Advice for relocating to South Wales

[Naddynucks]

Hi,

I am new here so not 100% sure how it works but looking for advice from anyone in the know…

My husband, my 18 year old son and I want to relocate from East Sussex to South Wales next year. We currently rent and want to buy. My son has autism and some additional needs and doing so amazing at college and is on track to go to Uni to do Games development, he has one more college year to complete first.

We have tried to research but pretty clueless on best areas we should be looking at for both access to Swansea university campus for my son, affordable 3 bedroom property and travel links. Also the pull of moving here for us is the nature and coastlines so hoping not too far from those.

My husband and I also will need to look for new jobs and we both work with young people in the health and social care sector, he with UASC and myself as an advocate. We realise we may need to take any job to begin with though, and we also realise we may need to rent at first.

Any advice or thoughts of areas etc we would be massively grateful for. Thanks!

I would read through this thread here , you need to understand the job market in Wales and also read up on the local services like GPs, Hospitals, transport etc.
Biggest mistake of my life (relocation). Please help | Mumsnet

Your son could study near home, East Sussex is a great place to live too and there are plenty of uni's he could choose from plus the SE of England is better placed to find a job after uni.

In Swansea Sketty is lively residential area close to the original campus amd city centre. Killay also nice, just past Sketty.
Mumbles Is slightly further out but absolutely gorgeous. Easy yo get bis though or cycle to the original campus. If his degree.is at the new bay campus that is further out of Swansea, not sure what the areas residential areas are.like near there.

I live in Sketty, 2.5 miles from city centre, near university, lovely parks, frequent (I think) bus route to university, Swansea beach across the road from the University. Amenities nearby. Small shopping area with little Tesco and Co-op and other independents. Uplands, mainly food places in one direction, Killay small shopping centre other direction.

Mumbles isn't "gorgeous" at all. It's more of a "let's go to Mumbles for a spin and get a Joe's" type of place. Except for independent shops, if you like surfwear and candles that is. You can't go on the pier, except for the RNLI boat house there is nothing on there. An arcade and cafe and a big wheel in the area where the pier is. I don't know if the shop and restaurant have reopened as there was a fire a few years ago.

I think the course must be Computer Games Design in the Film Media and Animation department at University of Wales Trinity St David, not Swansea University (different institution, doesn't have a Games course AFAIK).

If so, it's run at the IQ Building on the SA1 Waterfront Campus, in the old docks area that has been and is being redeveloped, close to the city centre.

The city centre can be rough at times.
As to residential areas, I've never lived in Swansea, but friends and acquaintances say the following.
Avoid Townhill, Mayhill, Port Mead, Penlan, Bonymaen, Blaen-y-maes and Waunwen.

Morriston, Clydach and Treboeth are a bit mixed.
Brynmill, Uplands and Sketty are pretty studenty. You can still find family semis, though.
Nice areas - West Cross, Caswell, Singleton Park, Blackpill, Bishopston, Clyne, Langland, Oystermouth and Southgate.

To get to the IQ Building there are buses from most areas, though the route may well involve changes, and then a walk from the main road.

I'm Welsh and live in Wales. Health services and school education are worse in Wales than England which would have an impact on your son.

The M4 is congested and public transport unreliable.

And it would be a huge risk to come here without sorting out employment first - read the thread @tennissquare links to.

Don't just be seduced by the coastline and cheaper housing, it's cheaper for a reason.

This is so helpful. Thankyou! Are these areas you suggest on the outskirts of Swansea?

Sort of, going further towards Mumbles and the Gower. Get studying a map and Rightmove, would be my advice.

And echoing what others have said, start looking at jobs now, to see what the jobs market is like, what qualifications and experience are required, what salaries are like, where jobs are based and so on.

Thanks, yes I have read it, and if anything it’s shown me the importance of securing work first for us both and renting first at least for the first 6 months, gives time to work out areas better too. I understand about health services etc but tbh where I live now it is absolutely chaos too and near on impossible to get appointments dentist etc. so used to that sadly.

Yes will do, thanks so much for all
your really helpful advice 🙏🏼

Thankyou! I’ve actually noticed on Rightmove in the past 4 months nothing has come up for sale in Mumbles anyway. And if it did I can imagine it would be expensive, it has a kind of St Ives feel?

Very sensible. And if your ds isn't already committed to his course and you haven't already done so, check the drop-out rate and level of graduate employment for his course.
Trinity St David's used to have a poor reputation for the former and degrees that didn't necessarily lead to decent employment afterwards. That may have improved, but you don't want him landed with student debt and a minimum-wage job.

My son has additional needs and we are so proud he is doing a degree and this is the only area he can do such in. If he is on a minimum wage he won’t yet be paying back his student debt, and he is very committed and hardworking so even if he doesn’t secure a high flying job afterwards, we will all be proud of his massive accomplishments, including himself. If we stayed in East Sussex, he would be doing the same degree at Brighton.

Sketty Park next to Sketty isn't "studenty" it's a nice place too. It is an area which predominantly was a council estate but a lot of houses are now private, bought with the Right to Buy scheme in the 80s and 90s. There are other houses like new builds on the periphery. The street I live on is lovely. On a Saturday afternoon you can stand outside and hear nothing. My neighbours, except one (number 22) are great and we have a good community and friendliness. If I won the lottery (unlikely) I'd have to take my neighbours with me.

There's a lot of negativity on this thread about Swansea and unless you live here the "what I've heard" especially from people who don't live in Swansea shouldn't be taken as gospel. Ok, Swansea isn't utopia, the city centre shops, except the market aren't really inspiring. The council have cocked up on a few occasions, the Kingsway and the bendy bus. The favoured scheme at the moment is Active Travel where they build a cycle path and fancy pavements from Sketty, through Uplands and into town because the Welsh Government have flashed the cash. This will be 3 years of roadworks and the majority of the residents in the area don't want it but the council won't listen.

The area does have some positives, the parks especially the Botanical Gardens in Singleton Park are wonderful, the Arena is an asset, the Grand Theatre, the renovation of the Albert Hall and The Palace. There are events in Singleton Park. The football stadium where there are sometimes pop concerts, the free Wales Airshow every July. During school holidays free buses on certain days for all.

I love the diversity of Swansea, a City of Sanctuary and Joe's ice cream. I love the fact there is a City centre, beach and parkland in close proximity. You will always find someone who knows someone else. There is something for everone.

Don't judge Swansea by some not favoured areas or opinions, it has a lot going for it despite the seemingly constant rain (it doesn't rain all the time but when the sun shines the lovely places look beautiful and the not so great places look lovely).

As Dylan Thomas said about Swansea "An ugly, lovely town ... crawling, sprawling ... by the side of a long and splendid curving shore. This sea-town was my world.”

Or as Tubbs in the League of Gentlemen said "Oh Edward, will heaven be like Swansea?" To which he replied " yes Tubbs but bigger" 😀

It sounds like he's doing really well and you're right to be proud.

You still might want to check the drop-out rate for his course. I believe that in the past they haven't had the best record, at least at the Carmarthenshire campus.

One of my DC's friends dropped out because she couldn't keep up - they had accepted her with very low grades and on any degree course there is a minimum standard which can be a big step up from school or college.