Greater Glasgow: the battle of the Easts

[worriedmum89]

Hello,

We need to move within Greater Glasgow and we have narrowed it down to either East Dunbartonshire (probably Milngavie) and East Renfrewshire (probably Newton Mearns). Main reason is schools, and both places are OK for my and DHs commutes.

Can you please help me make a decision about which one to choose? House prices, schools reputation and distance to city centre are similar to both areas, so the differences that I can see so far are:

EAST RENFREWSHIRE

• shopping centres (the Avenue, Silverburn) for rainy days
• 15 min from Shawlands, Pollok Park
• Rouken Glen (huge, with lake, waterfall)
• close to the West Coast

• ugly town centres (Giffnock, Clarkston, etc.)

EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE

• nice town centres (pedestrianised Milngavie, oldish Bearsden)
• 15 min from West End
• close to Loch Lomond

• no shopping centres
• more traffic, and feels more crowded

Any other things Im missing? Anyone with a strong preference for one or the other so can help me making this decision?

Thanks!

Wrote a long post about being brought up in Bearsden/Milngavie, going to Bearsden Primary and Academy and how, because of dh, we've ended up - very happily - on the Southside in Pollokshields , but MN are it

When I can be bothered, I'll try and re-write it.

But in essence, better value, good school, good (& diverse) community, great parks and great transport links

You'll pay a lot more in the west end compared to the south side.

OP, would you think about Giffnock?

It has some lovely properties & local shops, train station, Rouken Glen park - but is closer in to town. School would be Woodfarm - not quite as high performing as other East Ren schools - but pretty decent performance.

Clarkston town centre is a bit "meh" - 60's - not much of a town centre in Busby.

Mearns has reasonable local shops but further out. Only 1 train station at Patterton though - the opposite end of many of new developments.

Lenzie/Kirkintilloch wouldn't be much worse than Bearsden for QEUH if they ever finish with the roadworks on the M8 that is... But Southside would avoid crossing the river which is always a bit of a choke point on a commute.

For us being on the North side was necessary for DH's work which meant ED for schools as the recommended schools in Glasgow are either Jordanhill (so make ED look cheap) or Southside and therefore difficult for DH's work. We ended up in Kirkintilloch and are hoping that the increasing numbers of posh developments will bring Kirkintilloch High School up in the same way that Boclair Academy did, plus placing request from within ED is easier than outside...

I'd move to Hyndland, it has everything and a gorgeous place to live and a great school