Moving Out Of London Southwards

[suethepoo]

So I'm a single dad who currently lives in zone 4 (Beckenahm) and due to divorce I am looking to move out a bit further with my 18 month old son. I'm quite open mined about where we live but want some honest opinions. Areas that have come up have been Sevenoaks, West Malling, Tonbridge, Haywards Heath, Brighton . Eastbourne.

Our budget will be between 400 and 500k and ideally would like a 3 bed Victorian terrace with good Schools nearby

I'm a gay dad, so an area where people are open minded would also be great.

I would look at Brighton. there are some victorian properties (at the top end of your budget) going now like this one, which is in a nice area near the sea. it is also in the catchment area for St Luke's School which is rated outstanding by ofsted. all the best with your move x

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/find-a-school-in-england

That's where you can compare schools.

For a gay dad, the first place that springs to mind is certainly Brighton.

Are you going to work locally to where you move to? What sort of place are you after? The list is quite a mix, eg Brighton is a vibrant, liberal city on the coast whereas Sevenoaks is a quintessential l, affluent (if slightly dull) MC commuter town.

West Malling would be my choice as it's only just outside the M25 so the commute is good, it's near to both Bromley and Maidstone, it's a lovely town/village with good amenities and transport. It's got a lively social scene with a great range of pubs and restaurants.
I recently moved from Wandsworth and ended up in Hampshire but prior to deciding on Hampshire (made sense to be close to other family members) I had decided West Malling was the place!

Where do you need to get to for work?

Haywards Heath is convenient if you're commuting into London (don't know about schools) but is a bit dead in terms of community (due to being commutersville). Eastbourne is ok, but not a massive amount going on there.

Have you considered Lewes (near Brighton). You might not get a Victorian terrace for your budget, but would probably get something in the Neville area or a smaller house. Lovely sense of community. Good schools. You won't feel out of place as a gay single dad.