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Original poster

Moving to Lancaster

81 replies

lifeunlimited · 21/02/2021 09:56

Hi everyone,

We currently live in Teeside area in north east and are planning to move to Lancaster in May 2021. Me and my husband will be working in main city of lancaster if everything goes to plan and i have DD in year 3. We have been looking at buying a house to move straight in for last few months, but can't seem to find a proper house of our liking within our budget. Coming from North East houses seems very pricey (we currently live in decent sized 4 double bed house with an extra family room downstairs, open kitchen, detached with big garden- costed 250K) We are happy to stretch unto 400- 450K for a decent house in decent location, but seems there are no nice houses at all in Lancaster/ Carnforth or Halton, don't want to be in Morecambe.
There are some decent houses in Garstang, Forton, but they don't seem to be in catchment for Lancaster grammar schools (hoping to get my DD in) I have heard children from preston coming to grammar school, but because they are not in catchment area- she will be last priority after all lancaster children have been offered place. Getting a bit worried as no other good secondary apart from the Ripley's, might be difficult to get into.

We don't want to live too far away in Holme/ kirby Lonsdale or clitheroe or preston as too far to drive into lancaster city centre for work, shift work, getting childcare out of hours etc will be difficult- as no friends or family yet.

I would really appreciate your thoughts and advice from anyone living in the area and has better knowledge than me. We are happy to rent for few months in a flat and then buy a house if we can find good ones.
Thank you.

OP posts:
Tyranttoddler · 21/02/2021 10:05

I'd probably be looking south Lancaster - bowerham, Scotforth, greaves area. To pretty much guarantee a Ripley place could you start going to church? (I appreciate if this is a no!!)

What about living in Garstang and going to Garstang school?

Original poster
lifeunlimited · 21/02/2021 14:40

@Tyranttoddler thank you, there are no good houses in south Lancaster. We don’t mind living in Garstang, but our first preference for secondary school will be Lancaster girls grammar school, hence living in Garstang worries about not getting in it...

OP posts:
Tyranttoddler · 21/02/2021 16:25

I suppose my thoughts would be that you need to consider where the second place idea would be if she didn't get in and then locate nearer there. What about north like slyne /Hest bank/ bolton le sands? Then a second choice school could be Dallam or QES but equally girls do go to LGGS and Ripley from there on the bus.

DavidsSchitt · 21/02/2021 16:56

Slyne, Bolton-le-sands, Heysham, Torrisholme

MsAnnFrope · 21/02/2021 17:05

When you say good houses what are you after and what is your top budget?
You might have to compromise to get the location you want. I realise a lot of Lancaster housing is terraced even the larger ones, is that putting you off?
I’d be looking at around the Williamson park area, bowerham, standen gate etc
I have friends living in the villages up towards carnforth but again they may seem pricey compared to NE!

Original poster
lifeunlimited · 21/02/2021 19:48

@Tyranttoddler we have looked at Hest bank, Slane and Bolton le sands, I am happy to even go there, although I still don’t think QES is in catchment-but we could get her to write the exams for both of them. If we are in Lancaster I am sure we would get into LGGs looking at previous years cut off ( of course can’t be certain) if I go to Garstang or Forton , I think we would be writing exams for both clitheroe and LGGS, if we don’t get in either- Garstang academy would be reasonable I guess. So the issue is should I compromise on the house and stay in Lancaster or go outside and see what happens and how our luck turns out (but I worry that I will regret it if she doesn’t get into grammar just because we were not in Lancaster May be)

OP posts:
Original poster
lifeunlimited · 21/02/2021 19:50

@DavidsSchitt we are ok for Slyne and Bolton, not really keen on Heysham areas... we are looking at houses there

OP posts:
Tyranttoddler · 21/02/2021 20:01

If you would regret a non grammar school then I think you're going to need to be in Lancaster and not worry about the house as much.
Is Ripley a possibility at all?

Original poster
lifeunlimited · 21/02/2021 20:03

We would like to have a house like the one we are currently living in- detached , 4 double bed, decent garden, don’t need to be big size garden, if we have extra study or family room that would be good, if not we are ok. As we have lot of things acquired over the years which fill our current house and I wish I could fit all that in the new house. We don’t like houses with first floor having slanting roof as my husband is tall and my daughter will be taller as well when she grows- will be difficult. Our top most price is 450k which is more than 200k higher than our current house. If I don’t get a similar house for this price, I sometimes wonder am I doing the right thing by moving to Lancaster...

main question is should I compromise on the house and stay in Lancaster or go outside and find our sort of house (I can see some really good houses in Forton, Cabus, Garstang, etc within our budget) ? How difficult is it to get into LGGS if we are in these places? My DD is a very hard working , intelligent girl, but I don’t know if getting good marks alone is enough or not...

OP posts:
Original poster
lifeunlimited · 21/02/2021 20:03

@MsAnnFrope sorry couldn’t reply directly- above message for your reply, thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
lifeunlimited · 21/02/2021 20:05

@Tyranttoddler don’t think we will get into Ripley- we are Indians, would struggle to get in if we are not in catchment, also I am not sure how she would cope in a different cultural environment- not sure how much they focus on religious study etc... sorry...

OP posts:
GeorgiaMcGraw · 21/02/2021 20:18

@op I went to LGGS, about a third of the girls in my year were from Preston. Garstang, Forton etc are lively areas with good communities. Much of south lancaster is also good, but it depends what you want - city, suburbs, semi-rural, detached etc? Try not to stressabout the school situation, her 11 plus is more a factor than the catchment area.

RandomMess · 21/02/2021 20:23

LGGS is all on 11+ results not catchment.

Why are you moving to Lancaster?

Stay where you are and go private rather than increase your mortgage?

There are really lovely houses in your price range but Lancaster has many stunning historic terraces - where are you comparing to in Teesside? It's a very large area!

Tyranttoddler · 21/02/2021 20:24

It is certainly a frustrating place to live for schools and it must be very difficult to decide.
I think you're going to want to live in the city of Lancaster District that LGGS mention on their admissions. So Cockerham /Ellel are possibly the furthest South that you might safely want to be and not worry. There are girls from Garstang though who go to LGGS and as you said, it is not impossible.

RandomMess · 21/02/2021 20:28

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/75929382#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88983655#/

No good?

There isn't a huge amount on the market at the moment but it's a very small area you are considering to buy in?

DavidsSchitt · 21/02/2021 20:39

You're not really saying what it is you want. LGGS take on the 11+ rather than postcode. Both of the kids I know that go there are in Morecambe.

You like Slyne but not Heysham - why is that?

Where will you be working? The RLI?

loopyapp · 21/02/2021 21:46

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/76538676#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/78082197#/

To be honest round here QES has just as good a reputation as the LGGS and also offers the QES Studio school from year 9 upwards.

You'll get much more house for your money out towards that way .. For example

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77479659#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/102980786#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77715459#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/102554438#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/102478319#/

All of these are in the catchment for QES.

I live in carnforth and I visually know the location of most of those houses.

My eldest son goes to QES and we live opposite the highschool in carnforth.

We are an 8 min drive from Lancaster here buses ran to both QES and LGGS from here major supermarkets amd immense remote beauty all around us.

As a local I would 100% advocate for North of Lancaster than south.

RandomMess · 21/02/2021 21:47

Why do you want to leave Teesside, it's a damn sight drier?!

DavidsSchitt · 21/02/2021 22:00

You're not driving from Carnforth to Lancaster in 8 minutes 😂 double it and you're closer.

But I agree, north of the river is better

MsAnnFrope · 21/02/2021 22:04

The only thing with north of the river is the commute in so it depends if you are working in the city centre or at the university.

DavidsSchitt · 21/02/2021 22:25

Not anymore really since the bypass opened. There's very little traffic

loopyapp · 21/02/2021 22:31

David I live right at the carnforth slip road and I have gotten to bulk road in 8 minutes.

RandomMess · 21/02/2021 22:36

It's the bulk road to RLI at rush hour that's a pain!!

I'm used to SE traffic so even prior to gateway I never thought it that bad tbh.

For working at the uni rather than RLI when they start building the Galgate bypass and Bailrigg Garden Village the traffic there will fun fun fun!

QueenoftheAir · 21/02/2021 22:50

Part of the problem is that you're looking in central Lancaster for a detached house. My old family home is a bit like the South Road house linked upthread (only I think mine is a bit bigger) has 4 bedrooms & 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms, & utility room, 12 foot ceilings etc etc over 3 floors plus cellars, and bang in the catchment area for excellent primaries & both grammars. But it's a terraced house (and would sell for around £300k I suppose).

You could look at the Fairfield / Abrahams Heights area (west of the Giant Axe football ground). Walking distance to the town centre & schools.

Standen Park is overpriced for what it is/what you get. You could look at Freehold - it's all beautiful old big stone terraces - the large ones at the top up near Williamson Park all have good size gardens though.

If you're working in central Lancaster or the University, don't even think about north of the river.

Personally, given the opportunity of so many well-built old stone houses, I wouldn't go for suburban new builds of the style of Torrisholme etc. Just boring ... but it's a matter of taste, I suppose.

RandomMess · 21/02/2021 23:05

@QueenoftheAir looking at current prices £300k would be a bargain!

Whether it's just the stamp duty exemption or the estate agents trying it on all the prices seem to have jumped recently!

Definitely gardens and off street parking come at a premium.

If you are close to the M6 you can whizz down to the uni pretty quickly. There is a plan for non-student facing roles at the uni to be flexi working part on campus part WFH in the future which should ease the traffic well depending on building work around Galgate.

Not sure when the results of the road consultation for the city centre are going to be released?

What there isn't around here are private schools, well certainly not compared to Teesside. Mainly I assume because of the grammar system.