Big life conundrum/unicorn hunting

[BigLittleRedOne]

I know there are many threads along similar lines but I am hoping wise MNers can help with this indecision and the questions going round and round in my head about what to do...

To summarise:

• we live in S London, in an area that has been 'up and coming' for at least a decade, but hasn't actually up and came...! It's pretty gritty, with a functional but grim high st, drug dealing outside our house, litter and fly tipping, lots of traffic - that kind of thing.
• we own a small 3 bed terrace, which sizewise is ok for now although we would like something bigger in the next few years as the kids grow.
• kids are at primary school which we love and have nice friends through the school community. But eldest is in year 4 and secondary schools around here are pretty mixed in their outcome for kids, a fair amount of behavioural issues and mostly huge and quite intimidating.
• I crave more access to green space and a high street I actually want to walk down (and feel safer at night)
• I also would like a house that works better for two increasingly big boys and all their 'stuff' - bikes, sports kit, rugby boots, mud etc etc. Side access to garden or a utility room would be the dream.
• I would like to live somewhere where as the kids grow up they can have some safe independence, shops/places locally to go and hang out with their friends. Our current location does not have that. Friends of ours young teens (12/13/14) go into central London regularly which feels like too much too soon for our kids.
• BUT I love London for its opportunity, cultural life, access to amazing museums, interesting people etc etc and I'm not ready to leave it. I don't think we want to live in the country side and small towns in the middle of nowhere don't really appeal.

We can't afford to live in any of the nicer areas near us - I'm wondering if we need to leave London for all the things we'd like, or if there is some magical unicorn place we could move to that I don't know about!

Or do I just put up with the grimness and be grateful for what I have?!

Thanks for making it through this epic monologue :)

Do you need to be in London for work?

Why not somewhere in easy reach of London like Guildford, great high street, sports facilities etc. How often are you actually in the London museums etc and interesting people live everywhere!

Surely whether it's a unicorn or not depends on your budget?

There are lots of places in London near big green spaces and with safe high streets and easy access to amenities including good schools but they come at a price.

Stay in South London but go further out to places like Beckenham, West Wickham or Orpington. What's your budget?

We are in Beckenham and really like how green it is. Have great schools on our doorstep, a big garden, commute from zone 5 into London - very different from outside zone 6!

We were in an almost identical situation and relocated to one of the Reading 'satellite' towns. A good decision. Schools are good, crime rates lower than in London, all amenities are local, there is work for both dh and me within reasonable commute. Kids get their town centre buzz in our town until young teens, then head for Reading mid-teens, and Lindon late teens, if at all. London is very accessible both by car and by train. You get a lot more house for your ££, though prices otherwise are pretty similar to London.

(I still miss London a bit.)

@TheNoonBell my partner and I both freelance so being in easy reach (within an hour or 90 mins) of London is important as that's where most of the work is

@Whataretheodds budget is max around £900k

@Aparecium interesting - which town are you in?