Moving to Morden, any tips?

[Qwertyguerty]

So DH and I have decided to move to Morden. We can afford to buy there, it has a tube station and isn't too far from work.

We have a young daughter and will be start trying for another baby in the near future.

We're gonna start looking at properties early next year and I'm basically looking for any helpful advice about the area

I haven't really looked at schools (briefly looked at Acorn school but have realised since we couldn't afford to send two kids) so would love some school info, local life, what is there to do for young families etc from anyone living nearby!

I have been told to stay clear of Mitcham but is that well founded??

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/compare-schools

That’s where you can find info on school. They’re very average in Morden except for the Catholic primary which is good.

South of the station is the St Helier estate (it's unattractive but mostly privately owned and nothing wrong with it). The other side of the station has some pleasant 30’s roads.

Morden Hall Park has a nice National Trust bit (but I don’t love the rest of the park tbh).

For nice soft play, you’d probably head down to Sutton - the Sutton Sports Village has a fab play park + tons of other kiddie provision and it’s a short bus ride away.

The Turkish cafe opposite the station is really good too.

I'd look in Lower Morden or Cannon Hill - or Merton Park if you can afford it (you didn't say what your budget is). The 93 bus route to the station is frequent & reliable along a wide road so you can live a bit further away along that, whereas Martin Way does get jammed at peak commuter times - Hillcross is fine apart from that the buses are not as frequent as the 93 and you'll struggle to get on a bus much nearer than Churston Drive between 7:15 and 8:30 am (but it's only a 10-15 minute walk to Morden). South Wimbledon is in zone 3 as opposed to the zone 4 of Morden but it's more polluted. There is a David Lloyd club in Cannon Hill which is expensive! And yes, avoid Mitcham.

David Lloyd is great fun for the whole family so definitely join if you can. The crèche can be a bit of a lifesaver on mat leave if you haven’t got much childcare.

Avoid Mitcham...apart from anything I think the children will need a tb injection or a least that was the case when my son was younger.
I lived in Sutton which has very good schools plus easy to get to morden as plenty of buses and train to take you into central London.You can look at league tables to get a general idea but catchment areas are small ie half a mile or less so you are best of renting until you know what school you want.
There’s Morden hall park and dean city farm which is free. Eddie catz soft play and Sutton trampoline centre. Swimming. Wimbledon Park has a splash zone and nice park. Cheam park/nonsuch park is nice.

These replies are great specially commuter tones busyness and bus routes! Hadn't thought of that

My budget is up to £400,000 and it's looking more like rose hill and south Morden for us with what's available around now. Don't really fancy a do-er upper.

Funnily we used to live in Raynes park a while ago and joined the David Lloyd there and still go to it weekly with the little (use a different branch closer to work for my workouts) and she loves it!

There will be much nicer places to live with very good schools. And you can get a house ready to move into for 400k. Here are some examples that aren't on estates and have nice amenities.

Worcester Park is zone 4 with Waterloo

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-86163590.html

You'd be close to the leisure centre + quite close to the David Lloyd in Cannnon Hill or the one in Cheam Village.

Or a done up 3 bed in West Sutton. Again, convenient for Cheam Village, the playgroud in Cheam Park is amazing and Nonsuch Park in fab for walks. Also not too far from the play and trampoline parks in Sutton Sports Village. Fab schools too.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73248904.html

Or this one in Carshalton Beeches:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-84102884.html

Stanley Park is a lovely primary + you're within walking distance of Oaks Park and the coutryside if you want to take your LO to see sheep or horses. There's a climbing centre and it's within walking distance of the pictoresque Carshalton Village with its leisure centre.

All these houses are in very family orientated areas with tons of groups and baby and toddler sessions. And you'll be able to walk to lovely parks or cafes etc. I'd pick any of those locations of the estate any day.

Or if you want to be in zone 4 over zone 5, then you could check out Hackbridge as that would enable you to get a house very close to the station. Hackbridge Primary is excellent and Beddington Park is super lovely with a fantastic playground, ponds and ducks and kids activities. And you'd still be within walking distance of the Westcroft Leisure Centre in Carshalton Village.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63310197.html

Here's a place in Hackbridge.

Funnily enough I had liked the carlshalton property you listed!

Someone I work with that grow up in cheap told me to stay clear of carshalton. I keep seeing places I like the look of there but their lil voice telling me it's shit keeps bothering me. Are they being silly? They are on the younger side

Lol that’s funny. Maybe some Cheam snobbery as Cheam Village has a Waitrose, Independent shops, a David Lloyd + South Cheam is prime mansion land.

Carshalton Village is less fancy but prettier, cooler and popular with young professional families. The leisure centre + library are really good, there’s a theatre (I’ll be going to see a Christmas play for toddlers with DS), a bunch of cafes (Dottie’s Teahouse is very popular with mums), lovely pubs. There’s an annual Carshalton Artists’ Open Houses event, an Environmental Fair, there’s a project to build a community kitchen in the Ecology Centre, amazing fireworks on Guy Fawkes, the Frost Fair will be happening soon too. Lots of classes for little kids and lovely schools.
Towards Carshalton Beeches you get smart bigger houses and premium SUVs and it’s a visibly affluent area. Further south, you get to Oaks Park, surrounded by countryside incl lavender fields, horses, sheep etc.

The bit where the linked house is, is a cheaper road but I’d say it would be a fab spot for a family home.

The bit of Carshalton that isn’t desirable is the St Helier (it extends to Carshalton too). It’s safe and clean enough but no point moving there if you can choose one of the lovely family spots.

Oh, Carshalton Village and Beeches are also very safe with crime rates about 70 or 80% lower than the London average.

Ah thank you! Such great local knowledge! Yeah my coworker has an uncle from over there he doesn't like so he might be just hating on the whole area

I have gone thru it a few times and liked it, so did DH but coworker was so insistent we kinda stopped thinking about it.

More to think about, thank you so much!