Nottingham - or somewhere else?

[mooooving]

Currently live on the outskirts of London in a not very nice area but actually have no reason to stay in London and pay a premium for housing because my job is fully remote (even pre and post covid times).

My budget will be around £250k-300k tops including stamp duty, and ideally looking for a semi or detached house with at least 2 bedrooms, a nice (but not huge) garden and good links to public transport (I don't have a car). No school age children so schools are not important. No specific links to anywhere else in the UK as I wasn't born here although being able to get to London for a day trip would probably be good to see current friends (this will be a few times a year rather than a regular thing though).

My priority is having more space for my money, living somewhere with less pollution than I do now and generally feeling safe to go out for a walk ideally in some green spaces as a lone woman in my 40s. Community feel is a bonus - as I'm from an immigrant background I'd prefer somewhere that doesn't feel too insular.

Nottingham sounds like a good fit but are there are other similar smaller cities/towns I should be looking at where I could get a nice house in my budget? And if Nottingham, then where is best and where should I avoid completely?

I live in Nottingham having moved here from London nearly 10 years ago. My recommendation would be to have a look at The Park, it's very expensive to buy but it's beautiful, the houses are stunning and you can walk to the city centre in 5 mins. There's also a nice sense of community. (I feel I may have outed myself here as a resident of the park )

Some other places that are nice are West bridgford and surrounding area (although you pay a premium because of the good schools) Wollaton, and Mapperly. Some places to avoid are the meadows, Radford, St Ann's, Sneinton.

I’m in Nottingham too, it’s a good choice, diverse and lots of green space without being remote or out in the sticks.

For your budget you’ll comfortably get your wish list in a choice of nice areas. I’d look at Bramcote, Beeston, Wollaton, Chilwell, Ruddington.

It can be sprawling so worth checking distances to the city, eg Hucknall is very far out and to get to London easily by train you wouldn’t want to be too north.

Derby is also a good shout

West Bridgford gets my vote every time.

In contrast to the above poster I would avoid Derby like the plague. Derbyshire is lovely. Derby is a dive.

Disagree with the comment about Derby. It's a smaller city than Nottingham (more of a big town!) so not as much going on, however, having lived in both cities it feels 'safer' - the suburbs especially are fine (Darley Abbey, Allestree worth a look).
Belper is a really nice market town with plenty going on and on the doorstep of the Peak District. Nowhere near as large as Nottingham though so might not be big enough for you.

I agree with Ham and *likeamother regarding Derby. It is not a dive (bar a few areas) - the Darley Oark area is one of the best suburs anywhere if you enjoy to be by a stunning 'country estate' type park, be 10min by car to the train station, and feel safe. There aer other nice enough sduburns like Chaddesden or parts of Alvaston - close to Elvaston Castle estate for walks, and also 10min in a taxi (or buses) to train station - 1h30min to London by train.

It does depend how much 'cultural stuff' you do. I lived in London for a couple of decades and that's what I enjoyed about Lndon most, all the events. Obviously towns like Derby aer never gooing to be the same - but there is a museum, indie (and Odeon) cinema, and there is a plan to reconstruct the music venue where there as a fire few years ago.
Nottingham is a bit better for culture as there is a better theatre and more music stuff - but bear in mind that NOtt and Derby are only 20-30min away by car/train. Nottingham has more of a chilled out yet urban vibe - depends what you like. There's more shopping there of course, but Derby does have a good Intu centre, and there aer some funds being invested into town centre food scene later this year (Govt grants). Notttingham is an easier transirion fom London probably, but you do need to be close to the centre like PP said above if you want more of the city perks.

likeamother I meant!

*Darley Park, not Oark! sorry, it's late and i'm very slapdash but wanted to be useful on here.

I grew up in the area and like Nottingham a lot better as a city. More attractive, has areas like Hockley and the Lace Market. More culture. (Though Derby is hardly a cultural desert) .

Derby better for quick access to the Peak District.

I live in Derby. Please do not listen to Catandhiskit! Chaddesden and Alvaston are not nice suburbs to look at for you they are the last place you would want to look, higher than average unemployment and crime

A good way to tell what an area is like is to look at exam results at secondary school in those areas

Darley Abbey is next to a lovely park area as people have said, I’m not far from there but won’t say for privacy reasons

I actually love Belper and pop in occasionally, it’s a lovely little town with good links and great community spirit and very welcoming

The areas described in Nottingham are to my knowledge accurate and is more reminiscent in the whole of London with lots of Green areas to access

You would be fine in both cities it just depends what you want really

West Bridgford is great.

The Park is lovely - but most of what comes up in the OP's price range isn't actually IN The Park, and is a flat / apartment.

Tomnooktoldmeto that's a bit rude - I live in Derby too and exactly as the OP have moved from london and in my 40s. This is your opinion re Chaddesden - it's perfectly nice around hte park area, I didnt buy there but viewed a lot of houses and it's very middle class or employed working class, well looked after houses, and a reasonable own High St while not being close to the centre. OP isn't bothered by school results, but plenty of nice young couples and retired people live there - obviously there are few estates but I mean the area as a while. It's also on the road to Nottingham as OP was mentioning it.
Littleover is also nice i nmost parts, OP, but not the best area to get to Nottingham from.
And I did say Darley Park is by far the best - I said Chaddesden and PARTS of Alvaston are nice enough, around Alvaston village, not towards Allenton. The bad areas are Allenton and Normanton.

*while being close to the centre

West Bridgford is very 'Yummy Mummy' but has a few nice bars and shops and is close to the city. Parking can be a pain in west bridgford and on your budget you might struggle to find somewhere with off road parking there.

Beeston is a thriving little town with good transport links to the city however it is very student orientated.

From what you describe I'd recommend Mapperley. Good transport links to the city, you'd get something decent on your budget, and mapperley itself has some nice bars and shops.

A bit closer to the city, Sherwood and Carrington have some rough bits but are very up and coming , gentrification is happening there.

I'd add Oadby in Leicester to your list as it meets your criteria.

Catandkit I’m older than you , born in Derby know the areas you speak of well, very well! You’re not local and frankly you’re talking rubbish!

These are the places people move from not to! I certainly wouldn’t want to walk around for pleasure as a single woman

Sure there are odd roads that are ok but I would never ever advise someone to actively pursue living there unless they had no other options

With the op’s budget and requirements she could by in much safer more pleasant areas, as for schools it gives a good clue to the socioeconomic background of the community which is poor working class in those areas at best

Kettering might be worth some consideration, it's a pretty quick trip to London and when I've been there with my spouse's family, it's what you're talking about OP though others will know better.

Between Derby and Nottingham, I stronger prefer and feel safer in Derby, though the bickering probably doesn't make us look the friendliest or most open-minded bunch. There are many areas here that your budget would work well for, that have good access even without driving (I medically can't drive so I focus a lot on that), and there are plenty of trains from here to London, at least in better times. Some areas have a lot of open community - some are pretty insular, like all big towns/cities.

I actively moved from Littleover to Wilmorton, which comes under Alvaston. Littleover can be lovely, but it's terrible if you don't have a car -- large parts of it don't have pavements, and I found it not very safe as a pedestrian as someone who has freely walked the city centre through to Wilmorton at night with no problems. I also found some parts of Littleover pretty insular - I literally got followed around and shouted at for wearing a headcovering which has never happened where I live now. Mickleover might suit if in the right area like near their community centre, and is one of the lowest crime stats in Derby though pricey.

Schools as a guide can help some; however, we've so many non-catchment schools that it obscures the picture a bit as the students aren't coming from that area (and like all areas, the best catchement schools rack up the price). I'd actually look for the community centres - those obviously right now little is going on, those tend to have more community spirit.

Different people have different opinions on different areas. It doesn't make anyone wrong or talking a load of rubbish. Darley Abbey's crime rate is pretty comparable to Alvaston (0.52 per capita for Alvaston compared to 0.50 for Darley by last paper I read). I'm in the process of moving to the Boulton area of Derby which is accessible and has crime stats is far lower than either of those for less than half your budget OP for a 4-bed. There are varying local opinions, pros and cons to all of them, so it comes down to your priorities.

The latest crimes stats for Derby as of 2 weeks ago broken down by area in the city rank Alvaston as the second highest area for all crimes only beaten by Arboretum

Personally I always get a London lite vibe at the weekends over in Nottingham, very much Camden cafe culture on Sundays particularly along the canal areas and with the trams getting about on foot in fairly good

Sheffield is worth adding to the list. Great size and great spot with access to culture and everything a city decent-sized city has to offer, including diversity, but also a lot of warmth (people if not weather), close to gorgeous countryside, and fast links to London too.

I'd move to Lincoln in a heartbeat. Nice small city with lots of surrounding countryside and London reachable on the East Coast Mainline.

The villages/market towns between Nottingham and Grantham are pleasant and have good schools, community feel etc with good transport connections across to those for London. I think you might get something within your budget.

Used to live in derby - Darley Abbey and Nottingham - Beeston

Chadesden is like to places one end shitty and council estate or parts are okay. Have family in the shitty end

Derby id look at Darley Abbey, Allestree, Quarndon, Mickleover or Littleover

Nottingham - Chilwell, toton, west bridgeford, bramcote.

BiBalles I agree re Littleover - it's quite sprawling in the middle and there is a lack of direct route buses there so you do need a car. But OP can afford to buy around the little HIgh St - there's now finally a good coffee shop there attached to the Co-op. And good buses, walkable to the centre too in about 25min.
Alvaston around Sharrow Rd does have an advantage of a very good quick airport bus.

Tomnook I agree with BiBabbles that you can't just accuse someone agressively in 'talking rubbish'. You can state your opinion but that's what it is - YOUR opinon. OP being my age and from London, and I had also moved as a single woman, is likely to see things similar to my view.

First of all I was not advising OP to go Chaddesden as a first choice - I clearly said I much prefer Darley park area to anywhre else. I said Chaddesden is a nice enough suburb and is located on the way towards Nottingham. And that's exactly what it is. I don't think OP is planning to walk around the streets at night frrequently on her own - this can be risky anywhere. In the daytime is perfectly safe, and so it at night in the nice streets where she would go, she's not planning to buy a cheap house on estate.

There are also a few good small chain supermarkets there which other suburbs lack. Alvaston I'm not a fan of myself, but some bits are nice enough and it's close to Elvaston - I advised that because she might want to look, having an interest in walks / parks.

The other thing is, OP clearly said she is coming from a not very nice area of London! So her perspective would be very different from someone who lived in a town all their life and is too sensitive to any rough around the edges bit of an otherwise good area. London is mixed everywhere, and to someone from 'not a very nice' area, all these subrubs would feel quiet and safe. I actually lived in a posh area of London before moving here, and I don't see these areas as unsafe or unpleasant - they ar very clean as opposed to London, people take pride in their gardens, park their nice cars on the drive without fear of damage, etc. I don't like some areas of Derby, same as in most places (Normanton or Cavendish - or the boring and somewhat insular Mackworth).

The middle part of Chaddesden is perfectly pleasant and many nice people (families too btw) live there - I don't know when and why did you spent time there but I was looking recently at many houses, and all the owners were nice, decent people who lived there for many years. All LOCAL apart from one young couple who used to be in Notiingham (since being local is everything to you). They were moving to a larger house or for work, all felt like happy homes / people. So I'm sorry but I can say exactly the same - that they would all say you wre talking nonsense. Yes, one side towards Breadsall is an estate end, and also up Washington Ave, but all around the park and all te streets around Max Rd are nice.

I'm in Nottingham too. I think the park is a bit overrated, and very dark at night. I had a friend who lived there. West Bridgford is really nice. As is Wollaton. I live in Lenton and love it. But it's a student area.
I was quite happy with Nottingham until
I discovered Liverpool. I'd love to live there.

Deny is awful. Leicester is massively improved over the last few years.

Definitely not Kettering if it's not to be insular!

West Bridgford is really nice and I'd live there again in a heartbeat.