Where would you live in London/surrounding?

[SallyCinnamon92]

Hi all,
Hoping to get some honest and wise Mumsnet wisdom!

My partner and I (mid-30s, northern expats down south for work!) have been living centrally for a few years now — small but nice 2 bed zone 2 flat, zero outside space but close to a park. It’s been great, but… we’re getting married next year and hoping to start a family not too long after.

We’ve got a max budget of around £775k and we’re looking for somewhere that could tick the following boxes:

• Ideally 3 beds (or 2 plus a study/nursery/flex space)
• Commutable to Bank (me) and Stratford (him)
• Somewhere that still has a bit of life to it — we still love a good coffee/brunch/wine bar, but trying to be realistic about future nurseries, soft play, etc!
• Would love green space, and a bit of a community feel — maybe somewhere we could actually know our neighbours??
• Happy to look outside of Zone 2 (we know we’ll have to) and would love to explore areas in a bit more depth over weekends.

Basically looking for that magical unicorn spot that’s fun now, family-friendly later.

Would love any and all suggestions — we’re planning to spend a few weekends “dating” different areas to get a feel for them, so please hit me with your favourites (and why you love/hate them).

Thanks so much!

Totally agree with this. My DPs are in Yorkshire. We bought in SW London. Great for work at the time but then DH changed job location. So now not only is it a pain to get to King's Cross with two x under 5s, but it's also nowhere near work. I do wish we'd have bought in North London / Herts somewhere to make the travel easier.

If you are thinking about DC, this one doesn't have a garden though. Don't underestimate the joy of being able to open the back door and let the kids roam in the garden when they are little without the faff of going to the park.

Leyton or Leytonstone. Particularly in the former you can get a 3 bed that can be extended to add value within your budget. Lots of pubs, coffee shops etc but excellent with kids - loads of parks, good nurseries and school, loads of young families.
You can walk to Stratford and be at bank in 20mins. Wanstead is particularly lovely but I think you’ll struggle to buy a house in your budget there.

With those areas to commute to, definitely east central line.

If you're after green spaces then areas Leytonstone bordering Wanstead Flats would tick your boxes.

Greenwich
Blackheath
Eltham
Shooters Hill
Crystal Palace
Bexleyheath
Charlton
Abbey Wood
Wescombe Park
Maze Hill

Walthamstow was my first thought, very family friendly)

Also Clapton (only has Overground but commute would be 30 mins to Stratford, 25 mins to Bank).

disclaimer I don’t have kids but lived in both areas and really liked both, they had a community feel and plenty of green space. I found my commute to Bank easy too

You’re better off East rather than SE for travelling to Bank and Stratford although the Jubilee Line might work quite well too to North Greenwich. As others have said, Wanstead would be a good start - lots of green space and on the tube line with good schools. It’s pricy though.

Christ, don't move to South East London - particularly not the Shooter's Hill dead zone unless you want to spend your life on buses just to get to the station. Terrible transport links as well as being a thoroughly depressing place (unless you have a second job as an arms dealer and can get one of the big houses overlooking Blackheath).

I'd happily live in E17 again.

Walthamstow, Highams Park, South Woodford

Stratford is a ball ache to get to from Highams Park. Would take an hour. There isn't a direct route from Walthamstow either (unless you cycle, or are willing to sit in terrible traffic on the bus)

Really not understanding the hate for SE London. Shooters Hill, agree, dead zone. But you can get something nice in Greenwich/Deptford on that budget, 15 minutes to Cannon Street, DLR to Stratford, super green and family friendly.

If your kids are under 5, move now while you still can. Mine are doing GCSEs!

The current plan is to try and move maybe around y3 / y4 in time for secondary, so that we can hopefully build up more equity to take into the next house!

This is a great point - we moved from SE16 to NW and it took an hour and a half of our average commute back to family up north.

Shooters Hill is a lovely green area with really nice housing stock and good schools. I wonder if you’re getting it confused with Woolwich which shares the SE18 postcode and is less salubrious? Granted, it is a bus in any direction to either Woolwich, Blackheath or Welling stations.

I live in Highams Park. I would highly recommend. Also recommend Walthamstow but you definitely get less bang for your buck in E17.

You can get a 3 bed on the Isle of Dogs.

Me either. SE London is great in my opinion and still one of the few areas of London that offer sub £450K for house stock. Yes, there are some less nice areas like Thamesmead but there are good transport links via the overground trains in zones 2-4 and the DLR/Jubilee Line. It has the river, parks, great farmers markets and doesn’t feel as urban or busy to me as North London and, imo, is much nicer than places like Walthamstow or Mile End and better value. You can get out to the Kent and Sussex countryside really easily, ditto an hour or so to Hythe, Southend, Brighton, Whitstable.

Horses for courses I guess.

I know some areas mentioned very well.
Wanstead is nice but pricey, high st is good, no barbers or fake vape shops....yet ! Crime is increasing though, frequent reports of muggings and phone snatches, the hoodies know there is money in that area so travel in on bikes to rob. I go to yoga in wanstead, people are very nice.

Walthamstow is also now pricey and has pockets of crime and muggings, choose location carefully. its plagued with phone snatchings again.

Highams park was cheap years ago but now lots have sold up in walthamstow and gone there as a lot less street crime and its leafy. its now pricey.
Woodford is ok, south is nice and cheaper than wanstead and walthamstow.

leyton and leytonstone are now quite expensive, the high streets are grim, mostly mafia barbers and cafes, vape shops now. but some nice houses.

Thanks all. Have been trawling RM to get an idea. We were going to hold some money back for potential renos but wondering if it’s worth just throwing everything at the perfect location so long as it’s liveable for a while.

I have friends in Leyton and they love it but I never really got the vibe. Like Walthamstow Village but the bit around the station is a bit scary (I am basing this off one experience though so probably being dramatic).

Any experience around Dulwich? Although I know a longer commute my Partner really likes it… hmm

I could not cope with a bus, would have to be OG or Tube for it to work.

I lived in West Dulwich for 7 years and loved it, would highly recommend! East Dulwich is more buzzy/bigger high st with trains to London bridge; West Dulwich has a smaller high street/more chilled with trains to victoria. You can walk to Dulwich village and park from both West and East. Overall it's gorgeous - the only downside is the price tag!

Dulwich is lovely and would be well within budget if you don’t mind living in an apartment. Ex-DP snagged a 1-bed with outdoor space for under £400k. So you should be able to get a 2-bed or 3-bed with your budget. The downside for me was lack of tube stations and it being a bit too much of a family / yummy mummy vibe. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of bars and a ‘buzz’ to the place, unlike Brixton or Clapham, say. But I guess it depends on what you want. If babies are on the horizon for you soon, then Dulwich is an ideal area.

Dulwich is lovely. If you can find something in budget there then go for it

Dulwich is beautiful (and expensive haha) but I’m just worried about the travel. My partner is one of those people who always looks on the brighter side of things and would genuinely see a commute with 3 changes as an adventure… I am not so positive! I imagine it would be a nice place to raise a family though.