Is Sutton, Surrey nice / safe for a small family?

[lookingforhomemum]

Hi, me and DH (no kids) are thinking of moving to Surrey (leaving London) for more green, less populated/traffic with a safer area, and better schools (well, that's what we think Surrey offers). We are in our mid-30s. We are currently looking at Sutton, New Malden, Surbiton and further out, like Epsom and Reigate.

We really like the countryside but we don't necessarily have to be right in the middle of it. We like small towns, but wouldn't mind a larger town if we can get to the countryside, nature easily (car is fine).

We mainly work from home (expected in London office once a week ish). We also want to start our family next year so a good place for primary schools would be ideal (even secondary). We kind of are looking for our forever home, which might be a little early to decide, but we have been renting for yonks and moving a lot over the years and now in a good place (career and salaries) to settle down for a couple of decades (we hope!).

Our house value we are looking for is to about £550k, ideally lower. We are looking for a proper 3 bed house (no box rooms) with a drive and garden. We don't mind doing a little refurb. We aren't bothered about "posh" areas, but we do prioritise safety (London doesn't feel safe to us anymore if we were to have kids! Sorry in advance if that might offend anyone, just a few personal experiences have led us down this path :( )

I guess our priority is looking for a good, clean, safe area close to the countryside (a short drive) with good schools is what we hope for. We are also the type to enjoy coffee shops run by independent stores, we frequent them quite often.

We don't know much about Sutton, New Malden, Surbiton and further out, like Epsom and Reigate. If any one lives in these areas and has some suggestions (roads, areas, tips and schooling experience), we would be so so grateful.

Thank you! and sorry for the long post <3

Thanks so much! We can't wait to visit. Just looking on youtube and google maps does make me think it's not "green" enough for our liking though.

If you want green, you need to move to Richmond Borough 😉

Banstead every day of the week over Sutton, there are still the travel links to London, just a bus ride to the station. Fab park, lovely coffee shops, Waitrose, M&S etc, good schools, lots of countryside nearby, Banstead Woods, Epsom Downs etc. Loads of families with young children there too.

I second Caterham. You get more for your money for some reason and it's a ten minute walk into countryside or at least parks from pretty much any direction, especially on the Hill.

It also has a great sense of community and lots of events.

@rocksstones2023 the excellent schools in Wallington are all selective. The only non state is RI

I'm aware. I went to one of them 😊

Actually, Purley is in Croydon, as well as Kenley :) Both are nice parts of Croydon

Just throwing this out there as others have more or less said it - you are choosing places that are effectively still London!

Have you considered "safer" cities and towns further away on the map but just as close by travel time? Sutton to central London takes about an hour on Thameslink. Kettering to St Pancras takes the same amount of time. Canterbury is also an hour. Brighton.

or do you actually want to be in London?

Yeah as others have said, all of these places are in London. I only know Sutton high street but it is a bit of a dump if I’m honest. It has a very suburban south London vibe. I expect there is knife crime. The grammar schools are good but hard to get into.

Where are you moving from, out of interest? I've lived around Sutton / Surrey borders for a while, and most of Sutton feels very city like, not much leafiness at all.

Cheam is likely to br out of price range, but maybe look at West Ewell especially the streets bordering Hogsmill river. Good transport, lovely walks and decent House. Much nicer than chessington.

Sutton and carshalton great and lovely schools

Have you considered sussex? The places you've mention are mostly still what I would classify as London and you won't get much house for your budget. Have a look at Horsham and Haywards Heath. Lots of coffee shops and countryside while still within an hour on the train to central London. People here are very friendly and it's a safe area with good schools.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134809859#/?channel=RES_BUY

Try the Chipstead side of Coulsdon, very leafy, good schools. Train from Coulsdon South only 20 mins to London Bridge/25 to Blackfriars/30 to Victoria. Coulsdon itself is a small high street but some decent cafes, a Waitrose and an Aldi.

Thank you for this suggestion. It's 12.30am and I am looking into sussex now! I would defo consider it, although I know nothing about the area. We are also considering Godalming, but need to explore there too. I completely see that the areas I've listed in the OP are London, but they do come under Surrey too. When I was very little, we lived in Mitcham and considered it Surrey, rather than London, so I do the same with the areas I listed. We then moved to Tooting, and since then I've been moving every few years for studies and work. The reason why we are looking at Sutton etc is because my parents live near Tooting now and we would like to be a bit closer to them as they get older. At the same time, I spent some time in West Berks a few years ago and just fell in love with the countryside but it's just too far from parents and the city hybrid job. Oh, Out of interest, where do you consider Surrey begins? :)

I forgot to ask. What are the main hospitals in Horsham? Just thinking ahead for maternity and God-forbid, A&E care. Thank you :)

it’s true that places in outer London like Mitcham and Sutton used to be part of Surrey, but they became part of London in 1965, when the current borough system was created.

So factually they just are not part of Surrey anymore and haven’t been for sixty years. I’d also say that outer London can feel actually less green than inner london as there are fewer parks etc. there’s a real sense of suburban sprawl in many outer LBs.

Epsom, Ewell, Banstead. These areas are Surrey and it’s there you start to get a greener feel.

I would look at good secondary schools - I know this seems daft when you don't even have children yet but moving to the good area once you have DCs can be difficult and expensive and you will prob have limited time to find somewhere. and they won't want to leave friends.

I've lived near Epsom town centre for 14 years and agree that the High Street has gone downhill. It's still an ok place to go out for a drink and/or meal but I wouldn't shop there anymore - there's just nothing left - House of Fraser shut last year, Wilko is going :(

But what I really liked about it is that the train station is very central, which was super convenient. Before the pandemic, I used to commute to London almost every day and transport links were brilliant - direct trains to Waterloo, Victoria and London Bridge every 15min or so during peak times. But I understand the frequency of trains has been reduced drastically since 2020. We moved away around the same time (albeit only a couple of miles) and I now use a different line (which goes through Banstead, Sutton, etc.) so cannot comment first hand.

Ewell High Street has a nice vibe, but it feels more like a village rather than town to me. Ewell West station is quite close to the High St, direct link to Waterloo (same line as Epsom). There's also Ewell East station which is a further away from the centre, in the middle of a surburban but fairly smart area.

In terms of access to green spaces, all those areas (Epsom, Ewell, Banstead, Tadworth) are great - Epsom Downs, Nonsuch park, Epsom Common, Banstead Common, Nork Park are all just a short drive (or even a walk) away.

the areas you have mentioned differ greatly in price, vibe, location

Surbiton is nice and green - but it’s “naice” and super beautiful and pricey in some places as well as convenient - reminds me of Wimbledon tbh - so fast train into Waterloo within 15 mins, nice restaurants, on the river, next to some of the best grammar and private schools in the country. It’s therefore super super pricey in parts (ie hedge fund managers buy the nicer houses which are priced millions - and even a standard 3 bed is at least 800-900k if not more in certain parts ). So I think this is out of budget

Kingston Is less “naice” but has one of the biggest shopping centres in Greater London - honestly it is massive and is visited by everyone from SW London. Which means all houses are pricey again- and smaller. It’s also home to Kingston uni and some of the country’s best grammars

new Malden is fine but overpriced in my view and out of budget anyway

you could look at tolworth, chessington - these aren’t as green and are close to surbiton but more urban tbh. Not as nice or green areas but there are pockets

tbh I don’t like Sutton much - . It feels urban and I don’t get the best vibe.

north cheam isn’t “naice” but does have houses in your budget and is ok. Not really green

south Cheam is beautiful - but I think Out of your budget as very green

ewell - has a nice small high street, is Surrey proper and may have houses in your price range. It’s not a happening place and just different To eg surbiton which is much larger and has so much going on - so you really need to explore

stoneleigh is a village halfway between tolworth and cheam/Epsom and is quite sweet albeit only has a few thousand residents. You can prob get a 3 bed 1930s house within your budget - might need a bit of work

you could then look further out to the real Surrey countryside - Banstead has a nice high street and you should be able to get a decent house. Transport links to London are tricky- hence why it’s cheaper

Ashtead has a village feel and may be ok

I know of people who are moving to Reigate for the green feeling and because they can afford a nice house

I just wanted to post this message to say thank you so much to you all for helping and I have read every single comment and looking up all your suggestions to 3 in the morning!! This means so much and thank you so very much. I will try to reply individually but just wanted to drop in here and say this <3

@NoIdeasForWittyNickname Thanks so much for your posts! I found them very helpful especially describing those specific areas. We haven't visited Ewell and will check them out and feedback here to you and also, hopefully it's helpful for others.

I think based on yours and everyone else's posts, Sutton may not be for us - if it's still a city/London vibe, I think it will become somewhere we won't feel happy. The access to green and leafy areas is a must for us (If i'm honest, it's more for our mental health).

@Namechangedforthis25 I really appreciate you taking the time to respond with so much detail! It's interesting that you mentioned that Surbiton reminds you of Wimbledon. I went to school in Wimbledon (yonks ago!) and loved Wimbledon, but it's sort of lost it's appeal to me over the last decade because the high street shopping seems to be going down the drain, although the village is still nice and the common has always been great. Tbf, I can't afford it anyway haha. I need to visit Surbiton just to compare in terms of an area to hang out in the the future if we were looking for a nice Saturday to spend somewhere.

Stoneleigh sounds interesting, although it might be too small for us as I wonder if I can connect with mums especially new mums there. I also really love 1930s houses (that's my ideal house).

Reigate also sounds really interesting... may I ask how your friends are finding it there? Do they commute into london and would they recommend it to a new family?

Thanks again!

@lookingforhomemum where did you choose in the end? I am also wondering about Sutton etc

@lookingforhomemum Hi there - did you manage to choose a place and what are your thoughts now? I am also trying to choose between those areas you have mentioned, although we do have two young children who will be going to primary school in the next 1-2 years.

Grateful for any advice!

@FreierGedanke whats your budget & how often do you need to commute