Banstead pros and cons! FLOODS? please help

[desperatelyseekingnoone]

hello mumsnet, please can you help me and DH, no kids, mid 30s. We want to move to Surrey (leaving London), looking for greener spaces and a lovely community with coffee shops, must be safe, good schools (primary and secondary) for a family we hope to start next year!

We dislike London for a new family and looking for our longterm family home with 3-4 bed, medium-large garden (a must), driveway for at least one car, and budget up to £600k Max.

We really like Banstead but we drove there and walked around.

We still need to commute to London 1-2 times per week, and hoping for commute to be less than an hour.

Can anyone tell us what Banstead is like with all the above? Do you live there, have a family? Are you happy there? Do you think the houses and Banstead will keep their house values?

We so so nervous are also really really concerned about flooding issues as well :(

Thank you so so much!!

Flooding? Where and what? Very confused about that tbh.

Banstead is very Surrey - i.e. non diverse, a bit naice. I wouldn't live there myself but know people who want that really like it.

Secondary schools very difficult if you're in the wrong house. The commuting is a pita too. If I had to choose I would go Ewell over Banstead but obviously you are giving up some quietness there as Ewell much more traffic generally.

I too am baffled by said flooding! Where? Nice high street with Waitrose, restaurants, park etc. However station is other side of A217 from town.

No flood risk. How odd that you have stated this as a concern. It's a pleasant enough village, quite a lot going on in a Home Counties suburban way.

Do you want walking distance to a station or happy to drive or hop on a bus or get an Uber? Don't limit yourself to Banstead station, look at the surrounding stations too and see which line suits your commutes. Carshalton Beeches, Sutton, the Tattenham Corner line, Epsom etc.

Banstead is nice, but the train is awful - only two trains per hour and it takes an hour to get to Victoria.

I think it'll be tricky to get a large garden, nice coffee shops, nice community, within an hour of London for £600k.

I'd look at

Coulsdon South - quick on Thameslink to central London and quite a lot going on

Reigate and Dorking - not any quicker on the train but nice and further out

Sanderstead - nice high street, excellent high school

Banstead is beautiful, very leafy with some lovely independent shops / cafes on the high street. Never heard of flooding issue. If you are looking to live near the station, I think you will struggle to buy something for the 600k mark that meets your criteria. You may want to widen your search a bit.

thanks all! Very much appreciate your responses. So, no flooding that you're aware of? The reason I have been worried is because of news report from the 2013/4 floods that occured in Surrey and just assume it hit most areas based on news reports... :(

Also, we are totally okay for finding a home that needs full reno, so long as it's structurally sound and no damp/mould issues to our health. Do you think that would work for a 600k budget?

@omnishambles thanks for your post - when you say non-diverse, do you mind elaborating? I have a mixed family, thank you!!

@sarahb083 you're so right, the train is awful! thanks so much for your recommendations.

@CheersToMe I'm looking at nearby stations and looking at park and ride options... the thing is, i think we can do that for now, but as we'd be new parents, we have no idea if driving to a station then jumping on the train to get to london would feel like a massive hurdle two times a week. i just don't know what to expect with a baby!

@bunnykins123 thanks! We are okay to be about 1.5 miles from the station, do you think it's doable?

Are you hoping for a detached or a semi? Semi more do-able.

2013/14 floods were miles away in Staines/Egham so no need to worry.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135939530

This is a nice village with a well regarded primary school, and on a bus route. Lots of loft conversions being done to gain the 4th bedroom.

2014 was the Thames flooding, well away from Banstead. Likewise the Mole has flooded but that is much further south. 600k might get you a three bed semi in the area.

@LIZS thanks for confirming. the floods looked awful and I know it was a little while ago, but I just felt so bad for those people affected back then. I just worry about these things, the purchase is such a huge one (as if for anyone buying a home) but I just don't think dealing with a flood or the potential of it would ever make me feel at home otherwise.

we are totally okay with a semi, 3 bed, even if it requires some cosmetics, so long as garden is there and the building is sound. fingers crossed!!!

I personally wouldn't recommend a bus ride or long walk to a train station if you're planning on having a family soon. I'd prioritise a quick and easy commute - you'll need to be able to get home to collect your child from nursery if they're ill and also fit work around nursery drop off and pick up. Effectively the longer your commute, the less time you'll have with your child(ren). It really adds up.

Why do you want to leave London? There are nice, green areas within London as well. Surrey is particularly expensive, I'd consider Kent, Essex, etc as well.

Also worth looking at Woking (though I'd definitely visit as some people don't like it). There are some nice options in your budget.

@sarahb083 thank you for your suggestions! :)
We have considered woking, and it does feel affordable but we aren't sure it's "green enough". Horsell seems like a nice place but their village shops etc seem limited, very few cafes and there doesn't seem to be much there, or in woking too. But we could be swayed. Do you know anyone in woking? if so, how do they find it?

We've put Kent in as Plan C. Plan B is hertfordshire (but not st albans which I can't see what the fuss is about there, maybe I am missing something).

I think Surrey appeals to us because family are in South-West London and we are thinking about future child care help, with things like sickness etc.

You are totally right about commuting as a parent. I feel quite anxious about all of this as I am mentally trying to figure out when I would return to work etc and things like that. It feels like my career will be on a standstill, but my DH makes more money and it makes sense for him to stay in work (he is incredibly supportive though and he thinks we can try doing 50/50 at some point, i.e. he stops work and I go back sooner etc) but we also are very sure one of us has to stay with baby at home until school age (we can just about afford me to STAH for about 4-5 years). It all just feels... scary tbh. We read a lot about childcare issues and costs and we don't know what life will be like. Having said that, I can't wait to be a mum. Sorry, rambling all my worries now...

Also, I forgot to mention, we are leaving london for a few reasons. We won't get the type of family home and surroundings we want for our future family. i grew up in London, i love it a lot, but i think being closer to the countryside, less traffic and those city problems make us feel like leaving is our best option.

Banstead is a really lovely place to live. Never known of any flooding and have lots of friends who live there

If one of you will be home until school age, I think the commute is less of an issue. Though you might not want to assume that - you might want to go back to work. I found taking care of a small child very difficult (and dull!) and couldn't wait to get back to work.

I know two people in Woking and both like it, but it's not particularly lovely or charming.

I know you said you'd be happy with a renovation, but renovating a house with a baby is HARD work and I would never do it again.

I think you might need to give up either the driveway, large garden, charming area, or being in Surrey. It will be very difficult to get all of that for 600k within a reasonable commute of London.

I've literally linked a property above that ticks those boxes!!

@CheersToMe thanks so much, i already did check it, appreciate you showing what we could potentially get. it's a pretty house! we are totally fine with a semi, we know a detached it not really possible. I think the third bedroom being a good double means a lot rather than a box room, simply because we hope it'll be a forever home.

thanks so much for sharing and for being so honest. i feel so confused about the future and feeling a bit anxious about losing income, more for myself. i've always been independent and just feeling weird about that. my husband is so lovely and supportive though, so that's not the issue. just so many things to think about. i appreciate your time!

Re flooding: you can check flood risk from rivers with your postcode here, although it doesn't look like there is a concern in the area I've highlighted below.

There not to say that there hasn't been flooding from blocked gullies and sewers, but I wouldn't worry about river flooding.

oh thank you so much!! <3

Banstead is known locally as being limited for choices for secondary schools so if that's a consideration look at schools and catchment areas carefully. No issues with flooding as far as I'm aware.

@desperatelyseekingnoone by non diverse, I just mean it is very white and quite Tory. A big change from Sutton just down the road. For a mixed family I would prefer the nicer bits of Sutton (maybe Belmont just up the rd from Banstead) for schools, commute, diversity but it depends what you prioritise.

I'm of Indian ethnicity. I grew up in Banstead (I live in London now, but my family have been in Banstead for over 40 years). In my experience, I wouldn't have said it's not diverse. It's not as diverse London, but I had friends from all sorts of cultural backgrounds, and never once felt different. It's a lovely place to live, but an absolute bore if you're a teenager.

That chipstead way house is not that convenient for Banstead high street if that's what you're looking for. Although for 600k and a 3 bed, you probably won't find anything closer.

Banstead is nice - we have family and friends there. But commuting from Banstead itself is a bit of a hassle and the people we know all rack up huge additional parking charges as they drive to Sutton or Cheam and park. High schools are also an issue if you are going state (most of the people I know around there send their children to private high school).

But on the plus side, the high street is one of the nicest and most convenient village high streets in the area - Ewell is very basic, Cheam is quite nice but doesn't have a lot of variety - and it's still convenient for Epsom, Sutton and Reigate. It's also very convenient for the M25 and to get to Gatwick in particular.

Broadly, 600k in the broader area for a 3 bed with decent garden is quite tricky so it might be that you have to figure that out and plan accordingly.

Woking is also nice and probably better for state high school and the small villages are nice (although more like cheam/ewell than Banstead). Commuting is further but quite convenient. If I was making the decision you are, I'd go Woking over Banstead/Epsom/Ewell/Cheam personally.

You could also look at Leatherhead. Quite good value for money and I think schools are good. Also just across from Ashtead which also has a nice high street (Ashtead is nice too but expensive).