Worcester Park/New Malden

[nockybocky]

Hello,

Planning to move back to the UK next year & I have been looking at this area. I know Wimbledon but can't afford it but don't know anything about WP or NM except to drive through.

Are there good parts/bad parts? Do people like living there? Tia

Hi OP, we've been in New Malden for five years and are selling up and moving to Worcester Park, next week.

Love NM! Good high street with selection of chain shops as well as plenty of Korean culture. Where we are, we can walk to Kingston (35 mins) and Surbiton (30 mins), to Old Malden along the Hogsmill River trail, and to Richmond Park (45 mins). Wimbledon village and town are a short drive away). Good bus routes to Wimbledon / Kingston and easy train access to Waterloo.

NM state primary schools are good, access to state, religious & (exam based) grammar secondary schools is excellent.

As both our kids are now in secondary school and we're moving to WP due to cheaper house stock - we're buying more square footage for less money. A long high street, maybe not as diverse as NM, but seems OK.

I don't know about primaries (I think they're decent?) but believe that the catchment for state secondary schools is not as good in WP, BUT there are at least three great Sutton grammars (exam based) which are easy to get to by bus.

Thank you ok

Yes it does seem you get more sq footage for your money in WP.
Do you know if there are any areas to avoid?
I like the high streets as I like having stuff on my doorstep. I've not looked at secondaries yet as it's a way off but something to consider.

We've moving to the Worcester Park station end also not too far from Motspur Park. Quite green with the Mayflower Park Wetlands, Lower Morden Equestrian Centre, and Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields within two minutes walking distance, and the high street and station less than 10 minutes walk. Seems nice, with lots of families with primary school aged children using the green spaces, but obviously we won't know for sure what it's like to live there until we move next week.

I don't have any knowledge of areas to avoid in WP.

What are you looking for in your area? We moved from Worcester Park to near Purley - trains to central London are faster, there's more green space, and housing is cheaper. It is a bit further out though - zone 6.

I don't think there are any areas to avoid in WP, though we looked at a house in Tolworth near the A3 and didn't like the area. The trains from Malden Manor are less frequent than WP - only every 30 mins I believe.

@okjustonemore exciting! Good luck.

Someone just said to me that one side of the high street was better than the other but didn't elaborate & tbf it was a few yrs ago so may be outdated or just nonsense.

@sarahb083 Ideally we would move to Wimbledon but can't afford what we want there. We are looking at a 3/4 bed semi detached with off street parking & good sized garden.
I like the proximity or WP & NM to Wimbledon & Kingston & we have family in Wandsworth & friends in Carshalton, Cheam, Banstead etc.

I like the fact WP is z4 so doesn't feel so far out. I won't be travelling far for work & DH will be in the city a few days a wk.

Worcester Park and New Malden aren't great for the city - SW trains go into Waterloo and you then have to get the Waterloo and city line, which is packed at rush hour - though may be better now. You could look at places on the train lines into London Bridge, so he can just walk into the city. I find SW London much more expensive than south London for what you get.

He was planning to get the Jubilee line from Waterloo to LB & then just walk. He has colleagues/friends that take that route from Surrey. He's not too fussed by a bit of stress as it won't be everyday.

I agree that SW London isn't the best value but we were both born & raised there so are a bit institutionalised! I also have to be 10/15 mins walk from a high street as I've never known anything different. I

If you go into Waterloo it’s cheaper to use Waterloo East to go one stop on the train to London Bridge rather than using the jubilee line and paying for the tube as well. Trains are every few minutes and it’s quite a pleasant journey

The boundaries of Kingston, Epsom and Merton all cut through Worcester Park so think about which council services you want to access to decide on the area. One of them has very high council tax…

Thank you @Blueroses99 excellent point re CT, defo something to be mindful of!!

I have lived in New Malden - and I think it really depends on what you are looking for. In terms of schools - we wanted a non religious school - Burlington is outstanding and places seem to be offered more securely to those who live in the area between the station, the high street, Beverly park and Burlington road - though the actual
Intake area is bigger than that. The Groves area is popular for Christ Church school.

Location wise - the main draw back is that you are stuck with one train line in to town - if there is a probably at the station, you have to walk to Burlington Road to get a bus to Wimbledon to get on a tube - or walk over to Motspur park - both time consuming options. Availability of private nurseries is another issue - we ended up driving to nursery, parking there, and then getting a bus and a train to work - and frankly it was really stressful.

The area itself was nice to live in - Parks, swimming pool, high street, library etc, the school was good, you are a shirt drive to Richmond park or into Kingston - but to us it felt too suburban and we started to wonder why we were paying to be close enough in to London when it didn’t feel like London. I also feel it has a sense of ‘couldn’t afford Wimbledon’ - everyone is not quite happy with their lot and they wish they could be somewhere else. But that’s me projecting I think!!

@Bouncebacker well I defo have the can't afford Wimbledon vibe! I assumed you moved somewhere else. WP feels less suburban than NM but perhaps it isn't.

For us the only good thing about new Malden was it’s proximity to everywhere else. I didn’t love the place itself, it just felt like you lived on the A3 or the Kingston Road. Traffic is bad. Secondary schools for boys are a problem and be careful with catchments for primary, they’re tiny. Literally 500m.

Although I miss the Korean food!

[quote nockybocky]@okjustonemore exciting! Good luck.

Someone just said to me that one side of the high street was better than the other but didn't elaborate & tbf it was a few yrs ago so may be outdated or just nonsense.

[/quote]
The Stoneleigh side of the high street is nicer than the Morden side imo but that is because they are set further apart. I guess that will be reflected in price though so will depend on your budget. I don't think there is anything wrong with that side just that they are a bit on top of each other.

Thanks @TonyThreePies

Watch the secondary school areas in Worcester Park - some is in catchment for Glenthorne, some will come under Sutton so advantageous on that side ditto Kingston on the other.

Glenthorne catchement: Children living 1.5 kilometres or under from the junction of Langley Avenue, Boscombe Road, Dorchester Road and Clarkes Avenue in Worcester Park will be allocated a place, subject to a maximum of 27 places being available under this priority.

@nockybocky we have moved to NM this year. I personally prefer Wimbeldon village (ha!) but DH wanted strictly detached house so we ended up in NM. Nevertheless, we are living right next to a lovely park, A3, 5 mins walking distance to an outstanding Burlington school, 7 mins walking distance to the station and an acceptable high street. Both Kingston and Wimbeldon are a short drive away. I've realised that it's probably a better location for us than Wimbeldon (apart from having no tube). Good luck house hunting!

Sorry, forgot to add that we considered WP and could afford a really large detached house with a huge garden there. Just didn't like the general feel of the area but have friends who are very happy there!

Hello all, we have just had an offer accepted on a property in Worcester Park okjustonemore how have you found things? We are very nervous if it is the right area for us. We want to move somewhere which is a nice area to bring up our son.