Area advice for commuter town under 600k

[Jac915]

Hello

I am looking to move out of the city into a good town or cathedral city nearby in home counties and need some help,

Our preferences, ranking the must first

• budget 600k
• decent state primary and secondary school, more balanced catchment area as we will apply for in year admission
• safe for kids to go out by themselves
• walking distance to supermarkets, schools, library, gyms/swimming pool, parks, no need to drive car around
• not under flight path
• nice mix of people, ie. somewhere that while not in the metropolis still has a nice multicultural mix.
• 3-4 double bedroom, around 900sq ft, 100sq ft garden
• biking/walking trails
• commute door to door under 1.5 hr to city of london

I hope I am not asking too much

Thank you very much!

Wokingham?

Brighton

my initial thoughts were St Alban's or Guildford but am not 100% on house prices in those places but your budget sounds healthy enough to get something nice

Canterbury

Canterbury/Whitstable/environs

Are you open to staying in London?

I'm in Sutton and it would be the perfect fit other than not being outside London. It's zone 5 with the countryside starting just over a mile south of the station.
-top schools (highest attainment in Egland for secondary and primaries are up there too) for in year admissions you can check the Sutton School vacancy checker
-safest borough in London with crime rates below the national average
-biggish town centre with supermarkets, shops, cinema, giant library, Sutton Sports village for sports, leisure centres, public golf course with kids and adult lessons, climbing wall etc Lots of sport clubs (football, rugby, tennis, cricket, martial arts etc) and a David Lloyd Cheam for sth more premium for the whole family.
-for walking/biking you've got the Banstead Downs and the countryside so you can cycle out of the house and be in greenery in 5 mins. There's a community farm if you fancy volunteering (veg growing). If you're an avid mountain biker then the Surrey Hills are a short drive away, 1h drive to the beach.
-trains from Sutton go direct to London Bridge and City Thameslink (+ Victoria trains too). London Bridge from Cheam Station or live in between Carshalton and Carshalton Beeches for either the Thameslink or London Bridge Line.
-600k will get a decent 3-4bed house
-it's pretty multicultural (about 20 nationalities in my street)

Chelmsford