Kidbrooke?

[Yikesno]

Is Kidbrooke a nice place to live pkease does anyone know? I know there isn't much going on there but it seems to be well connected and could walk or take a bus to Blackheath or Greenwich. The new builds look like and the prices are reasonable for London.

We're looking for a terraced house in a nice, safe neighbourhood in London. Commuting to Victoria but only once or twice a week. Its just the 2 of us, we only need a 3 bedroom and our budget is up to £600k (but would prefer to spend less and be mortgage-free faster).

We love Crystal Palace and the surrounding area but think the hills might become too much for us as we age (we're in our 50s and DH has arthritis in his knees). Obviously Kidbrooke doesn't have the same "buzz" but busier areas should be easy enough to get to and it would be nice to be somewhere that feels really safe and secure.

Kidbrooke is about as far from nice and safe as it gets.

They've spent a lot of money trying to gentrify it over the last few decades, but it has not worked.

It's cheap for a reason.

Is it really that bad? How disappointing. The crime maps show it as green and low crime, and the estate looks lovely. I figured it was cheap because there's not much around in the immediate area - dull but not dangerous I thought.

Where about are you looking? In the actual KV development or in the roads the other side on the A2? I live not far their (near Kibrooke Park Road) and absolutely love it here, but i don't think I'd move the other side of the A2. It's more cut off over there (public transport not great) and the schools that side aren't the best.

There was an estate with a terrible reputation that was demolished around 10 years ago so it should be OK now. Areas do change with gentrification - Brixton used to be awful but now gentrified, for example.
Kidbrooke is definitely cheaper partly because there's not much there but its reputation would put people off. I honestly don't know what it's like now. You could join local Facebook groups as I find they do give a good feel for an area.
There are areas further out in zones 4/5/6 where you can find cheaper houses.

This is the house that got me interested in the area. It's on the other side of the A2 but not by much - Google maps puts it at an 11 minute walk to the train station.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136951700

Not a place I would choose to live and not much there.

We looked in that development when we were looking for our house. We discounted it because we thought the houses were too small for the prices they were being sold for. It's about a 30 minute walk to blackheath from there (there are no buses to blackheath or it's one stop on the train). I have known people who lived there and liked it, in particular in was great for kids as they could play out as it was an enclosed development. But the primary schools aren't great (if this is a consideration).

In terms of facilities, I wouldn't say there's not much there. In the immediate walking area you have a post office, a pharmacy, a takeaway, a corner shop, Aldi, BM, a (decent) pub, a Starbucks, a sainsburys local and a good playground.

Further afield you have Blackheath village and the large shops in the charlton retail area.

I disagree with PP-our friends lived there for years and we spent a lot of time there. It’s really changed, yes there’s not loads there but close to Blackheath and Greenwich. Train line is good and you can get bus to Greenwich north tube. Good to get on south circular / roads out to M25. It’s similar to most other parts of south London in terms of safety etc

Thanks all. The impression I'm getting is thatbit would be a pretty good choice for families but not necessarily for downsizers like me and DH. Although small houses wouldn't put us off - that's what we're looking for. But where we live now (outside London) we're surrounded by cafés and pubs and nice village shops and I just think in London we're going to want more of that, not less. Probably back to the drawing board then.

I wouldn't live in Kidbrooke. Re marketing it as a village doesn't change it.

used to be awful but now gentrified, for example.

I don’t think gentrification is enough of a reason to move to an area unless your main motivation for doing so is making money.

I lived in Brixton from 2-10 years old and we had to leave due to riots and firebombing.

When I was 7 I watched my mum and her friend get beaten up and mugged in front of me.

When I was 22, I moved to Tulse hill up the road and had a complete stranger spit in my face as I got off a bus.

When I was 34-36 I went to about three gigs because my friends were playing. I was twice chased up the hill for no reason other than those people must have been on drugs or had mental health problems.

The National average crime rate is 152 and within a mile radius of station it is 1895.

Gentrification doesn’t mean an area gets better, it often means people with money are priced out and move further out, and some posher, more expensive restaurants open up.

Op, my reply was about Brixton.

OP, I think you can get a better area with the budget of the house you posted. You should start a new thread including budget, places you need to get to get to work and and any other family requirements. I am quite familiar with a lot of Kent and the outskirts of London but I am sure there are many other Home Counties to consider.

It's true nice places are near. But that house is not. Absolutely no from me.

*is not in a nice place. I wouldn't like to look outside much

I’m in Eltham (the north part, around the Progress Estate / Eltham Park) but the midwives/children’s centre and our leisure centre is over the road in Kidbrooke, so I know the area that house is in reasonably well. It is very dominated by a couple of large roads, and many of the housing estates look like they could be in basically any town and aren’t particularly broken up by shops etc. There are a couple of new housing sites going up along Rochester Way, and very little by way of shops, although they’ve recently opened a grocers, and the new build area and its various amenities is in walking distance.

We did look at a couple of houses around there when we moved but wouldn’t be my top choice - one of the main issues for me is just how dominated and bisected by major roads the area is. I’ve only really gone there during the day, so can’t comment on safety etc. However, I know people (with cars!) living in similar parts of Kidbrooke and they are happy enough.

For £600k, you could get something over our way in Eltham - north of the station, it’s generally a lot more pedestrian friendly there’s plenty of cafes (real lack of restaurants though) and it’s an easy bus up to the Elizabeth Line. However, it would likely take up more budget than a similar house in that area of Kidbrooke and I know Eltham isn’t everyone’s cup of tea!

Thanks again for the responses and @WednesburyUnreasonable (love your username) I had similar thoughts about the roads. So it sounds like no reasonable person acting reasonably would move to Kidbrooke 😁? I will check out Eltham and will look for other areas also. A friend of mine has recommended Woodford, Highams Park, and Chingford so will look at those also. I'll post another thread in time.

I would suggest looking around Blackheath Standard or Charlton. I wouldn’t recommend Kidbrooke I’m afraid.

I know the area well. It's not a bad development (small house though) and close to Kidbrooke station and Blackheath. It's a lot more pleasant than it used to be and the new flats will bring more investment to the area. Very easy to get into central London but also out to the Kent countryside and seaside.

However for £600K I'd look also to Charlton SE7/Standard SE3 or Shooters Hill (SE18 - transport not great at Shooters Hill but nice views and Shrewsbury Park). Or you could also look at the Courtlands development in SE12 nearby to Kidbrooke.

If you don't mind a tiny house and garden, this budget would even stretch to East Greenwich (SE10).

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126016802

There are plenty of these houses in East Greenwich.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134329478

Lots of these Victorian terraces in Charlton. Good transport links, shops nearby, short bus/train ride to Blackheath or Greenwich or in the opposite direction to Crossrail/river development in Woolwich.

Op, look down the overground line to Brockley, Honor Oak, Forest Hill. All nice areas where 600k would get you a nice 3 bed flat or possibly house if not looking for period / kerb appeal.

ladywell also.
all areas have a lot more going on than Kidbrooke

Agreed these areas are much better and will get you what you want.

I only know of Kidbrooke because my stepdad either went on a course or to stores for his work a lot there and he didn’t rate it. I went with him once as an 11 year old when off school and it seemed dire then.