Family areas in London with short commute

[pyjamastoday]

DH and I are really struggling to find somewhere to move to in London. We have 1 DC and another on the way. Would be looking to move next year or so before DC 1 would need to start school. We currently live in Canning Town but we don't like it as it's really polluted, loud, lots of late night incidents, and there's very little green space. Schools aren't great either. Transport us excellent though so it was a good place to live while we were child-free and working. Not so much now we have DC or during lockdown!

Stumbling block is that DH needs to be within 45 mins max of the City as he works very late. We are prioritising green spaces and schools.

We looked at East Dulwich after seeing it recommended on here and whilst it was nice enough it felt a bit too 'trendy' for us, and also the walk to the park was about 30 minutes which is too far to just pop to the swings before lunch or something.

Every time I look at a nice area I see that secondary schools are an issue and so I go back to the drawing board. Not sure if we should forget about secondaries for now as DC is still young or will we come to regret that?

Anyway, if anyone can recommend a great family area with the short commute that would be great. Our budget might go up depending on DH's job but if we moved today we'd be looking at around 750, ideally for 3 beds.

I mean a Viennoiserie just opened there. There’s a place that sells wine on tap and there are multiple hipster plant shops and a yoga studio.

No idea what it was like when you were growing up but it’s got definite middle class vibes around Francis Road now.

I don’t know Wanstead that well but from my previous visits there it does have quite a suburban vibe. If OP had rejected Beckenham on the grounds of being too suburban, they may feel similar about Wanstead.

Mind you, I had a bit of ‘culture shock’ when I moved to the ‘burbs but it was a great decision for us, so I’m strong advocate of not ruling out a place because it feels suburban.

I think that because Wanstead is so much quicker it does feel more "in" London to me. We go to Wanstead Park quite a bit anyway. With Beckenham it feels like quite a long drive out.

Wanstead to me feels quite suburban. The outstanding rated school in Walthamstow is a girls school, but lots of friends are very happy with the co-eds, Willowfield, Frederick Bremmer and Leytonstone, they're all good secondaries. Mugging can happen anywhere but if you want a less city vibe, Wanstead definitely feels a bit more country to me.

I lived for a short time quite close to Wanstead and preferred it to S Woodford...always seemed to have a pleasant vibe and a few interesting shops, quite diverse, not especially suburban. One thing though, that part of London is OK for East Anglia but not easy for road trips to other parts of the country if you have family etc. elsewhere.
I can't remember ever having walked around in Beckenham but do know the general area fairly well. Those outer boroughs used to have a very different vibe to Inner London but things may have changed.

Those outer boroughs used to have a very different vibe to Inner London but things may have changed.

Definitely a more suburban vibe, though I’ve noticed a significant increase in people moving into the area that have edged out from Z2-3, so it’s changing the dynamic quite a bit, though I’ve learned to love the suburban vibe too!

@pyjamastoday not looked through the whole thread. Have you looked into Hither Green/Lee? Hither Green is 9 min (one stop) to London Bridge on the fast train. It does not feel suburban at all, in fact really close to the action.

Your budget of 750-850 is just right for a 3-4 bed, depending on which side of Hither Green you are looking at. Very importantly, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to “excellent” (ofsted rated) primaries, hence why you find a lot of young families move there.

@romatheroamer

I lived for a short time quite close to Wanstead and preferred it to S Woodford...always seemed to have a pleasant vibe and a few interesting shops, quite diverse, not especially suburban. One thing though, that part of London is OK for East Anglia but not easy for road trips to other parts of the country if you have family etc. elsewhere. I can't remember ever having walked around in Beckenham but do know the general area fairly well. Those outer boroughs used to have a very different vibe to Inner London but things may have changed.

Wanstead is actually very well connected to the M11/A14/A1 for onward connections to the east of the UK and the north east, and the M25/M1 but it's not the best location if you ever need to visit the south west/ west if England

How about some of these options?

They are all within a 50min commute to "City of London" (though you'll probably want to update the filters to DH's exact commute location), priced under £750k, and are in areas that are good for green space and secondaries. Interestingly some areas quite central also pop up. As do some places in Walthamstow, Dulwich, and even Crystal Palace.

Ideally you'd be on Crossrail somewhere. Shooters Hill? Then he'd walk/bus down to Woolwich and be at C Wharf in 9 minutes

Have just read more of the thread and discard my comment, I don't think SE18 is the vibe you're after. I'd look around Maze Hill/Blackheath Standard. Greenwich is really brilliant, lots of green space but still a nice 'going out' vibe. Transport links are great as you have national rail, DLR, boat, and tube from North Greenwich (which is just a short bus ride if you're between Greenwich and the A102).

I was going to say look north of Liv St up the Overground line towards Clapton until you mentioned Heathrow. But Hackney is a very family area, lots of secondary schools to choose from

Have you looked more SW/W? Twickenham, Kingston, Surbiton, easy fast overground trains to Waterloo, especially surbiton, I think 15 min? Then twickenham, 20 min on the fast train. Lots of green spaces, near the river, all have good primary schools and then secondary and easy to get to Heathrow. All family friendly areas.

I live around these areas and lots of people live here who work in the city.

Have you looked at teddington/ Hampton/ Richmond area?
Teddington was named best place to live in London.
It's a bit further out, but great schools, parks, cute high street etc right by the river.

Do you have family/friends you’d visit regularly out of London. If so it’s good to be on the right side - crossing London or going round it is a grim way to start/end a journey

It seems odd that you’re willing to look at flats to get the nappy valley style toddler experience, and yet also want a house that will work for two teenagers - given the focus on secondary schools?

I’d look at Forest Gate village, just south of Wanstead Flats. You could get a 3 bed 100sqm Victorian house with a big garden, and potential to extend to a 5 bed 150sqm house in the future. Bishopsgate would be 30 mins door to desk, and Heathrow manageable via Crossrail. That should see you through to secondary school time.