Moving to Highfield/Portswood Southampton

[LillyFlower1984]

Hi Lovely Mumsnetters

We are hoping to move to the Highfield/Portswood(Belmont Road) area of Southampton and will likely have our offer accepted on a house as I have just sold mine. I know its very studently but I dont mind that becsuse of the facilities that brings. Just wanted to know if any MNers have any information and advice on the area. We don’t need schools yet but currently TTCing. We did also looked at Winchester but just too expensive for what we want (nice semi/detached period home we can put our stamp on).

TIA

Belmont Road is most definitely Portswood and not Highfields. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. Despite abutting each other and merging where they meet they are quite different. How much do you know about the area? Highfields is a small, lovely, leafy suburb that borders the common to the East. House prices are extremely high as the housing stock is gorgeous and there isn’t space for development. Portswood has a decent high street and is quite studenty. It’s certainly not rough, but it isn’t as desirable as Highfields and some areas do need a bit of TLC. You’ll get a lot more house for your money in Portswood and you can still walk to the common and to the city centre. There are two primary schools round there. Both used to be outstanding but one recently had a requires improvement.

If you aren’t 100% tied to this area, Bannister Park (South of the common) and upper Shirley (West of the Common) have a more similar vibe to Highfields and slightly cheaper house prices. Both areas have good primary schools as well. But you won’t go wrong if your heart is set on Portswood either! Good luck with the move!

@DontSitUnderTheAppleTree
Thanks we are relatively new! Have visited Southampton many times though so feel like we “know” it. House is quite gorgeous with lots of potential so we are hoping it goes through. I like the urban vibe/vibrancy of Portswood high street but can still walk to Highfield and the common where it has a sort of “villagy” feel.
I agree houses in Highfield much more pricey. We are viewing a few more next week but will probably go for belmont road one. Do you know about the road specifically? House is very close to the junction with the Sainsburys/Police station.

Thats right next to one of the busiest commuter roads where everyone is trying to get over the junction so getting in and out might possibly be a bit of a pain at times. Wouldn't be my first choice for a road but it might not bother some people.

Why not something like this one: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/82880460

Thanks Solina
That house has been on and off the market. We will be seeing another like that in same location this week. It is sadly not quite right for us.
I tend to leave quite early for work (On to M3) and will be doing a car commute 2 days a week.

I used to live near the Sainsburys in Grovesnor Road. It is Portswood and rough around the edges but not unsafe. It’s vibrant and busy and full of students. I loved being able to walk to get takeaways and bus to the city center. I moved to the other side of Portswood high street to Winn Road, Highfield later. It was nicer and I loved it more.

I worked for the university then and had no children. It’s not somewhere I would pick to live with a family. If you can afford a house in Highfield, it’s nice. But they are very expensive.

Traffic was a nightmare up the avenue to the M3. It maybe better now with less people commenting, but there is now a new housing estate in north stoneham park. Have you tried it at rush hour?

Hi OP, as the name suggests, this is my stomping ground (and I have name changed as it is a very small community on this side of the high street). I’ve lived here my entire adult life since coming to uni and have school aged children. Overall it’s a nice place to live and has a lot to offer.

Honestly, Belmont Rd is just a bit too ‘edgy’ for me. A friend lived along there as a student and the house was nice but there are nicer streets nearby. What’s your budget? The Highfield house market seems a bit bonkers at the moment to be honest, so I can well believe that you are getting a lot more house on the other side of the high street.

I know you say you’re not bothered about schools but if you are planning a family you should be, inner city schools can be quite mixed and I’ve had friends struggle to move to get into a preferred catchment when the time comes.

Welcome to the Area!

Previous posters have offered good advice.

Portswood is vibrant with a good community feel. It is noisy and there can be some minor antisocial behaviour. MIL lives in the retirement flats next to sainsburys and feels safe. She occasionally complained about traffic and aircraft noise - but I don't think she noticed it before lockdown.

Like most places in the SE, heavy traffic on a comute should be expected. However, its a good location to get up to the M3 - Thomas Lewis Way or the Avenue.

PP has suggested Banister Park and Upper Shirley. Agree good places to look for a slightly quieter, more family feel, at a more affordable price than Highfeild. However traffic up to and back from M3 from Upper Shirley can be awful on Winchester Road.

Thanks all
It is hard to consider schools when you do not have children yet and to be honest we think we would try again in Winchester once dh starts working full time again- probably next 5-10 years.
@Highfieldlocal was it specific points on Belmont road? It appears to be a long road but I do get what you mean as I have tried to explore the area as much as possible. Which roads/streets would you recommend.
@DoneByWeds I considered Upper Shirley but have not seen anything J like yet.

Budget is up to 700, love period properties but only want to do cosmetic work/kitchens/bathrooms that type of thing.

To be honest if you can go to £700k I would consider Highfield proper or Upper Shirley. You could also get something really nice in Bitterne Park on the other side of the river but access to the m3 will be worse.

something like this is very typical of highfield: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123639830
one of the Collins houses that give Highfield its garden city feel

As is this: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123570077
closer to the common there is more Victorian property.

you could also consider areas like Grosvenor Road and Welbeck Avenue which are close to where you were looking but just on the other side of the high street.

If you are really not fussed about schools you could also consider Bassett, which has good housing stock but school catchments can be challenging. Staying to the west of the avenue and south of Winchester road might help with school catchment.

I think you might find that overall Southampton and especially around the common is actually a very nice place to live. Prices are a lot more reasonable than Winchester and many of us wouldn’t trade for the inevitability smaller house that Winchester would bring. If you’re looking to upsize in the future then the Oakmount Triangle and Abbott’s Way areas of highfield have some beautiful period properties.

Regarding the idea that you will move for schools if babies come along, in general I find that to be a timing issue - most people don’t realise that you need to be resident in catchment the January before school starts which in reality means looking for a house 9 months before that, so a full 18 months before the school place is needed.

House is very close to the junction with the Sainsburys/Police station

So the junction with Sainsburys is safe and pretty well maintained, it’s the ‘nicer’ end of Portswood. As someone has mentioned, there are quite a few retirement properties round there. You’re within spitting distance of the nice restaurants and cafes of the high street, buses in to town and about a 20ish minute walk from the Common. However, that junction with Thomas Lewis Way (the road to the motorway) is notoriously awful. You can be waiting there for a very long time if it’s busy and the traffic lights don’t fall in your favour. That’s the only thing that would put me off.

Your budget is good for Southampton. You’re within touching distance of smaller properties in Highfields and pretty comfortable for Banister Park or Upper Shirley. But as mentioned, you will have to do battle with one of 3 roads - The Avenue (Banister Park/Highfields), Winchester Road (Upper Shirley) or Thomas Lewis Way (Portswood) to get to the M3. They are all pretty dire in the mornings. I’ve done it for a long time up to Basingstoke and it wasn’t enough to make me want to leave Southampton (I really like it here) but it wasn’t much fun.

Thanks @Highfieldlocal I will admit I am a practicing catholic so might explore schools if need be. It is reassuring to know that Southampton living will be good as alot people I talk to seem to think I’m mad wanting to move from Winch to Southampton, but I honestly prefer a more cosmopolitan but leafy feel. Who knows I might feel differently after children!

@DontSitUnderTheAppleTree Thanks I will need the M3 and was thinking of completely avoiding Thomas Lee Way and going up Highfield road to Basset avenue to M3. Do you know about this in the mornings?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120620105#/?channel=RES_BUY
I am looking at this house.

Ah! So that means you will likely have the option of Springhill (the local Catholic school) but it’s location closer to the city centre may be more awkward.

In terms of the commute, the lights on the Highfield Lane and Avenue junction are slow and phased in favour of the avenue so that can be a pain. The Avenue itself moves but slowly in commuter time and the whole of the m3 south of Winch is not fit for purpose (but will be improved when it becomes a smart motorway). It’s not a disaster but you do need to leave time for the commute.

the house is lovely but if the map location is correct it’s far grittier a location than I would like - especially coming from Winchester! There are much nicer places to be for similar amounts but competition is fierce. The problem with buying there is that selling is likely to be harder than some of the more desirable streets a bit closer to the common.

I like the house posted by @Highfieldlocal . That’s in a very nice area. With £700k you should look at Highfield, not Portswood.

If you are Catholic secondary won’t be a problem. At least for girls, St Anne is very good. (Don’t know about boys a I don’t have one)! The link I mean is good is the first one. I’m sure it’s Glebe Court. That area is very lovely. You will feel it if you walk around along there leaving the Sainsbury and towards Highfield Church. Spend sometime there and you will see the different leaving the side of Portswood with the council carpark in Westridge Road towards Highfield.

Thanks all for the advice! So useful! I am looking at the two Highfield houses posted, the Portswood one and a house in Basset so will hopefully have a better idea after

Yes it’s Glebe Court, which is very picturesque. You will get less house overall for your money in that part of town but it’s very genteel with a strong community spirit. Those houses can be extended though and a rear extension to increase the living space is quite popular if you are thinking about the future. Ditto loft conversion.

There is a nice period house on Oakmount Avenue at the moment, but it’s at £950k. I’m not sure why it hasn’t sold as houses needing full renovation go upwards of £800k (one recently went very quickly at £875k listed) but it’s been on a while. I think that is over budget but it’s worth knowing that is what the higher end of the Highfield market looks like.

we lived in Bassett for a while pre kids - it has nice houses and good access to the m3. It is low on amenities and doesn’t have the bustle of Portswood high street in easy access. I prefer living in Highfield (also close to the uni for the gym etc) but Bassett is nice and quiet.

Its a nice area for a couple. We lived in Highfield and i loved being able to walk to shops, cafes etc so easily and it feels "safe" for a high street. I'm not sure i would want to raise a family there but each to there own, I'm sure plenty of people do! If you're trying to conceive then you should consider schools as that will come round quicker than you think! St Georges and St Annes are both Catholic secondary schools.
Highfield is a C of E school but I always liked the look of it walking past (I know that doesn't mean anything in real terms though!)

Another place to look would be Shirley, the Hill Lane end. Easy reach of the M3 and local highstreet. Has more on the highestreet than Portswood but maybe doesn't feel so safe.

I am really glad I made this thread. Yes I have seen the 950 Highfield house which was reduced from 995 on Rightmove. Completely out of my budget but I agree Highfield houses are often large period houses which seem to get snapped up quickly at well over 750-800k and also needing work. I think this is probably a step too far ahead for us now as no kids yet. I guess my main worry will be difficulty selling the Portswood house if need be as its been on for a while. A house like that in Winchester would be 3 d the price! I do really like the Glebe court ones but sadly they are terraced which we absolutely do not want.

Hi OP. I would check the Southampton council website that the house you are looking at is in Portswood school catchment. If it's not then you could be in catchment for one of the worst schools in Hampshire.

If it's good schools, period properties and a buzz you want look at Bitterne Park, just over the bridge from Portswood. Lovely edwardian and Victorian properties, affordable, bitterne Park primary is outstanding and its less than 20mins to walk over the bridge and to the end of Portswood highstreet. Really nice community feel and there is amazing bus links to the city centre (15min journey, bus every 10mins from around 5am to midnight). Feel free to DM me

The roads you'd want to look at in Bitterne Park are Manor Farm Road, St Catherine's Road, Ash Tree Road and Newton Road and then the roads connecting them together

@PoleFairy which school is the worst? I have been using the locrating website to check catchments. It does say it is in the catchment of St Denys school but that is not Catholic. I would be hoping to use the Catholic school system as I am Catholic.