Nice areas on the outskirts of London?

[FrogFly]

We moved from London (Camden) to the Midlands a few years ago to be close to my husband’s work. It was quite the change of pace and we really missed our London life (friends, restaurants, theatre, bustle). Fast forward to 2020 and our circumstances have changed in that we can work from home and aren’t tied to our current city anymore. So we want to move back!

We have a 5yo son so we don’t want to move right into the city (plus we’d only be able to afford a shoebox in zones 1-3) but are looking for something on the outskirts of London but with good transport links into London. We’re on the hunt for a house with a garden and off-street parking, with proximity to good schools. I’m not fussed about ‘Outstanding’ rated schools, but more keen on schools with a focus on inclusiveness and pastoral care. Our budget is approx £750K. Is my wish list reasonable, or am I asking for the moon on a stick? I'd be grateful for your suggestions. A friend suggested Ruislip, what’s it like?

I wouldn’t live in Sutton if you paid me. It has a really depressing feeling. It’s always had a bad rep for being a bit scummy.

They are semi rural, but can see that they wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. How about Rickmansworth? Just going down every stop on the Metropolitan Line now 🤣

There was an article in the times yesterday focusing on Eltham, for many of the reasons you mention.

Do you know which areas all the way round lindon fit your schooling criteria?

With the M40 and Euston or possibly Marylebone and a change Cov is easy to from most areas,

You have the advantage that there is an exodus and looking through house sale prices are showing as reduced, the market isn’t as good as it was

Another one suggesting Hanwell in Ealing, has lots of lovey parks, great schools. Lots of houses with off street parking in North Hanwell (elthorne heights) and easy access to A40/M40/M1 and also cross rail (still waiting) but will be 20 mins to Tottenham Court Road. Also a really friendly community with lots of activities (in normal times) like The Hanwell Hootie, carnival etc

The thing with Sutton is that it includes Sutton town centre (a total dive) and the borough of Sutton, which has some very pretty and villagey towns in it.

That’s why there is such a huge variety in the opinions. You couldn’t pay me to live in Sutton town centre which is every bit as sad of a town as other posters have said, but some of the little villagey bits around are absolutely lovely. Cheam for example, very pretty, great schools, lovely houses.

Same as borough of Croydon. Croydon town centre - total dump. Borough of Croydon - got some lovely countryside and interesting areas such as Crystal Palace.

I too wondered about the poster who always pops up to wax lyrical about the benefits of Sutton

Sutton was also one of very few boroughs In London to vote for Brexit. Make of that what you will.

I know of several children in the borough of Lewisham who started reception at age 5. Nice areas are Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Sydenham, all with good transport links. You may have to compromise on off-street parking, but a quick browse on Rightmove shows up a few houses with off-street parking. Area is very green with lots of families and good primaries.

@FrogFly We're in leytonstone/leyton. It's super quick to get onto the motorway from here so it's good for getting out of London, but it's also on the central line so can quickly get in too. I imagine some of the other East London places people have mentioned like loughton would be similar. You'll get more for your money in East london/Essex borders than in North/west london too I imagine.

I don't have kids so can't speak to the schools but leyton(stone) is a bit of a mix of gritty East London + gentrified indie shops + lots of really good pubs + good green spaces. We moved from hackney and love it. It's also easy to cycle/get the bus to slightly cooler places like hackney, hackney Wick etc.

I don’t recognize Waspies’s description of Ruislip as ‘grim, traffic sodden & run down’. Ruislip, Ickenham, North Hillingdon, ‘Hillingdon Village’ & North Uxbridge, by the common, would all fit your wish list.
All have excellent public transport, but Ruislip/Ickenham are probably the best as you have access to the Met., Piccadilly & Central lines as well as the Chiltern Line into Marylebone - zone 6.
As for Hillingdon Council being bankrupt, I’ve no idea where that comes from!! In my opinion, Hillingdon is efficient & well run - libraries & leisure centres have all been refurbished & there’s an impressive schools building programme. Indeed, I know people who have chosen a property in Hillingdon, rather than in neighbouring Harrow or Ealing, due to the council’s performance.

I love living here as you have the best of both worlds - excellent access to London for culture, & countryside , ( the Chilterns), on your doorstep.

You should get a good sized semi , with a decent garden & drive, for your budget.

Good luck with your search!

Speaking as someone who grew up in the Metroland areas mentioned above, now living in LB Camden, I would avoid all the commuter towns like Amersham, Beaconsfield, Chorleywood etc, they are miles from London and property not exactly cheap. Cars, middle-class Tory-voting white people everywhere. Good schools in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth but still boring suburbs (and I say that as one with great affection for my teenage years spent in the pubs of Rickmansworth!).
I'm not sure how much bang you'd get for your buck in these areas but the PP who suggested Kentish Town, Tufnell Park and points north had some good suggestions. More of a proper London vibe and some great schools at both primary and secondary level.

I know of several children in the borough of Lewisham who started reception at age 5. Nice areas are Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Sydenham, all with good transport links. You may have to compromise on off-street parking, but a quick browse on Rightmove shows up a few houses with off-street parking. Area is very green with lots of families and good primaries.

I'm in Forest Hill so I'm biased but I really like it here, as well as surrounding areas (Sydenham, Honor Oak). I can't vouch for the schools but if diversity and a good community feel is what you're after, it's a good fit. Traffic can be a nightmare with the south circular so that's something to consider.

For your budget there are some good property options too. I know that prices have been on the up in the last 10 or so years, and I fear it will get worse as more and more people are priced out of nearby Dulwich.

I should also add that I spent the best part of my years in Camden before moving to Brixton, which I also loved. If that's where you were happiest you won't get the same satisfaction living in a commuter town, you just won't. I'm with @Zinnia - stick to London if that's what you know and love. You're more likely to get a good deal now too if the mass exodus happens and everyone leaves because they can work from home. Which for me personally, would be even more of a reason to stay in London!

you know OP i agree with Zinnia.
go where you can feel happy.
even if it means a garden flat rather than a house.
you will be out and about more anyway, because you will feel better, have more people places you can relate to, that excite inspire you. so you won't have to hide indoors anymore.
come back to your natural habitat, to grow and flourish there.

Just read the full thread (hadn't earlier) - agree with others that if you want London you should go for London not commuter town! If you want a house, not a flat then look at the zone 3 and cusp of zone 3/4 ring at a push on your budget. I don't know about many areas other than my own, but I definitely think you still get some London buzz that far in/out (depending on perspective I suppose). It feels quite noticeable once you get further out in zone 4 and 5 that it's more suburban (and my DH always remarks how much like cov it feels ha!)

Why do you need off street parking? It does limit you hugely. The nicest parts of London are often Victorian/Georgian terraces and they don't often have it!

Most areas of London are controlled parking zones - ie residents only. Some areas will have issues but I struggle to think of any examples in my life where not being able to park on your street is an issue.

As you don't drive, I would say don't just consider the public transport for commuting to London/travelling in for a day trip. Your day to day life is much more about being able to walk or cycle to your local facilities.

The more small town/rural/villagey options suggested here may be ok for a commute into Waterloo/Kings Cross but may be a real pain for going to the library, swimming pool, hair salon, DIY shop etc but realistically almost everyone there will drive and local public transport will likely be very poor.

I would suggest looking at Waltham Forest borough - they've done a lot of work to make it a more pedestrian and cycle friendly area (they call the scheme Mini Holland) and part of that includes the concept of a 15min area, where you can reach without a car almost all your needs in 15 mins
It is London so yes there will be some grotty blocks here and there. Some parts (walthamstow village) might be a touch too pricey for you and it's Victorian terraces so you would need to compromise on off street parking

Palmer's Green may be of interest but while the commute into town might be straight forward, it is the sort of area where lots of people drive locally.

Turnpike Lane - some people will be horrified. But the Harringay Ladder and Gardens as firmly up and come already and is out of your price range now if you want a house. Also - again - no off-street parking.
Green Lanes has a lot of Turkish restaurants (and they are excellent) but has recently diversified and there is a bit more variety going on including more hipster cafes/bars etc. Also has fabulous Turkish greengrocers, butchers and bakers - food shopping opportunities that would be the envy of many.

Have various friends around Chestnuts and Downhills Park in lovely Victorian houses and kids happy at local primary schools. Easy to function without a car but again - most will not have off street parking as they are your classic terrace.

Yes, there are grimmer parts of Haringey but really, not everyone is out getting shot or stabbed on a weekly basis. It's actually frightfully middle-class in places.

Wood Green shopping centre is quite grim, can't deny that.

@FrogFly Windsor is lovely, I used to work there. I know it gets busy with tourists though and parts are on the Heathrow flight parts!

if you like camden town etc, i doubt you will be wowed by windsor, except for a day out.
you want a mixed local community, walkable to facilities, some cultural life, a bit of buzz.
i don't know walthamstow, but it sounds interesting.

Come to Bowes Park/Bounds Green! There is an amazing community, especially for families (lots of window displays for Halloween, rainbows during lockdown, a "window show" street exhibition in February). There are plentiful good and diverse primary school options and three solid secondaries as well. It's not particularly fancy but there are some lovely lovely family run businesses such as Hot Milk (amazing brunches, pop up taco nights), Leafy Bean (amazing tea blends, coffees, cakes) and there's two nice pubs too. Easy walks to Bowes Park Station and Bounds Green tube, and right by the North circular. We've lived here for seven years now and we're looking to move from our flat to a house soon but we will definitely be staying in the same area.

Some properties:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/74383593#/ has parking
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/73783833#/ on street parking (but a cpz so with a resident permit it's not normally a problem)
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/73324119#/ As above - cpz.

Do let me know if you have questions. It's a totally un stuck up area, no brexityness at all.

So we visited Ruislip, Eastcote and Pinner today. And saw a lovely house near a good school in Ruislip. But the high street was a bit disappointing. A few dead/shut down stores, and it generally had a tired air to it.

I’ve been doing a little research on the boroughs that are supportive of CSA starts and which ones arent:

Supportive: Wandsworth, Enfield, Islington, Haringey, Camden, Brent, Richmond.
Resistant: Lambeth, Barnet, Hounslow, Redbridge, Bromley.

@MojoMoon, we need off street parking because my husband has a car that he’s restoring.

Thank you all for the information and suggestions, I truly am grateful. While I so want to live somewhere more central, I’m worried that would be selfish of me, I feel like my son would be happier with more space and a decent garden. Plus he’s asthmatic and the quality of air isn’t great in central London. I’m trying to figure out what would be best for the whole family and there doesn’t seem to be a simple solution.

So sorry to hear that you were put off Ruislip due to the high st. Remember that we’re in lockdown so cafes, restaurants, & pubs are shut, which will affect the vibe. I agree that there’s more empty shops in the high st. nowadays, but surely that’s true of most places, due to the effect of high business rates, coupled with the trend for online shopping? Also Ickenham, Eastcote & Pinner high streets are in close proximity, which gives you more choice.
However, I can assure you that it’s a family- friendly area & a great place to bring up children - I certainly don’t regret moving here!

What about the riverside part of Twickenham? The walk from there along the river to Richmond is a beautiful one and Twickenham also has a fast line to Waterloo.

I don’t think that Twickenham is affordable on the Op’s budget. Lots of properties which appear as Twickenham on a Rightmove search are actually in Whitton, which isn’t as desirable.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77251660

You could easily put a garage in the garden, under budget and a fairly clean slate to decorate to your taste with left over budget

Turnpike Lane isn't great and I'd avoid Wood Green if possible. Maybe have a look around the Palmers Green, Southgate, Winchmore Hill area. Easily commutable into central London, lots of family housing stock, good schools, green spaces for your child and future dog . If you're used to Camden these area are still have a North London feel but you get a lot more house, parking (depending on street) and community/family vibe for your money. Bounds Green and Ally Pally could work too.