Hitchin Move

[EmilyGold]

Hi Mumsnet,

My husband and I are looking to move from London to Hitchin, as we're expecting our first child together. Our budget is 525k, and if possible, we're looking for a three bedroom house. My husband will be travelling into London, so we would like to be a mile from the station. Can anyone recommend a few family friendly streets in Hitchin and any roads to avoid?

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

Many thanks,

Emily

Hi Op,

How well do you know Hitchin?

With your budget and the huge increase in property value, you will be limited as to which areas you will find a 3 bed house in Hitchin itself, the only areas likely to work will be the estates. With this in mind, the places you are most likely to find something in order probably of most to least desirable:-

Poets (school catchments Mary Exton / some streets William Ransom)
Purwell / Highover
Westmill (Oughtenhead primary)

You may see the odd property elsewhere but usually the older and more central parts of town are a lot more £. There tends to be a big jump from ex-council type properties at around £450k to the next step up at £600/700 plus.

You could also look at Ickleford as it is so close to Hitchin but it's not much more affordable. Or if you're open to villages, Arlesey and Henlow (which is close to Arlesey station), also on mainline to London.

There is some snobbery about the above addresses but they're mostly fine. I'm not keen on the style of houses on the Poets, Purwell is a bit nicer (to me) and the school is under subscribed. Hitchin primaries can be very competitive, as are nursery spaces (something to look into ASAP if needed). Personally would not choose to live in Westmill.

Thank you so much that level of detail is really helpful. I think it might be a little out of price range, so we might need to go back to the drawing board!