Moving to Southampton

[Neednewlife]

I’m moving to Southampton this year. Please could you kind people advise me the nicest areas to live in which are within walkable distance of West Quay and work opportunities? I’m bringing one older child who will need to find work, as will I. The other one has plans to travel the world 😳 My maximum budget is £300K. Ideally it would be for a three bed in a central area. I just don’t know where to start. TIA 🙏🏼

We are moving to Southampton soon and are looking for a good area to live with kids, 4 and 8 years old, so with good schools and safe places to walk, also with closeness to the train as I would be commuting to London part-time. Any such places?I've read that there a few lovely places outside of Southampton just near be but are there any options within Southampton itself? We lived in London before and are a mixed nationality family so diversity and open welcoming community would be something we are looking for.
Thank you so much for the answers!

Lots of the most central areas were very student-centric when I was there, many moons ago. St Mary's and Northam were very run down but I think there has been a lot of regeneration happening. Shirley was nicer, I don't know if that's still true. There were always good buses from Upper Shirley down into the city. I loved it and always felt very safe in Southampton.

Southampton has so much potential, but it also has some major problems. Crime is high and there is a lot of homelessness. City centre can be ropey after dark, as can some of the suburbs. Avoid Millbrook, parts of Shirley, and parts of Coxford and Woolston.

There are nice bits of Portswood, Highfield (though £££) and St Denys.

If you want to commute to London I would look at chandlers ford or outskirts of Winchester like otterboune.
Chandlers ford is classed as Eastleigh, has a train station, some brilliant junior and secondary schools. There are a decent amount of shops/amenities that are all walking distance, within a mile. Lovely community feel.
Central Southampton has a lot of student accommodation so I'd prob avoid unless you go for upper Shirley area but houses are quite expensive there.

Upper Shirley would suit you as it's close to Central station and has a lot of schools in close proximity, and the Common.

Also look at parts of Banister Park.

Highfield is very studenty with a lot of HMOs despite the higher cost of housing.

Bitterne Park is nice, but your commute to London would be via Parkway.

I commute to London from Central. You can usually get a seat at Central, less chance of a seat at Parkway a lot of the time (mind you haven't done the journey much since covid, so things might be better.)

Chandlers Ford is fantastic for families but if you're set on Southampton I would look at Upper Shirley, Bassett and Highfield. You could also consider Hedge End and Botley. Be careful though because all these places have nicer bits and not so nice bits. Schools could be tricky in inner Southampton too.

Agree with the comments about commuting to London. Chandlers Ford is a good choice for schools and proximity to the station. Lots of green space and good transport links.
For Neednewlife how far do you call walking distance? If it’s just a mile, there is barely anything on the market with your requirements but if you can go a bit further out, 2/3 miles from West Quay, there is more choice. Shirley is worth a look and St Denys and parts of Portswood.

I read that Shirley should be avoided, not sure.
Regarding Chandler'd Ford, it sounds nice but how is the commute to London from there? I don't see that the train stops there, the station there is a small one that probably goes to Winchester and then I would board the train to London and I'm afraid the trip would take ages as those rural train don't run frequently, but correct me if I'm wrong! We wouldn't have a car in the beginning so would rely on public transport.
How are children and family facilities such as sports centre, community centre, swimming pool in these places? Is Chandler's Ford walkable?

Lot's of questions here! :-)

@Evelynballet you want Eastleigh if you want direct to London trains. Primary and Secondary schools are good. If you need parking I'd go Boyatt Wood over the Town Ctr, mainly because permit parking is not fun.

Highfield life is not especially studenty, nor are we plagued with HMOs (although it is easy to tell when the students are around - I like having them here). Highfield is good for family life but is quite expensive - £300k won’t get much round here. You could look a bit closer in, somewhere like inner avenue, Bannister Park, some parts of Upper Shirley, or even towards Regents Park. Bassett is probably too far from the station, although St Denys/Bitterne Park/Swaythling will give good access to Parkway Station which is a better commute perhaps.

As a city, Southampton is quite mixed, with ‘good’ and ‘less good’ areas dispersed. I wouldn’t say crime is especially high.

How is living in Eastleigh though as a family, isn't it rough? I've read that it is separated from Chandler's Ford and is best to avoid. Don't know. And isn't it noisy due to being close to the airport?

@SotonLass

Highfield life is not especially studenty, nor are we plagued with HMOs (although it is easy to tell when the students are around - I like having them here). Highfield is good for family life but is quite expensive - £300k won’t get much round here. You could look a bit closer in, somewhere like inner avenue, Bannister Park, some parts of Upper Shirley, or even towards Regents Park. Bassett is probably too far from the station, although St Denys/Bitterne Park/Swaythling will give good access to Parkway Station which is a better commute perhaps.

As a city, Southampton is quite mixed, with ‘good’ and ‘less good’ areas dispersed. I wouldn’t say crime is especially high.

I see, Highfield sounds good so far. We will be renting initially so hoping that there are places to rent close to good school (Highfield and Portswood I heard are good).

Another vote for Chandlers Ford for a family.

Banister’s Park
Upper Shirley into Regents Park
Highfields and Westwood Park
Basset

Basically anywhere that abuts The Common. You pay a big premium in these areas though as they are so nice and so much of S’ton is rough.

I see, Highfield sounds good so far. We will be renting initially so hoping that there are places to rent close to good school (Highfield and Portswood I heard are good.

You need to pretty much be on the doorstep of these schools if you want in, especially Highfields as it’s tiny. We lived in Banister’s Park and, despite both schools being just about walking distance, we were way out of the catchment. Highfields is a ridiculously competitive place to live…to be honest all the areas I’ve listed are, but Highfields especially due to the small size and the 2 good schools.

Check out the catchment for Portswood school more closely would be my suggestion. I suspect it covers some ‘less desirable’ areas, and you wouldn’t be able to walk to the train station, but if schools is your primary concern, you’ll need to think outside the box, especially with a budget of £300K.

Evelynballet my son lives in Chandlers Ford and commutes to London from Eastleigh station. Used to go 2 or 3 days a week, less regularly now due to the pandemic. It’s a long day, but doable and quicker than from Southampton. It’s easy to get to Eastleigh station for an early train but traffic everywhere round here is bad during the rush hour.
Eastleigh is a railway town. It’s not posh by any means but most people are decent enough. If you are thinking about where aircraft noise is significant check out the flight paths but remember there is another runway planned.

I loved living in Bishopstoke, about 0.75 miles from Eastleigh town centre

@Evelynballet

How is living in Eastleigh though as a family, isn't it rough? I've read that it is separated from Chandler's Ford and is best to avoid. Don't know. And isn't it noisy due to being close to the airport?

I've lived in Eastleigh on and off for 20 years. There are some parts I wouldn't live but that's more due to preference (I think 'rough' is a bit harsh).

I lived in the town centre when I first moved back not far from the airport and I'll be honest, I never heard planes. I'm back in Boyatt Wood now, which is where I grew up, and I prefer it there because it's slightly quieter (no pubs/restaurants nearby) and I have a drive.

I can't hear the motorway where I am, and only very occasionally I can hear the train in the morning if its very quiet.

I brought my son up here. He went to both Shakespeare infants and Juniors. We'd gone abroad to live by the time he'd hit that age, but I'd have sent him to Toynbee if we'd stayed.

Chandlersford is OK. Personally though I prefer Eastleigh or Boyatt Wood.

@RoseRedRoseBlue the traffic from Bishopstoke to Eastleigh in the morning is a nightmare though.

Eastleigh is fine. Not aspirational like Chandlers Ford but it's not a dive. Don't get caught up in the hype over the secondary schools in Chandlers Ford. Both are good and IME it's not worth paying over the odds for being in catchment for one of them.

For commuting to London, also consider the park & ride at Winchester and taking the train from there.

For Southampton itself, Bitterne Park is nice. A mix of backgrounds and the secondary school is excellent and over subscribed. Agree with Upper Shirley and Basset too.

[quote alwayswrighty]@RoseRedRoseBlue the traffic from Bishopstoke to Eastleigh in the morning is a nightmare though.[/quote]
Yes, that is true. Spent many a time sat in a traffic jam outside the Toby Carvery!

You are quicker to walk or cycle from bishopstoke to Eastleigh rather than drive.
Bishopstoke has a good infant and junior school with an easy walk/bus or cycle to a good secondary. Eastleigh town centre and the train station are an easy walk. You have the river, the woods and the fields as well as multiple playgrounds, takeaways, the Toby and small shops. We moved to bishopstoke to be close to the train station

I used to live in Bassett and liked that, wouldn't live in many areas in the City Centre though. Chandlers Ford or Boyatt Wood are nice.

There isn't a great option really. If your eldest is already 8 you need to be looking at secondary schools and the 'nicer' areas of Southampton like Portswood and Highfield are not in a good secondary catchment, neither is Upper Shirley although some of the houses are lovely. Southampton schools have suffered from the wealthier families shipping their kids out to Hampshire schools, but new building means that is less likely to be an option in the future. Why do you need to move to Southampton?

@littleowls83

There isn't a great option really. If your eldest is already 8 you need to be looking at secondary schools and the 'nicer' areas of Southampton like Portswood and Highfield are not in a good secondary catchment, neither is Upper Shirley although some of the houses are lovely. Southampton schools have suffered from the wealthier families shipping their kids out to Hampshire schools, but new building means that is less likely to be an option in the future. Why do you need to move to Southampton?

My husband will be working at the University. So where do kids from Highfield and Portswood primary go when in Secondary school age If there isn't a good secondary around those areas? Are they going to public, private schools then?