London zone 3 and beyond living

[BacktoBrisbane]

Hi, I am looking for real world opinions of living in outer zones of London for young families. My DH and DC1 are looking to move from our cramped central flat to a 3-4 bed which is spacious. We would need access to decent nature / parks / woods or green spaces, plus excellent transport into the City, and West End.

We have previously rented in or looked around Kentish Town, Blackheath, Chiswick and so on. All of these would be right up our street, but we can't get room to swing a cat in those areas for our budget! (750-850).

We are both very tall and appreciate large proportions in properties!

So we are reluctantly looking to further out zones but we really don't enjoy the suburban vibe, so want it to still feel like London! We've never lived outside of central so don't want to feel too far out of that makes sense. Does anyone live in a place like this or have you made this move? Where can 750-850 get you a spacious 3 or 4 bed?

Penge! Still feels very much like London but you you get a lot of house for that budget. You can be in Victoria or London Bridge in 20ish minutes and you’ve got Crystal Palace on your doorstep and lots of other green space and the schools are generally good. Beckenham is also very nice but definitely feels more suburban.

@Usernamenotavailabletryanother - I think a lot of that difference you refer to is an awareness that you’re no longer living in an area that loads of people from other parts of London are travelling to at weekends etc.

There will still be really lovely places to go, but they are lovely places that locals know about and go to, they are not “destinations” (in the way that e.g Columbia Road or Broadway Market in Hackney have become). I don’t mind that though, I started to get slightly fed up with how busy those “destinations” were getting.

Maybe Winchmore Hill? Although it definitely is suburban. But nice though, and borderline affordable.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77872131#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90044053#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79216062#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89004850#/

@Bluegrass, you’re spot on. My DC went to school on Columbia Road, and I loved the fact that we lived somewhere people travelled miles to visit... but that was also one of the reasons we moved (along with needing space) as it was so crowded, especially at the weekend.

I now have Wanstead Flats at the end of the road, and it’s actually been lovely during lockdown watching so many people walk past on their way there. There’s a lot of new people moving here and discovering the area too, which has made me feel really pleased to live here.

Upper Walthamstow/Wood Street is a greener area in my opinion but Higham Hill/Blackhorse road is getting a lot of development like craft beer/restaurants now and close to the wetlands. The best advice I got was to find an area and take a drive around to find roads you like the look of.
Walthamstow village has more of a vibe but you pay for the privilege.

Bromley or Beckenham

@MargosKaftan

I am the wrong person to be on this thread, as I'm of the opinion if you are going further out than zone 3, you might as well leave London and be on a quick train in. You'll be too far out to get the benefit of being in London but still paying London prices.

Which main station do you need for work?

I tend to agree with this. I was raised in zone 3 and bought my first house there. Whilst i agree you would most definitely get a nice house for your money in some of the areas mentioned here already (SE) the commute on some of the trains can be shoddy and unreliable. I was fed up of livong in London but not living in London IYSWIM. We sold up and headed towards East Kent for à similar train journey time into London. We have a far better quality of life, better schools and more importantly a house with longevity as the secondary options are good here. Do check out secondary options if you are thinking of buying around Lewisham. As a child I travelled over an hour each way for secondary and I really didnt want that for my DCs

I think the lol about the “roughness” of Leytonstone is that the OP has that classic London property list - decent sized family home (ideally 4 bed) in an area that is well along the path of gentrification, leafy street but not too suburban, must feel like proper london - oh, and people need to be so unaware of it that it’s house prices are comfortably below a million!

You nailed it to be fair!

To those mentioning Bromley/Beckenham/ they’re quite nice, but you could literally not get anymore suburban!

What about this sort of thing? Walkable to the tube at Turnpike Lane, near some nice parks

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88778449#/

@tigerbear

To those mentioning Bromley/Beckenham/ they’re quite nice, but you could literally not get anymore suburban!

I do agree and completely understand your point, but if you aren't living in central London, then there isn't really anything else quite like it. With a young family, the OP should consider all options of where is best to raise them. I feel trips to catch a show in the West End are few and far between with a young family. Just another option to consider

Morden? Massive 1930s houses, good links in via Northern Line, lots of green space, can go to into Wimbledon for shops/restaurants

Foresthill has some nice areas and has train station with links to London Bridge, Herne Hill can be expensive but could get something if you hunt around. Again good train links to central london, short bus to tube station in brixton.

@MargosKaftan

I am the wrong person to be on this thread, as I'm of the opinion if you are going further out than zone 3, you might as well leave London and be on a quick train in. You'll be too far out to get the benefit of being in London but still paying London prices.

Which main station do you need for work?

My experience is that if you go for home counties, it is still really expensive to be walking distance from a train station and you also have huge season ticket costs. Only works if only one of you is commuting.

In zone 3, you will typically have lots of travel options - we have the train into central but also a short bus journey to three different tube lines.

It's also not just about commute - our friends are all in different areas of London and the transport options mean we can still see them.

Plus, to be honest, the really suburban home counties places don't really appeal to me anyway, I really like being in London and it still feels like London in zone 3. Different but still London.

Matty I agree with you

Inverine Road, Charlton, SE7
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/90135835

Very close to Blackheath, excellent transport links - easy to get to North Greenwich on Jubilee Line. Walkable or short bus/train ride to Greenwich Park/Greenwich. Excellent primary schools.

Ps I don't get the hype about Walthamstow/Leytonstone either. Totally overpriced imo.

Loads of lovely places in and around Hanwell here
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E70328&minBedrooms=4&maxPrice=900000&radius=0.25&index=24&propertyTypes=detached%2Csemi-detached%2Cterraced&primaryDisplayPropertyType=houses&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

Hanwell is worth looking at. Great schools, loads of green space, very nice community, nice pubs and cafes (when they're open), quick train in Paddington and lots more travel links from Ealing Broadway, easy access to M40 and M4.

You could definitely get a good place in Raynes Park for that amount. It ticks lots of your boxes.

How about Pinner / Eastcote? You could get a 3 bed semi for your budget with a decent garden. It’s pretty suburban, being in zone 5, but the schools are great and the tube will get you into the city in 45 mins.

@Hotcuppatea - have a similar dilemma to the OP and did look around Hanwell. It all seems fab but the high street was a bit off-putting. It's weird - the whole place seems fab but the main road. But this was during the lockdown, whats it like during normal times?

Tooting - always the answer to these threads

If you're not afraid of some work this is on at a wild price:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/104598416#/

Hi @happywombles most people who live in Hanwell would either go to Ealing Broadway, Greenford or Northfields to shop. Also Southall if you're after more Indian goods. I would only really go to Hanwell High Street for a cafe visit, a pint and pizza in one of the nice pubs or a gift from the gift shop. Would never go to the food shops really.