Any thoughts on Hersham? Need property/area help

[AfterTheRainComesSun]

Considering moving out from a lovely SW London area to be able to afford a house, however, finding it hard to find an ideal solution given our limited budget and the fact that we are very lucky to live in a lovely place full of great amenities.
We seem to be able to afford a decent house in Hersham/WoT borders (I mean within the sort of areas/distance to London we are considering) with our current budget, anyone familiar with the area? I only drove past it a couple of times and seemed pretty dead to me but I hear it's nice for families and has good primary schools. Am I missing something here, which streets should I check out next time I go?
Is it safe? Are there shops and basic amenities like a gym, ballet classes for the little one etc or would we have to drive all the time?

It's quiet and pleasant. Burwood Park is lovely.

Thank you! Are there any shops? I am
used to walk everywhere, do I need to drive there to say, go to the gym or grab a coffee in a nice cafe?
I hear of plans for a new shopping unit, does anyone know more about that and how that would look?
Also, I saw a lot of houses on sale on Molesey Road, why so many, is it an area to avoid? Also on Primrose road.
@floofbag ah thanks! Not ready yet, still need to speak to a broker etc but good luck! Where are you moving to?

I've not been there recently but there's a supermarket. There's quite a nice pub on the green, The shops are in nearby Walton. It depends on how used to walking you are.

Molesey Road is a main road, relatively, so I'd aim for quieter areas personally. The area by the green in Hersham is lovely. Molesey and Walton are also worth looking at, and Molesey is a short bus ride from Kingston (and a walk to the river, Bushy Park, Hampton Court etc) which might suit you.

Hersham and Walton are right next to each other, but Hersham feels more like a village. It's definitely not like London. Walton feels more like a small Surrey town.

@FayCarew thank you. Can you walk to Walton from Hersham? Is it a good place for a family you reckon?

Its quite a walk to Walton depending on what bit of Hersham you are in. But it is walkable. The schools are good. The secondary in Hersham/Walton as mixed reviews but it has good resources as it's a new building. It is safe but in that whole area traffic can be very bad at busy times.

You need to be aware of the plans for building flats on the existing shopping centre and car park. Nothing agreed or finalized and the residents are fighting it hard. It will mean a large increase in residents and it's not clear what shops would stay, including Waitrose. Residents are worried it will lose its village feel and resources like GP and primary schools would be further stretched. The health centre in Hersham has a poor reputation already for getting appointments. Traffic would also increase.

There has been an increase in young families moving to Hersham from London in the last few years so there are things to do. Walton has just had a new Gymnastics/play centre open and next door they are opening a children's climbing wall centre. Taking advantage of all the empty shops. Walton has a large library and Hersham has a very small one but it runs lots of events.

I think from Waitrose in Hersham to Boots in Walton High Street is 1.8 miles on foot. Just picked those shops to give you some idea, and the map shows them.

I don't know any young families there now, but it's never struck me as rough. It's not Weybridge, but Burwood Park is ££££.

I don't know Hersham and Walton all that well but lived/worked there for a short time many years ago. It definitely feels more Surrey than Suburbs. East Molesey or Hampton feel a bit more London.

I'd be happy to live there.

I live in Walton and have lived in Hersham too, both are lovely with great links to London. Feel free to PM me 🙂

You'd need to click on the pic to see Boots.
I'd forgotten about flats going up everywhere these days. It's probably changed a lot since I was there.
Glad Greenshake turned up.

Thanks all. In which part of hersham are flats going to be built? I assume it will be similar to lots of the ones that were built in Walton years ago. Many houses I hve seen on the market seem to be at the same distance between walton and hersham station, not sure whether it’s walkable either direction though (in terms of type of road).
The main primaries that keep popping in the house search are burhill and bell farm - are streets between these two also walkable (I mean, is there a highway type of road in between or can you safely walk everywhere around Hersham? I don’t get that by looking at the map).
Shame about the GP clinic, that worries me a bit :(

The flats will be on the existing shopping centre site just off the Green. It will have a bigger footprint and me much higher. It would be more like The Heart in Walton but no guarantee of shops underneath. I think it's the lack of shops and facilities which is the main concern for residents ...and also they impact of the size of it.

Are you looking for a village feel or a town?

Hersham is a village. It's fairly quiet but has things like coffee shops, children's classes, good schools etc.

The development plans are a concern. It could change the overall feel of the place replacing shops with a block of flats and not enough parking.

Walton is definitely a town. Lots of shops, coffee places, restaurants etc. It's nice though. There's green space and the Thames. If you want a busier feel then Walton has it.

Property is not cheap in either but obviously you get a bit more for your money than more central to London.

@AfterTheRainComesSun
Did you move in the end??

Weybridge?