Moving to Orpington

[V2sMummy]

Hello there fellow mummas 🤗
I am continuing to look for houses in Orpington and this time around I have submitted my enquiry for Ravensbury Road.
Does any of you know if this area in Orpington is safe? I have seen some recurrent crimes at the junction of sayes court road and Ravensbury in crimes report.
Besides it's just behind the railway station. So, does anyone know the level of noise?

Hi - I lived around there (Bromley) but it was years ago now.
What do you need house wise and what is your budget? Have you considered Chislehurst, Petts Wood, Green street green?

That's St Mary Cray rather than Orpington. Not one of the nicer areas locally. As above, what are your budget and requirements?

Yes, I am looking for properties in BR5/BR6. 450k-550k is my budget. Moving in with little girl who will be 6 months by the time we move

We are in a similar spot and ours is 10 month old. We are considering Orpington down the lane later this year.

Any advice and suggestions you went through based on your experiences would be helpful :)

Hello there @Devamma

Sorry just seeing your comment recently.

If you have not already moved or started looking for a property, here it ia

I have just had couple of burns during my search and have recently been ruling out in general areas that are dotted with council houses. So by far, I am slightly moving my searches away from St. Mary's cray.

The market @ the moment is quite down unlike last year when there was a panic selling due to the interest rates. Given the interest is stabilized and expected go down further in Aug sales aren't great

Thus far, only one or two decent property (basis my expectations and budget) comes in the market. So I would suggest you to be in the market and start viewing there by when you actually start looking to to buy a property you will know what all to look for a house.

Hope this helps

What's your status now?

We are exactly in the same situation as yours. Our boy is 10 month old and hoping to make a move later this year to Orpington and surrounding areas.

We are also thinking to rent initially as it helps to know the area better as we are from the other side of M25.

Thanks for the advice on the area visibility around St Marys cray and we completely ruled out that area. Nearby areas to Orpington such as Chislehurst/Sevenoaks are totally out of our scope as its really expensive.

We see the housing market is alright for the timebeing and that said, if the rates comes down, the prices might go up.

Shall keep you posted and thanks a ton for your reply.

The Crsys have a reputation for antisocial behaviour but some of this area is nicer than others. Have you looked at Crofton Park or the Bexley Borough, maybe Sidcup?

Ditto. We are making our move to Bromley so that's easier for us view the properties

Reckon the prices might not go up as the stamp duty fee is set be higher later this year and next year. You can expect a panick sell again. But let's see

Good luck on your Move 😄

My wife and I have lived in Orpington for around 10 years now. We’ve two young children and think it’s a great place to be, and to raise a family.

If your budget is around the £500-550k mark I’d suggest going slightly south of Orpington Station, between Tubbenden Lane and Green Street Green. There’re also some homes in that range towards Locksbottom. These areas also both have excellent Primary Schools.

Wherever you’re looking, a good resource (although not infallible) is to use a map of the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Rule of thumb is the bluer the area, the nicer it is.

mapmaker.cdrc.ac.uk/#/index-of-multiple-deprivation?d=11110000&m=imdh19_dc&lon=0.0896&lat=51.3784&zoom=11.55

This link is incredibly useful 😀 Thank you very much

Would avoid the crays if your budget allows. Green St Green, South Orpington (Davies estate) etc are nice, as are Petts Wood, Pratts Bottom etc.

Look into local schools, too xx

Thank you for your help ☺️ will keep mind

Sorry for my hijack and wondering if anyone has an idea about Chelsfield as an area?

We used to live there - before DC came along. Chelsfield is in 2 parts really - the area around the BR station with fast trains to London Bridge, Charing Cross and Cannon street. A mix of housing - the very expensive Chelsfield Park, then thirties and fifties housing including some built as social housing. I’d say a low crime area (haven’t checked). There is a primary school and another which I know is well regarded within walking distance - Warren Road.

The other part of Chelsfield is the village across the A road called Court Rd. Mostly older housing there. Probably more pricey. Not much to the village though it has a pub and a primary school. Not sure it has a shop. It would be a drive to the station.

Any thoughts on Tillingbourn green (BR5) & Lockesley Drive (BR5).

I have not good experience with Englefield crescent, which is closer to Tillingbourn green.

Any info will help

I’d say both of those areas are alright. Of the two I’d have a preference for Lockesely Drive - part of The Robinhood Estate (as the roads are all Robinhood themed). A few years back (2020?) the roundabout at Forest Way/Friar Road was used as the setting for the John Lewis Christmas ad.

Appreciate it may seem an age away but the pro of being here is you’re just about in catchment to Perry Hall Primary School which is an excellent school. You wouldn’t be at current proximity distances from Englefield Crescent. The park (Poverest) is also nice.

A lot depends on your requirements though e.g. how long do you plan to be there, do you have a car, do you need childcare and if so what sort? You have far less services (i.e. buses, shops, educational institutions) in that part of Orpington.

Here’s the link to the latest Primary School proximities btw (from page 46):

https://www.bromley.gov.uk/downloads/file/28/primary-education-in-bromley-2025-2026

Thank you so much for this. This link is incredibly useful @ShropshireLadInLondon

Avoid Tillingbourne Green! Lots of anti-social behaviour especially close to the shops. Please go and visit the area in the night/late evening.

Hello

Any suggestions on Foxbury drive/Daleside in chelsfield