Norbiton Station, close to the river, Richmond Park and Kingston has a massive busy town centre with loads of bars and restaurants. Good primaries. Probably not in the right secondary catchments, though.

Oh, and Beckenham in SE London could work nicely.

Great suggestions, thanks @JoJoSM2
I take it you would discount Blackheath etc due to schools?

I love Barnes / Twickenham / Putney etc and obvs Richmond (though super expensive and possibly a little bit too posh/old for us ) so would def be interested to get to know those areas better and keep an eye on them.

Re suburbs, as I said, it's really personal taste and I mean no offence to those who have made the move there and enjoy it. Both DH and I grew up in the suburbs and we are keen to avoid for a host of reasons to do with our own lives and also bringing up our DC.

So it's a case of just knowing all the options available and then when the time comes we can be clear and have some steps in mind.

Greenwich has very good primary schools but secondary schools might pose a problem. Many people take the Grammar school test and travel to neighbouring Boroughs and many others use the very good independent schools (Eltham College and Colfe's are the obvious choices).

Greenwich is a great place to live particularly family friendly around the Westcombe Park/Maze Hill area and around the park. Family homes start at £900K but are continuing to drop in price. Great commute to the Wharf - can cycle or even run/walk via the foot tunnel.

I loved totteridge/whetstone when we lived there. So close to finchley too. Amazing restaurants, end of northern line. Good Creche's. Plenty of outdoor space, parks and playgrounds!

Now we live in Ireland and I crave that life again.

I’d say that it’s probably better to pick an area with good primaries and secondaries if you’re going state. Saves you having to move with kids in Y5 and worry about in year admissions and generally stress over house selling and buying. If you happen to be religious, you’ll have a lot more flexibility.

In SW London along the Thames, the borough of Richmond has fab primaries. Most primaries in the borough of Kingston are fab too. Not too many secondaries in Richmond (lots of kids change to indies). For comps, you’d want to be close to Orleans Park or Grey Court. Waldegrave is great for girls and Turing Free School seems to be popular with MC families but no exam results yet. In the borough of Kingston, Coombe Girls and Boys are ace but it might be a bit 30’s for your liking in a lot of the catchment. There’s also the option to try for the Tiffins (grammar schools).

So I’d pick those areas for schools but also a nice vibe by the river and very nice, gigantic parks. Also, if we could face less than a 1/2 acre garden, we’d probably be rowing/kayaking most days. It’s also pretty posh for miles and miles, low crime and you’re far away from anywhere stabby, which can’t be said for some other areas.

I threw Beckenham in there as the town centre has a nice vibe, there are excellent schools and it’s cheaper than the SW. Kind of on the cusp on inner and outer burbs but people tend to find the vibe of it lovely and not outer burb-y.

Thanks- ooh yes I do really like Maze Hill. I'm do love Richmond for a day out but feel like it might be a bit "too" posh, incredibly expensive and a bit overwhelmingly white for us- would be interested to know if anyone lives there has an opinion.

Good idea about avoiding moving in Year 5 - since we are still only TTC it all seems ages away but in reality it might not be and it's worth thinking about secondaries too.

Are you both white? A mixed race couple I know found Beckenham very uncomfortable, they got open abuse in a way they never did just a couple of miles away in Sydenham. This was several years ago but things may even be worse now, idk.