Relocating to East Greenwich area / Maze Hill?

[Highlands83]

My family are planning to relocate to a more green and family friendly area from our current flat in Canary Wharf (DH, me and 16 month old DD). We have identified East Greenwich as a (just about) affordable place we like. We love Blackheath but can't afford it so would be looking around Maze Hill station. (We want to be walking distance to the park, so even though you can get more for your money in Charlton we don't want to have the Blackwall tunnel road / A2 in between our home and the park as we would like a quick toddle there with DD.)

I have had a look online at schools etc but just wondered if anyone lives in the area and can provide any further intel we might find useful to know about before we move there? For context we are very much hoping to have another baby in the next couple of years or so.

I'm interested to know what parents think of local schools, what commuting is really like in practice (DH would be going mainly to the City), and generally what it's like living there as a young family. Thank you.

Former West Greenwich resident here OP. Now moving to Hither Green but we househunted in East Greenwich.

What's your budget and what are you looking for? There are lots of nice 2-bedroom terraced houses around there for ~£600k-£750k-ish but you might need to be choosy depending on what you're looking for as lots are quite small and anything closer towards Blackwall Tunnel approach / Westcombe Park (which is where the bigger properties are clustered, some even 3/4 beds for around the same price) can be bad for traffic noise/air pollution. And the whole area is at risk of flooding if the Thames Barrier ever fails (though its working life has been extended to ~2070 now if I remember correctly) so you might want to bear that in mind if you're particularly risk averse.

Estate agent tried to push us towards some bigger newish-build townhouses on Hawthorne Crescent but be warned, those are all leashold and we got the clear impression that buying the freehold was going to be a huge pain unless the whole street could club together to force the developer (current freeholder) to agree reasonable terms.

We put in an offer on a lovely extended 2-bed terrace on Pelton Road but were beaten to it in a bidding war :-(

Trafalgar Road is a bit scruffy and traffic clogged as the only main road through the area, but don't be put off by that as it is a lovely area overall!

Commuting from Maze Hill is easy to London Bridge and Cannon Street as you get both Southeastern and Thameslink trains (one or the other every 10 mins or so during morning rush hour, both go via London Bridge).

Should add that Thameslink continues on to City Thameslink, Farringdon etc. Or you can change for DLR at Greenwich. So lots of easy commuting options.

That's really helpful, thank you. We don't know our budget yet but we are thinking of letting our flat in the Wharf abs then renting in East Greenwich to allow us to get to know the area and save us a bit longer. We think that in a few years we might be able to afford a 3-4 bed house, but not at the moment.

I didn't know that about the flooding - that's interesting and a bit scary! Does it have an impact on home insurance?

Yes I've seen those Hawthorne Cres places on Rightmove. Didn't realise they were leasehold so thanks for the heads up!

Yes Trafalgar Rd is noisy and scruffy but I really like the streets around Vanbrugh Park and of course old Greenwich.

How have you found West Greenwich in comparison?

The barrier/flooding issues didn't really bother me because the barrier is projected to last for decades more - and if it fails then the whole City of London and Canary Wharf also flood, and I really can't see that being allowed to happen... not sure what the effect on insurance premiums is like I'm afraid but I'd be surprised if there's any significant effect given that the barrier is v effective for now. I'd say it's only really an issue if you're v paranoid but I thought it worth flagging as it really spooked DP who grew up abroad in an area with catastrophic flooding and had to be persuaded that it wasn't like that!

I found this website to be great for checking all sorts of statistics regarding local areas - flood risk, air quality, etc etc: crystalroof.co.uk/

Round the parks are lovely areas. Lots of tourists in the centre of Greenwich but easy enough to avoid them and the parks are big enough to escape the crowds too!

Can't really comment on local schools but I think there's plenty of discussion of those elsewhere on the MN forums if you search. Estate agents always push proximity to Halstow school as a plus, don't know if that lives up to the reality or how it compares to others.

I really like West Greenwich but it is v expensive and there was nothing within our budget when we were looking. The streets just to the west of Greenwich Park are lovely. I've really enjoyed having Greenwich Park on our doorstep during lockdowns in particular. Plenty of similar places just to the east of the park, too, round Vanbrugh hill and so on.

A whole load of newbuild flats & renovations of ex-council/ex-police housing are going on v close to Greenwich station right now, scheduled to complete in early 2022, so if you're looking for a flat those could be worth considering too.

Should also say that over in the Blackheath Standard area is supposed to be v good for families too and you certainly get more for your money there. Downsides are that you only really have Westcombe Park station (or a slightly longer walk/bus ride to Charlton), especially if you're east of the Blackwall Tunnel approach, so it can feel a bit more isolated, and it's a bit further from the parks. We looked at a few places over that way but it felt far less convenient for commuting somehow because you're just that little bit further from alternative options (DLR/Thames Clipper) if the trains get disrupted.

I'm in East Greenwich 5 mins walk from Maze Hill Station. Used to live further up the hill near Blackheath Standard.
I commute to the City by bike, on foot (running), and on the train. V convenient for all of them. I can leave my desk at 2.58 and be at school pickup at 3.30 by train.
Great area for families with lots of green space (the East Greenwich Pleasaunce is also a nice alternative to the park) and good transport links.
Happy to answer any specific questions either on here or via pm

Have you looked at Hither Green by any chance? You can get a lot more for your money and it's within walking distance to Blackheath. Transport not quite as good as E Greenwich though!

Thanks all. Yeah we've looked at Hither Green and Lee etc but transport links are a top priority because of husband's hours. So I think either Maze Hill station or over West to get the DLR would be ideal. Less so Blackheath, Westcombe Park stations etc.

We lived in East Greenwich on Gibson Street for a load of years and absolutely loved it. I'm still gutted we left but we literally couldn't afford the next level house we needed. It's honestly got everything you could want and having the river on your doorstep is amazing - we used to love walking along it to the centre of Greenwich and stopping off in the various pubs along the way! If I could move back there now I would - DH and I have agreed that we'll return once our son has grown up and left home. Oh and the commute is painless; you can either walk a short distance to the DLR or jump on a bus and get to North Greenwich in 10 minutes. I definitely recommend it OP

Have you looked at St. John’s op? We live in west Greenwich. It’s a great area, very leafy. Central Greenwich is quite touristy. St. John’s is walking distance to Greenwich and on the dlr, very leafy and nice Victorian houses - probably cheaper than maze hill actually. I would choose St. John’s over maze hill any day. Think it’s a bit cheaper partly because it’s classed as Lewisham but don’t let that put you off. Lots of young families too.

We also have a 17 month old dc who is at a great nursery just near Deptford bridge. Local primaries are great I think, not sure on secondaries.

I love the area. Biased as I live around there! Easy Greenwich pleasuance is lovely, trafalgar road is a bit scruffy but some really nice independent shops. I think that Halstow school was very sought after at primary level (and has a very small catchment) but a few good other ones too (Meridian?) and I have a few friends with older kids who have gone to Thomas Tallis and have done really well.

No idea about schools as no kids yet but East Greenwich is fantastic. Having both the park and the river right there, lots of fantastic pubs and independent cafes and restaurants, stones’ throw from both Greenwich town centre and Blackheath. Definitely regret moving away (even though we only moved to Charlton, but what a difference).

I taught at Christ Church School (near the Tunnel, not the other one) and St. Mary Magdalene that are now both part of the Koinonia Federation and they have a 3-18 through school on the Peninsula (brand-new facilities, all designed by the Federation SLT so exactly what they wanted). Amazing group of schools to work for and excellent academic standards, wonderful leadership, very friendly. I can recommend both primary schools!

Have lived there in various flats for around 10 years and left several years ago. It was lovely there generally, although the traffic down Trafalgar Road, pretty much any time of day or night, is absolutely horrendous and really put me off the location.