Moving to Reigate - which areas?

[rdebrambel]

Hi all!
We are selling our flat in London and after a lot of searching, have settled on Reigate as the best place for us long-term!
We're currently viewing properties but wanted to ask what the best areas to be in are (esp. for schools / shops / pubs) We don't have children yet but do have a dog
We've looked at a few properties north of the high street (under 10 mins from the station) and also a few in South Park - in South Park it appears you can get a lot more space for your money, but location is farther out from the town. Does anyone have any experience of the two areas ? Where is the best place to be?
Thanks!

Depends on your budget. Some people are snotty about South Park - it does have some dodgy pockets and yes it's not as wealthy as say the north of Reigate but people move there precisely to get more for their money.

I like Earlswood and would suggest you don't discount it. Lovely dog walks nearby, a really lovely school, close to the train station into London and a nice community feel. Also close to Redhill for shops that sell stuff you actually need on a day-to-day basis.

I'll be honest - I didn't enjoy living in Reigate. Parts of it were pretty enough and yes it was fairly wealthy in places, but the mentality there drove me mad. Maybe it has changed now? If you want to get a sense of the people that you'd be living amongst, have a look at the voting record of Crispin Blunt (Reigate MP) on things like free school meals, social care, second jobs for MPs, private companies dumping sewage into our rivers etc. His voting record sums up the general attitude of the average Reigate resident, and that's why he has been the MP there for so long.

But to answer your question - it depends on your budget. If I had to choose I'd probably choose north.