Thoughts on Coulsdon?

[WalkTheBork]

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are in our mid-thirties, currently living in London with our lovely (and slightly overindulged!) dog. We're starting to think seriously about the next chapter - including the possibility of children - and with that in mind, we’re looking at where might be a good place to settle long-term.

We've recently started looking at houses in Coulsdon, particularly around Marlpit Lane and near Coulsdon South station. We’ve come across a few properties that seem to offer a lot more space than we’d get in other parts of London, and we like that they seem modern and move-in ready (links below in case anyone’s curious!).

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/162302876

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161957726

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/166758971

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163899467

We’re just not too familiar with Coulsdon itself. On paper it looks promising - lower crime, decent schools, good green space, and not totally eye-watering prices (yet). But we’d really love to hear from people who actually live there or know the area well.

What’s it like day-to-day - especially for young families or couples thinking ahead to kids?

Is the area friendly and community-minded?

And do these houses seem fairly priced for that part of Coulsdon?

Any thoughts or personal experiences would be so appreciated! We want to make a well-rounded decision and there’s only so much you can gather from doing day visits and checking out Right Move.

Thanks in advance!

Seem fairly typical of the area. Coulsdon has Aldi and Waitrose,
Caterham Waitrose, Lidl, Morrisons, Aldi . What schools etc are you needing? Purley has similar properties.

I’m from very close to Coulsdon and still live not far away. It’s a lovely area and I hope I never have to leave.

Coulsdon is pretty much in two parts - Old Coulsdon and Coulsdon Town. Coulsdon Town has more shops including Aldi & Waitrose, not to mention loads of eateries, and two railway stations. Old Coulsdon has more of a community feel to it and has a fair in Grange Park each year. It also has an excellent doctor’s surgery. Your properties all look great, although I’d avoid the one on Coulsdon Road. It’s a very busy road, and if you’re thinking of having a family maybe you’d prefer a quieter road. The 60 bus links Old Coulsdon with Coulsdon Town (where parking can be difficult). Old Coulsdon has more of a community feel. The 466 bus goes down Coulsdon Road to Purley and Croydon. Both services are generally very regular. There’s several residents associations which make Coulsdon sound very middle class, but the area is quite mixed socially. A good ethnic mix too, but less so than Central Croydon, the borough that it falls within. That’s another consideration - Coulsdon comes under Croydon Council, bankrupt for the third year in a row, and very little of the council’s resources come our way, as it’s mostly directed to the north of the borough.

@LIZS , thanks for the response. We're still looking to have kids, so it would be nursery first and then primary school. We'd look at state schools instead of private. Preference is for non-faith schools, but we're not picky.

@ComeTheMoment , thank you for the detailed response. It's much appreciated! 😄

I’d echo that Old Coulsdon is very villagey. If you have a car you will be fine as there’s lots of supermarket choice and you’re also near enough to Purley way shops, Coulsdon South is a great rail link to town but also even if all the trains are buggered you can generally get home even if it means getting a 60 or 466 from Croydon!

It’s a very family oriented area as well. There’s three schools at least in close distance to the top of Marlpit Lane (Keston, Coulsdon C of E and Byron) and our neighbours’ children have had no problems with school locally.

Basically it’s quiet and green but with quite a lot going on, and with enough locally that everything is easy. We love it here and would choose to live here again!

I agree with the largely positive comments about Coulsdon. It was on our shortlist of places when we were looking to move out of London. We went with a house elsewhere in the end but are not a million miles away from there and know it pretty well.

The green space at Happy Valley is lovely. And Coulsdon South is on the Thameslink line which gives a fairly decent commute time.

The downside is Croydon Council. As well as the money issues, it seems to be pretty lax with planning. They don’t seem to have much interest in protecting green spaces. That might be significant, depending on the house you choose or it might not matter to you.

I visit Farthing Down and Happy Valley most weekends and would love to live on one of the roads with direct access.

A family member moved into an apartment at the back of the high street about a year ago. The immediate area around the old town is OK. Its got good enough transport links by train into the city and easy access on to the M25. Gatwick is very easy for flights. Its too close to Crimdon for my liking though. If you drive north your in the thick of it before you can say "lock the doors..."
There are 2 small supermarkets but you need to travel really if you want a good choice of shops. Can't comment on schools. Can comment that Croydon council seem to be always on the edge of bankruptcy and difficult to deal with.

Thank you all for the insightful responses, it has given us a lot to think about. 😄

I don’t know who is running Croydon Council, or what’s wrong with them, but they are and have been inept for a long time. Worryingly terrible.