Safe areas to live in Acton / Ealing

[Sirine1708]

Hi! We are moving to London next month and I'm figuring out where to rent within 30-40 minutes commute to Hammersmith station.
Any help would be much appreciated because I've read heaps of mumsnet posts already but still didn't find the answer :)

Our budget is up to 3500 pcm for 3 br flat or house (epc b or c) , and I'm looking for a safe area (don't want my husband stabbed/robbed while coming home late or narcos wandering around me and our 6 yo son). Park with good playground within 20 minutes walk is highly desirable :)

Most likely we are not getting spot in any decent/"Good" school mid-Year 2, so we go private first and then look around. But it would be nice to have good primary schools in the area that are not grammar and take kids from non-religious families.

I was thinking Acton because within our budget it has more modern and warm (epc B) houses then Richmond/Chiswick/Hammersmith/Fulham.
Also Richmond schools seem mostly religious so they will not be taking our son I suppose.

But are Acton or Ealing really safe to live and walk at night? I was examining crime map on crystalroof and in Acton it's yellowish in most parts - not red but not green either

The area around Churchfield Road and Acton Park in Acton is nice, I think estate agents call it poets corner. I lived there for years and found it safe with a good community feel to it.

Agree that Poets corner was always nice although I haven’t been for about 10 years.

Have you considered Barnes? It’s just across the river from Hammersmith. Southwest London is a little more gentile than north west.

I found these - www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/128819633#/?channel=RES_LET

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129239570#/?channel=RES_LET

There are a lot of very nice areas around Hammersmith. I wouldn’t worry about safety.

A bit further out but the area around Pitzanger lane is worth it for the shops, parks and restaurants- www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129372692#/?channel=RES_LET

Didn’t answer your qn about crime sorry! Acton certainly used to have a lot of high crime estates so the overall figures for the area were bad but the crime was in pockets rather than evenly spread. I would happily live there outside of an estate. I might think a little harder if I had teen boys

Thanks and also there's a bus 218 going exactly where we'll need to go. I was looking at rentals closer to District line stations, but Poet's corner might actually work for us!

@kistanbul thanks for looking into those rentals, but both Barnes and Pitzanger doesn't provide easy commute to Hammersmit station on public transport, at least Google doesn't show it.
Barnes is within walking distance though, do you think it would be safe to bike to Hammersmith via Hamnersmith bridge with 6 yo? I'm also concerned about bridge closures.

Do you live in Istanbul? We've been living in Levent there for some time.

How about Northfields in Ealing, really nice area and good schools. On the Piccadilly line to Hammersmith so very easy commute.

I used to live in Berrymead Gardens in Acton. It was lovely. The roads behind it, Meon Road is one, were nice too.

@Stretchandsnap Northfields looks great logistically because my husband might also use Elizabeth line 1-2 times a week to go to office near Farringdon.

Comparing District line and Piccadilly, wich one is faster/more reliable/less crowded at 8 am on workdays?

@Sirine1708 realistically they are both going to be crowded, in terms of reliability hard to say - district line has just had new trains and Piccadilly line is getting them shortly but there really isn’t much in it in my opinion.

However, Piccadilly is significantly faster, from Northfields to Hammersmith it is only 2 stops, where as the district line stops at Chiswick Park, Stamford Brook, Turnham Green.. feels really slow in comparison.

The Elizabeth line is brilliant, it genuinely has been life changing in getting into the city and there are 4 trains per hour from west Ealing which is close to Northfields. I don’t live in Northfields btw, so have no skin in the game! but just wanted to put it on your radar.

@HarrietSchulenberg happy to hear this cause there' a "Good" primary school nearby on Osborne rd. that has spaces at every class.

It might be a bad sign though.. as well as 35% pupils receiving free meals at that school. It's one if the highest rates I've seen so far.

@Stretchandsnap yes it's defs on my radar now.
Our friend told us a lot of people working near Farrigdon also use Elizabeth line from Woolich, but I like the idea of living in the West more and also my husband's visits to office will be sporadic so no need to live in high crime areas for the sake of easy commute and new houses.

You will need to get over that attitude sharpish. Every affluent area of London is cheek-by-jowl with pockets of deprivation. Children receiving FSM are poor, not criminal, and there are an awful lot more of them at the moment as more families fall into poverty. 35% FSM is not especially high in London.

@ThanksItHasPockets it's not about children - mine is also not Prince of Wales, it's about area - poverty and unemployment lead to crime, that's what's on my mind.

Then genuinely, London may not be for you. 25% of all school-age children in London are eligible for free school meals, and unlike other cities where affluent and disadvantaged populations tend to be siloed, London has very high levels of integration between different communities. Every safe, affluent neighbourhood will have pockets of deprivation and state primary school intakes will reflect this. People who wish to avoid this go private.

Agreed
@ThanksItHasPockets!
Even Chelsea has council estates 🤣🤣

"Narco's"

London isn't for you, lovey. Off you pop to somewhere awfully middle class in Surrey.

@onmywayamarillo Yep! The properties in catchment for the outstanding Chelsea Academy (39% FSM) comprise million-pound houses and the World’s End council estate, with very little in between.

Yeah, she is going to struggle. Then move to the Chalfonts.....

My DH was a London born and bred child on free school meals (north london). His mum had a graduate degree, from a middle class background but was on a very low income as she had to balance 4 kids with working freelance at home. Being orthodox jewish also meant fewer jobs open to her, esp with 4 kids. They otherwise owned their modest terraced house in London due to money from grandparents. He and his sisters all got 3 As at A level standard and DH went to RG university to read law, now is VP at bank. This is not unusual for Londoners otherwise on free school meals as there may be many reason why they are on free school meals. People from immigrant backgrounds often start off from a lower point coming from generally poorer countries but that does not mean their parents are not well educated people or otherwise value education (which should be all that matters when choosing a school, not how much money the parents have). Also you can work but still be on free school meals.

@ThanksItHasPockets I was talking about area itself, not choosing between private/state school, and "free meal" as index of poverty and crime in the area, at least for me.
And noone will ever convince me I'm the only 1 paying attention to this index.

But of course all those stats may look scarier on the screen then in the real life, ie I have no idea about crime rate in my area, because I could assess everything in person. And my child went to preschool in the area I didn't like and everything was fine there.

If this name offended you in any way - it was unintentional and I'm really sorry, English is not my native language.

I am talking about areas, and I am trying to explain to you that every single safe, affluent, genteel area of London has pockets of deprivation. Living in London means living very close to people who are poor.

I grew up in Kensington in a council flat and received free school meals! So yes I find your post very offensive.
I now own 3 properties and have a successful business so we're not all drug dealers and reprobates 🤣

@socialmedia23 thanks, it makes me think it over. As I mentioned above, when you have no real knowledge of the city, you try to find what to rely upon.

Yes. I am not sure that London is unique in this aspect but it is certainly unusual compared to other major cities in the UK and Europe and it is something which often surprises people from elsewhere in the UK. It is very different to Paris, for example, where the poorest people live almost exclusively in the banlieue and it is quite possible to live in the city and never go there.