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Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

Original poster

Livingston

57 replies

JWeegie · 09/09/2025 13:23

Currently I am renting in west end Glasgow. Looking for buying a home. I'm married and have 2 kids, one just started nursery and elder one in S2.
We are searching for a suitable property since long, offered few but no luck.
Tried Newton Mearns, bearsden , bishopbrigg etc with no luck in bidding, some people are just throwing money like 15% - 25% offer over at the places like Newton Mearns. So things are difficult.
One of my friend who lives in Edinburgh, have family similar to me, we both work in same company, decided to buy a new build home in Livingston and pushing me to buy there. He and his wife nearly convinced my wife to move Livingston and it's in my budget too. But I am not 100% sure how Livingston is? Though I've been there for few times only for designer outlet, no idea about anything else.
How's the school/nursery etc in Livingston and how safe it is?
Can anyone who is from Livingston or have good idea about it, throw some lights here or suggestions?

OP posts:
snoopyfanaccountant · 06/10/2025 19:54

Have a look at houses in the catchment area for Dalziel High in Motherwell. It's one of the top schools in Scotland but the town's industrial heritage means that it is often overlooked and houses are cheaper than comparable areas. Access to amenities is much better than Livingston or any of the other Scottish new towns.
There are direct trains from Motherwell to Glasgow and Edinburgh and it's also on the West Coast Mainline.

herewego9 · 07/10/2025 10:28

Why don’t you look at Anniesland? You’d easily get a tenement flat within budget and could possibly stretch to one of the townhouses round the back of the old bus terminus. Yuu on r son could stay at Hyndland and their are plenty of pupils there living round Anniesland and walking or getting the train to school.

Original poster
JWeegie · 08/11/2025 20:57

Finally I got something in Bishopbriggs and Moved In 😊
Bishopbriggs Academy is 15-18 min walk, station is 7-10 min walk.

OP posts:
Namechange4466543 · 08/11/2025 23:41

JWeegie · 08/11/2025 20:57

Finally I got something in Bishopbriggs and Moved In 😊
Bishopbriggs Academy is 15-18 min walk, station is 7-10 min walk.

Congratulations! Brilliant outcome.

Original poster
JWeegie · 09/11/2025 14:56

Namechange4466543 · 08/11/2025 23:41

Congratulations! Brilliant outcome.

Show quote history

Thanks 😊

OP posts:
Sapphire1122 · 15/11/2025 08:51

Great news!

Mirandamack67 · 03/02/2026 10:58

Meeplemakeglasgow · 13/09/2025 09:58

The only real correlation in the exam results league table is the less deprivation the better the results.

Just because some children are sent to different schools doesn’t mean it would have any effect on the children who aren’t.

You’re also making a massive assumption that children who get sent to private schools are more capable than those who don’t, why would child 1 who was sent to George Watson’s automatically achieve more than child 2 who was sent to Firrhill if they both went to the same school and all other factors (stable home, supportive parents) are the same?

In my experience of private schools many of the parents send their children there because they need extra support that they might not get a state school, whether through SEN or academic reasons, these are likely to be children who would struggle at state due to lack of resources so it wouldn’t be the boost to exam results that you think.

As for the area, the reality is that with the OP’s requirement of a 3 bedroom house with a driveway and the current state of the housing market in Edinburgh he would be looking at properties at o/o circa £275-280k.

Which means he would be looking at areas like Gilmerton/Liberton/The Inch, nothing wrong with living in these areas but given some of the earlier comments made on the thread about crime rates and the like in Livingston I’m not entirely sure they would be an improvement on that.

Ultimately the choice would be either a safe, affluent area with a decent possibly 4 bedroom house in Livingston or an inner-city house in a deprived area with all the issues that would bring, just so he can have an Edinburgh postcode and get into town 10 mins quicker.

Livingston suffers from a lot of snobbery because it was a new town, exactly the same as East Kilbride does in the west.

Primarily it’s because it originally housed the slum/tenement clearance population from Edinburgh/Glasgow.

But that was over 60 years ago, the population as a whole has moved on since then and poverty at the level of the 50’s/60’s is a thing of the past.

Most of the new estates are populated by Edinburgh/Glasgow professionals who have been priced out of the cities and want a good spacious childhood for their kids.

Obviously it’s not perfect but I find it laughable that people can portray it as crime-ridden, especially when compared to the feral gangs in parts of Edinburgh.

Amenity wise it’s better than most of the towns in Scotland and is within commuting distance of the town major cities.

Show quote history

I agree, I’m moving with my teen boy and possibly adult older daughter as a single mum for work, and an seriously considering Livingston as you just get so much more for your money, and to be honest the schooling seems on a par with ‘the best’ league tables ones in Edinburgh. We’re driving up in a weeks time to spend time in the area and get a feel. I live near Milton Keynes, another ‘new town’ from 40+years ago, that I see Livingston compared to alot, soulless and lacking community, and while I wouldn’t rush to move there, I’m about 30mins away, I know loads of people who do and love it. Id strongly recommend that you go, spend time, and see what you think. Trust your own instinct over others comments what’s right for one might not be for another. And best of luck. 😊

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