Belvedere, Bexley: good area?

[MilibandFucker]

Hi all,

If anyone has ever been to Belvedere, I was wondering on what you have to say about the area, specifically the crime. Please tell me about your opinions on the town! Thank you!

@Sspeechmum

I really do not like the name (Gravesend)!

It's supposedly because it became a mass burial site during the bubonic plague. It has a growing county lines drug problem and all the crime and anti-social behaviour associated with it. Avoid Northfleet for the same reason. Some of the villages around the Dartford area are quite nice though.

You're spot on @Pinkandwrinkly. DH is from Gravesend and when we visit family we can see it getting worse and worse, especially in the town centre. Parts down by the river are ok but I refuse to live there.

Thanks.

Thanks. We visited Dartford but it defo not to our taste.

My nephew and his girlfriend live there
It's not the nicest
It sounds posh but it's really rough. They are renting and it's costing so much but he's self employed and they have a young child too.
Honestly, the houses are nice but he said he hates it, it's noisy, crime ridden and his girlfriend doesn't go out at night. They had their car broken into twice last year.

What about something like this OP? This is a nice areas too.

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/56758216?utm_source=v1:5bWFDybfWx7C7AGpeagt7mP3PgcqjuqJ&utm_medium=api

@Sspeechmum I wouldn't buy a 3 bed if I were you. You should arm to buy 4 bed house.

Many 3 bed houses have very small footprint and feel cramped. Also, when your kids start growing, you'll feel the need for more space and thinking of moving which may cost more in the future

Have you researched the new Ebbsfleet Garden City? Assuming you like new build property, if course. It has pluses and minuses but could be an option,maybe? One thing to bear in mind with the whole area is the proposed Paramount Park development,also.

I grew up fairly close to Belvedere, in one of the nicer parts of the South East London suburbs. My parents had grown up in Bexleyheath and we had family all over the immediate area. I spent my entire teenage years desperate to get out and I swore I would never, ever, no matter where my life circumstances took me, live there as an adult.

There is literally nothing going on, ever, apart from the occasional excitement of some gang violence that spills over from the more 'dodgy' surrounding areas. The South East London suburbs are populated by people who spend their weekends at B&Q, eat in Pizza Express, drink in Wetherspoons, and who think Costa coffee is the height of sophistication. The streets are filled with a depressing straggle of identikit, over extended 1930s houses and the high streets consist of nothing but bland chain restaurants, hairdressers, and estate agents. There is no culture and no real community. For me, the South East London suburbs are what hell looks like, and living there is like being slowly suffocated by the hands of mediocrity. You couldn't pay me to live there.

If you need to commute to London and can't afford to actually live in London, then go much further out and live in the Kent countryside proper. As the trains are fast, you can often get into London in the same time or even more quickly as you would from a suburb. And you'd have a much nicer view, an actual community, and something to do on the weekend.

I hate to be harsh, and I know I'm a total snob, but I spent eighteen years of my life dying of boredom in South East London suburbia and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. For your budget, go out to some of the lovely villages surrounding Sevenoaks or Tonbridge - your money will get you a beautiful cottage, access to stunning countryside, and village community with a lot going on, plus a 30 minute commute on the train into central London. The best of both worlds!

I think things are starting to change. Sidcup and Bexley village have lots of independent restaurants and bars, there are tea rooms, boutiques and sole traders. There's a weekly local produce market, family festivals and lots of community spirit.

Bexleyheath high street is exactly as you describe tho.

To some extent areas like Abbey Wood, Plumstead, Woolwich, Belvedere etc. are in the process of developing (some may say gentrifying) because they are still somewhat affordable - similar to where areas like Peckham and Lewisham were 10-15 years ago. The Crossrail effect should help further when it eventually opens next year.

Saying that I think it just depends on why you need to live around this area. Commute to work? I've found living in this corner of SE London ok, but it's very different from Blackheath Village if that's what you're used to! My next move is going to be out of London completely but I'm fortunate to have the freedom to do so (wfh full time, no kids or family ties here, etc.)

@JorisBonson Sidcup is where I grew up. I go back occasionally to see my friends from school who still live there and have chosen to bring up their kids there. They love it. But even with the changes you mention - which I acknowledge, there has been an attempt to jazz things up for a younger crowd priced out of London proper in the last few years - I still find it stultifying. A few independent caffs and the occasional farmer's market don't equal a good quality of life for me.

Incidentally, when I was a child, Sidcup was a much more desirable place to live and had its own identity rather than being the bland commuter belt suburb it is now. It was almost countrified in many respects and had a lot going on. An independent cinema, a lovely art and antiques centre, a huge music centre where I went to orchestra practice, the circus and loads of other community events on the Green in the summer - it was a lovely place to grow up, until I became a teenager and things started to go downhill. When Bluewater opened in 2000, it sucked the life out of a lot of the local suburbs and that was certainly the case for Sidcup, which rapidly became nothing but a London dormitory with no identity of its own and a high street filled with boarded up shops.

@EnidSpyton, Sidcup is half way through building an independent cinema but I see what you mean. These areas are a little dull compared to Greenwich say, but sadly £450K doesn't get you a lot these days, even on the outskirts of London. If you move further out, you'll need to factor in commuting costs.

EnidSpyton has summed up Bexley to a 't' really (sadly I still live there...)

I lived in Belvedere as a child. Upper is nicer than Lower Belvedere. It's a grammar school area with so very good schools if your child is bright. A mixed bag of comps. I had a happy childhood there but it was a good few years ago.

I live here too and I like it a lot! We are child free and easily pleased tho.

Upper belvedere yes
Lower belvedere no

Some have suggested dartford/ebbsfleet. Great places to live if you absolutely love sitting in traffic...and it will only get worse.

I would agree that most of Belvedere, Thamesmead, Abbey Wood etc are best avoided. I think that some people are being a bit harsh about this general corner of London though. Bexley Village is lovely but pricier than other places as a result. Sidcup is an ordinary suburban town, but has plenty of green space, kids activities and sports clubs, the new cinema, a library, etc. Granted, it's not as fancy as Blackheath, but it's a pleasant and safe environment to bring up a family in, with excellent schools and friendly neighbours. £450k is a tight budget for 3 beds round here but you can definitely get something decent.
There was an episode of Location Location Location on very recently with a couple looking to buy in New Eltham and Bexley. They had a larger budget but it might give you a good idea of the areas.

Bexley village > other Bexley > Belvedere

Bexley village and Bexleyheath are nice. I've lived in both. Parts of Sidcup also nice. Shooters hill area is on outskirts of Greenwich/blackHeath.

Wouldn't touch Abbeywood, Erith or Belvedere but Barnhurst is nice enough.

Welling might also be worth a look

Wilmington on the outskirts of Dartford is lovely too