Renting in SW/SE London for commute to London Bridge

[PinkPoniez]

Hi all,

I have been offered a job in London Bridge so we will soon be relocating to London from Cheshire. I will need to commute to London Bridge 3x per week, DH works from home and we have a 7 year old son who will be going into year 3 in September.

We are looking to rent a 2 bedroom property, budget is around £2,300 pm (not including tax, utilities etc) but we could stretch a bit further if need be. Happy with terraced housing or an apartment and not fussed on a garden. Would rather be closer to a park or two. Our main priorities are safety, good schools (we are not religious but DS currently attends a CofE school), local amenities we could walk to (restaurants, cafes, gym, lido, pictures, library, playground etc). Prefer wide open (green spaces) which is why I have focused my search south of the river.

I have narrowed down our search to the following areas - Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Chiswick, Dulwich, Herne Hill. Does anyone have any insight into any of these? Or any other areas that we should consider? Would prefer to keep my commute time under 45 minutes.

We will be able to spend a few weeks getting a feel for the different areas but would appreciate if anyone has any insight.

How about Greenwich OP? Lovely area and quick commute to London Bridge on the train ..a couple of stops away .

Charlton.
Close to the lido. Acres and acres of open space.

Telegraph Hill ticks all those boxes.

how about Hither Green/Blackheath area, less than 15mins to London Bridge on some trains

Sydenham or Penge for Crystal Palace Park which is lovely. Sydenham to London Bridge is an easy (if busy) overground commute.

My friend used to live in Herne Hill near to Brockwell park (which has the lido) I liked the ‘vibe’ in Herne Hill whenever I stayed there.

Thanks I'll have a look! Any particular areas in Greenwich? I had thought it was a high crime area for some reason but don't know much about London tbh!

Telegraph hill would be good for this budget
new cross gate to LB in 6 mins no stops

Secondary schools are going to be the sticking point so I would be mindful of that. Most London primaries are good.

How about Chislehurst (or Bickley side of Elmstead Woods) OP - very good secondary schools (and primary schools). Particularly if you get in the catchment of Bullers Wood schools (and then you are likely to be in the catchment for grammars in Bromley/Kent/Bexley too).

You can go up to St Albans if your budget stretches to that. Which might easier for return visits to Cheshire if that’s something you’d be doing.

Sorry, just seen you want SW or SE. Dulwich is lovely.

Greenwich is lovely for families.

Ladywell to London Bridge takes just over ten mins. It has wonderful green spaces including a linear park with the Ravensbourne river, independent shops, great primaries and improving secondaries, brilliant community vibe - look no further!

Wandsworth and you can commute in river boat

Catford, Hither Green and Ladywell would be worth looking at. This house in Catford is in a great location.

No idea why the link I put up isn't working. It's a 2 bedroom house on Nelgarde Rd, SE6.

Agree with Sydenham or Penge (not sure you would get what you want in Forest Hill).

Kennington, Oval, Brixton. Nice, leafy, parks, v easy journey to LB.

Streatham/tooting is an easy train (tube) to London Bridge. Lots of green spaces and good schools. This article is from 2022 and about buying but it'll give you a sense of the area. https://www.ft.com/content/df2d8e07-9538-4701-9787-fbdd09af1212

Personally id live further out, Sevenoaks is lovely and a pretty short overground into central London

If your son is going into y3, don't worry too much about primary. There are lots of good primaries in London and many are not full due to falling numbers. Its much more important to be considering secondary. Y3/4 is when lots of London parents move to be in the right place for secondary.

Things to think about are faith / non faith, single sex / coed. Would you be thinking about private at any point? There are grammars around SW London as well (in other areas too but i dont know so much about them) and some state schools have selective streams which means you can get in from further away. There are lots of threads on secondaries in SW and SE London so maybe worth having a read on the education boards and seeing if anything stands out.

In terms of lidos, Brockwell and Tooting Bec are both great in South London but im a bit out of touch with rental prices so not sure if that will get you what you want.

Streatham/tooting is an easy train (tube) to London Bridge. Lots of green spaces and good schools. This article is from 2022 and about buying but it'll give you a sense of the

I think Streatham is the worst affected area for falling rolls. Many parents think ooh smaller classes, that's a good thing. But because of the way funding works you don't want a school that isn't full.

Thank you all for your replies. I will start having a look at those that have been mentioned.

Quick follow up question (and apologies if it's a silly question), do most of these areas in London have their own high street? We really appreciate having access to a Sainsbury's Local, fruit/veg, butcher etc where we currently are.

@SE13Mummy I think I found it, thank you! Looks like a lovely area.

Wimbledon! Great schools and green spaces with fab transport links.