Relocating to London - Where to live?

[Tricey]

Hi - We're newcomers to Mumsnet and looking at a possible relocation to London. We could really use some help with several things...

1. What 'neighborhoods' (preferably in London, with Hubby commuting to Poplar area) are best for us to live-in? Looking for a clean, safe place that's toddler-friendly and good fun for mum to make friends.

1. What are rents like...i.e. what kind of budget do we need for rent? Groceries? Car?

1. Any other tips on life there? Nervous about the move and could use some input from those there.

Thanks!

PS - Hope this is the right place to post this topic.

Hi Tricey

I'm not a London MNer but just wanted to pop on and say Hi and welcome to MN

Hi there & welcome.
I am SW London MNer so probably not best placed to advise on places that would be good for a commute to Poplar.
There are lots of MNers who live closer who will probably be able to recommend places - if you don't get many replies today, try bumping your thread tomorrow.

Hi, welcome to mumsnet. I am a London mumsnetter but out west so not near Poplar. How long a commute would dh want?
Rents are very dependant on the area you want to live in - but can check them out on www.rightmove.co.uk. Groceries will most likely be the same as you are used to if you use the big supermarket chains (but probably wider range of 'ethnic' foods ( in our area we have a whole tesco aisle of indian cooking stuff, and another half aisle of Polish foods.)

have a scan through this thread

working in Poplar you're really lucky because SE London is a great place to live and bring up kids .. if you don't mind not being on the tube ...

I'd look around Greenwich, Blackheath, Dulwich as some of the greenest .. but if he's working in Poplar .. why don't you think about living there too then he can be home quicker?

every area has lovely little pockets

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and advice. It helps a lot.

Question --- Poplar, is it considered the Docklands? B/C hubby will be in the Canary Wharf area and I heard it's not that nice.

Does anyone know what rents are like for a 3-BR place in the Westminster area...near Hyde Park?

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT depends what you are looking for but I remember it was around £2000 per week for a 2 bedroom flat in Kensington. Westminster is less expensive although not as nice.

sorry< I think it may be the time of the night, but I'm a bit confused (check rightmove you can do a post code search too if you are particulary interested in the area)

Thanks. I'll check right move but have been trouble (at least on other housing sites) discerning what neighborhoods to indicate in my search; for instance, if I put something like Westminster, the search engines then ask for more specifics...like a road name or a specific 'area' of Westminster. This is vague, I know, but I don't have a specific example in front of me.

Is Westminster not a nice part of London? I hear it is...? Kensington better?

Every area has a nice/not nice area to it. Kensington is one of the most expensive places in the country (if not the world)

I wouldn't have thought Kensington would be good for commuting to Poplar!

What sort of thing are you into? That could help. There are so many areas to live in! For eg Kensington tends to be full of european bankers, if you are arty/boho you could move east, if you want some real family stuff then Dulwich or Greenwich maybe. SW London is lovely very green and good schools generally. Could still commute from there, you would go to waterloo on the train, then to canary wharf on the jubilee line then onto the DLR>

I would be inclined to go for the Dulwich/Greenwich option myself as his commut not bad

Ahem! The Canary Wharf area is lovely. I live on the Isle of Dogs (South of Canary Wharf). Of all the places I've lived in London I'm glad that I was living here when ds arrived. It's quite low traffic and there are loads of toddler groups and activities and I've made loads of friends. There's a city farm and a big park, and it's also an easy walk to Greenwich Park. There are some very good nurseries (although the ones at Canary Wharf itself are very expensive). The only thing is the schools are not that great, some of the state primarys are not too bad, but it's a struggle to find a good secondary. Also most of the housing stock is modern, which I love but some people hate. I wouldn't recommend going north of Canary Wharf, but to the west, you might like Wapping and Limehouse which has lovely old warehouse conversions as well as new builds.

From a school point of view Greenwich is good, and still an easy commute to CW on the DLR. It has lovely period homes if you prefer that. There are plenty of restaurants, but it can get a little overrun with tourists in the summer. I don't think Westminster is a very family area, it's more for smart singles and childless couples. Kensington would be a really horrible commute for your dh, involving all the tube lines that are most likely to break down.

This website is good for checking out rents, but if you're considering Westminster and Kensington then I assume you don't really have too tight a budget.

CountessDracula totally correct...really does depend on what you're into. - Are you happy with 'up and coming' area which might have pockets of nice, funky stuff...but surrounded by real urban deprivation? Or do you want a trad middle-class area. You pay a massive premium for the latter, but having moved to one of the more 'interesting' areas of london it can be worth it for your sanity.

What are the nearest tube stations to DH's place of work? If he's Canary Wharf 'real', for example, then Jubilee Line is crowded but quick so you wouldn't need to limit yourself to East London (which is extremely mixed).

Can second www.rightmove.co.uk as an excellent source of info on rents. You can stick in a postcode and search within x number of miles. But you do need to know your areas because most london neigbourhoods are spitting distance from dodgy estates so the road can make a massive difference in price.

Another vote for Greenwich / Blackheath / Dulwich - if your DH isn't used to a public transport commute I think a shorter journey might be better all round.

this might help you with postcodes for Rightmove etc.

The other interesting place to look at is UpMyStreet.com, where, if you put in a full postcode, gives you a social-sterotype profile of the kind of people who live in the area. It's not always accurate but it can give you an idea.

Grocery prices - have a peek at www.tesco.com - they offer online grocery shopping and their stuff is the same price as it is in their stores.

Car - think carefully about whther you really need one - what would you really use it for if DH is commuting to work and you are (as you will be) within walking distance of most everyday things and in bussing distance of everythign else. Parking (even outside your house) can be v expensive, and don't even think about driving into London to shop...

Where are you moving from?

oh,another site you might find helpful if you want to work out how diabolical DH's commute might be: go to the Transport for London's journey planner. Gives you routes and journey times from bus stops/tube stations in london.
www.tfl.gov.uk I think or Google it. Good luck.

Thanks everyone for the GREAT information. So helpful. A few things...

1. How's St. John's Wood?

1. I think we'd like to stick to the Jubilee line for commuting. So any recs on places along there? My dh is willing to do a bigger commute, but he's a lot happier when he's not...and therefore so are we. Plus it's nicer when he can get home soon after leaving work so to spend time with us.

1. We're in Hong Kong and also spent years in NY. Not strangers to cities for sure, and I definitely like to be relatively close to the 'action'. Not really into hip & funky, but really do want a neighborhood we can feel safe in (Hong Kong is AMAZING in that regard. ) Also a place that's easy to make friends and to take the baby out for walks and interesting activities. Clean air would be nice; we don't have that here. Also desire and area not too congested with buses etc.

1. No need for a car; great to hear.

1. We don't have to think much about proper schooling at the moment as our children are younger. Should I be thinking about good nursery schools in the areas we're looking in...i.e. do they really vary much by district/neighborhoods? I'm guessing the answer is 'no' and that that's just more of a concern for the 1st grade on up; yes?

1. Why do nannies get poached there? I hear that when people take their help from other countries with them to London, other employees entice them away? Know much about this? We were considering taking our nanny with us.

1. Off the topic a bit: How pricey are mobile phone bills?

1. How do you find the weather? Always hearing about how gray London is; do you miss the sunshine much of the year? Get very cold? Lots of snow? What's the best time of year for someone who likes a nice 70 degree day, no humidity?

Thanks. Off to bed.

I used to live in St John's Wood, it is lovely, right next to Regents Park so great for the kids. Didn't have kids when I lived there so can't help on that front. No local supermarkets to speak of (may have changed now) we used to go to Sainsburys in Camden or Swiss Cottage. No idea about schools either sorry!

with regards to point 3... perhaps north end of isle of dogs would suit you? (depending on your budget?)

Hadn't suggested it before, as Isle of dogs generally considered pretty urban and 'gritty'. It's actually where we live (I wonder if i know you, bran?). A bit of 'kids hanging around on street corners', but I've never had any trouble. Area itself fairly grotty. However, c-w is sparkling brand new clean and modern - lots of security guards, pedestrianised (easy for toddler to run safely); library and coffee shops and restaurants. Also Thames side walks for fresh air and relaxing, and europes largest city farm. Lots of playgrounds and clubs.

thirty quid a month will get you a free handset and about 200 inclusive minutes. I think it's daylight robbery - so I 'pay asyou go' for about ten pounds a month plus forty pounds initial outlay for handset.

Jubilee line:

Stratford: apparently up and coming but really very urban
West ham: spooky; racist
Canning Town: interchange. no one lives there
canada water: kind of docklands lite. Cheaper, some nice developments, Crime problems top end of rotherhithe street. Soft play and another farm.
Southwark: rough
west hampstead: half the single people I know live there!

Look up and down DLR too.

If you're braver than I first took you for (ie consider non middle class ghettoes), have you thought of Bow? North end near the park is nicest. Bus down to Poplar,

St John's Wood is nice - good plan to look at places on the Jubilee line.

Clean air - I suppose all things are relative, and I suspect St John's Wood, especially with the parks, could be wonderful coming from HK.

Area 'not too congested with buses etc' - hmm, trickier - most people want buses as they make it easy to get places! I guess you mean you don't want to live on an actual busy road - there are lots of quiet streets around St John's Wood.

If you're going the private route for schools and are prepared to travel a bit you'll be fine just about anywhere in London - as always, money increases your options. There are international schools as well if you'd rather they followed a US curriculum if you're planning on returning to NY.

If you're planning on state schooling, do some research if you're planning to stay in the area you move to - in the UK children start school the September before they turn 5 so it may be a concern earlier than you'd thought (1st grade is the year they turn 7 if I remember correctly).

Nannies can get 'poached' if employers bring them with them from abroad but don't amend their salaries / terms and conditions to meet the increased costs of living and 'acceptable' nanny T&Cs in the UK - once nannies find out what they could be making on the open market I can see why many of them leave employers who are underpaying them.
If you have a nanny you know and trust who'd be happy to come with you it's worth considering but look carefully at her visa requirements.

London, and indeed much of the UK, can be pretty grey, but most of us don't know any different so can't really say if it's good or bad. The the advantage is that it's rarely too hot or too cold to go out with children, you don't need aircon and the humidity is generally bearable.

(NB if this is a work-led relocation the company will often have relocation consultants to help you through these kind of details - worth checking.)

My choice for travelling easily to work in Canary Wharf / Poplar would be either Greenwich or St John's Wood. Greenwich has a lovely park with lots of amenities in it - playground, museums, lake etc, a fantastic market and selection of cafes and shops, and very good transport links all over the place. I would have thought it was more child-friendly than St Johns Wood. But SJW would be closer to central London, more expensive, etc. Wouldn't feel as clean-air-ish as Greenwich, I suspect.

Hyde Park or adjoining Kensington Gardens etc would be so outlandishly expensive that I wouldn't personally be able to comment! Lots of tourists and traffic though, and harder to find cafes that aren't very touristy. I expect. It would be wonderful to live close to kensington High St / Kensington Gdns, I think.

London just IS congested with traffic, everywhere. One of it's least attractive features. But as the climate is not very humid, it doesn't usually feel too fume ridden away from Oxford Street.

this site is pretty good for London rentals and property prices. I lived in belsize Park/Kentish Town for years and really liked it. I find Hampstead and St John's Wood a bit "bankerish" for my liking. Very wealthy and a bit materialistic. They and Swiss Cottage are very child friendly though - lots of toddler groups. Hampstead Heath is nearby, which is my favourite bit of London. I prefer Kentish Town myself (a bit edgier and a bit cheaper). I'm not sure it is very good for commuting to docklands though.

St john's wood is nice. there's a small local shopping area (2 small streets basically) with all the necessary facilities (post office, supermarket, etc) but also some nice independent clothes and food shops, and cafes/restaurants. Reasonable number of families. You can check out the quality of local nurseries and schools on the Ofsted website then contact them.

Not sure what the housing is like though. Seems to be mainly very large houses (multo-££££s) or apartments. The area is a bit souless, but that's just my opinion.

Hampstead is very lovely. More traditional village feel. Nr Hampstead heath. Huge number of families and things to do. Further out from the city, but enough to keep you entertained locally I think. That would be my choice of the Jubilee line selection. But I'm biased because I've had it with east london.

If you can stick Nov, Jan and Feb out (grey and wet) then the weather is actually improving, I think! Lots of cafe lattes being supped outside until about 2 weeks ago! But then we're all mad

I live in Mile End/Bow, which is just up the road from Canary Wharf, and can highly recommend it. Rents are very cheap (well, relatively so), and you're near several tube lines, and near Victoria Park which is lovely and big.

The area is gentrifying, in its own way, but isn't standard middle class necessarily. There are lots of things to do with little kids.

Local big agents: W J Meade, and Alex Neil. Here are houses to rent by Alex Neil.

Perhaps I do Kif, I live near Island Gardens in a big, newish development by the river. I haven't been to many toddler groups since I went back to work in May, but I used to go to the Settlement Centre on East Ferry Road and the toy library in Christ Church on Manchester Road.