Local Knowledge Please (Hants/Berks)

dfarry

Hi all...

I'm just doing some ground work as I might need to relocate home...depends on work and family really but for those that know the area...

If....

You wanted to be within 20-25 miles south of Reading, no further west than Newbury, far enough away from London to feel as though you are away from the smoke, but still well connected for when you need it..... where would you possibly buy.

Oh and the house prices need to be reasonable and the schools must be good.....I don't wnat much eh? :lol

Is there anywhere really nice, places to avoid?

I know nothing about the area really.... I did visit Reading about 6 years ago and Basingstoke about 20...neither really impressed me to be honest though Reading looked to be going through a major regenration at the time.

Any suggestions gratefully received

AndrewSmith

Hi,

I live on the Hants / Wilts border just north of Andover.

30 minutes SOuthampton, 1 hour to london, 30 minutes to Reading.

£250,000 will buy you a 4 bed detached house in the nicer areas.

What age groups are the schools for?

Contact me if you want the low down on the surrounding areas.

Cheers

Andy

dfarry

Thanks Andrew

A modern 4 bed detached, with ideally a double garage is what I'm after, my budget is about a max of £320K but the cheaper the better.

My kids are 5 and 7 and currently go to a state school in greater London (which is very good) so we'd be happy with somewhere similar for them within walking distance.

You may have seen in my other posts that I have been planning to relocate anyway to Sussex, supported by my current employer but this other job oppertunity has come up that interests me. I am at the second stage of the application process so it may go no further but if it does and they also support my relocation then I'd ned to find somewhere relatively close to Reading (where they are based). I should know within a week or two if I have been successful and relocation is feasible.

I have been looking on Rightmove and see properties at Lychpit and Gabriel Park in Basingstoke, the houses look fine, location to Reading is good but I'm not sure what the area is like.

Wiltshire sounds (and is) very nice... that might take me further than I had planned though... the 20/25 mile thing was just so that I could keep commute cost down... plus I'd generally be on my motorbike (it can be quite grim riding through winter) Also our family is all on the SE side of London and Kent and we wanted to still be with relatively easy reach of them. (Then again road links to Andover, the A303 and the west country beyond, are very good.)

Cristy

Your criteria fit Basingstoke to a tee: 20 miles south west of Reading, but east of Newbury. 45 mins train ride from London and 20 mins from Reading. It has some very nice, green areas and villages around it.

We moved here last month from Reading and we like it. Lychpit is a very good area, not sure about Gabriel park. We are on a new-ish development near the hospital, very pretty area and so quiet! There's a lovely 4 bed + study detached a few roads away from me going for £325k (http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-6852703.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy) (a bit close to the A339 though), but I've seen 4 bed houses in other good areas (Chineham, Hatch Warren, Kempshott etc) going from £280k upwards.

Hope this helps, if I can help further let me know!

dfarry

Thanks Cristy... that house is in my Rightmove SAVED list :rotfl:

Yes I think Basingstoke will be our first place to checkout, I have requested details of houses from the main agencies in the area and I can then start looking at UpMyStreet and NetHousePrices to get a better idea of what is around....

Of course this all hangs on the job situation, but if that is a goer then I'd want to get some offers in quick as we are hold up my buyer now.

Dee123_2

I'm in Newbury. Moved here two years ago and loving it. I cant comment on your portion of the market as I am only familiar with the lower end. Slightly cheaper than Reading, its a nice market town with a beautiful canal and countryside. Five mins to the M4 and 25 mins drive/train to Reading and on the line to Paddington. Re-development of the town centre is taking place with a big shopping centre, cinema and waterfront development being built so prices will rise here shortly. If you dont want town living, check out some of the lovely villages further north clustered around the M4 Junction 13 - namely Chieveley,Compton and East and West Ilsely. These are also around 20 miles from Oxford on the A34 and placed around the Ridgeway which is just breathtakingly gorgeous countryside.

I grew up around Basingstoke, and, yes, they have the shopping centre,but I have always hated the place. Maybe you always do hate the place you grew up, I only know that, having lived in London and Newbury, it never offered me much else. Sorry to the 'Stokers!

Dont go to Reading. Traffic is a nightmare and crime is on the up.

PS Newbury is directly NORTH of Basingstoke, not east.

spirit

Hi Dfarry,

You have to be very careful with Basingstoke as there are some very dodgy areas. I currently live in Winchester (which would also fit your criteria especially with regards to schools etc). Having said that my kids are at uni now so I can pretty much live where I like - given that I work in Newbury. Winchester to Newbury takes 20 minutes straight up the A34.

I knew a little bit about Basingstoke when I began looking because I used to Work on the Chineham business park. However, the agents there will try hard to sell you the houses on the er, less desirable locations. Places to avoid there are Brighton Hill, Buckskin, Popley, South Ham, Winklebury and Oakridge. You can get a lot of house for your money in these places but don't expect to find wheels still on your car in the morning etc!

Better areas are Chineham, Oakley, Hatch Warren, Beggarwood aka Kempshott Park, Kempshott itself and Kempshott Rise.

I've just had my offer accepted on a house in Chineham - which is well placed on the A33 so easy for Reading - Newbury is also easy from there, just round the ring road to get to he A339 Newbury Road. It's also about 45 minutes to Waterloo by train.

dfarry

Thanks for all your comments folks...all noted.

over the next week the Estate Agent leaflets should filter through my door and I'll know whether or not this new job is going to be offered to me...

I'll keep you posted...a few months and I might be living on your doorsteps :T

flossy_splodge

Have to agree with an earlier poster a great fat NO to basingstoke. Also to Reading. I agree that Newbury is a great place. Has good schools (I used to teach in one:rotfl: ) and first class connections to north, south east and west. What mmore could you ask. Good luck.:T

AndrewSmith

flossy_splodge wrote:

Have to agree with an earlier poster a great fat NO to basingstoke. Also to Reading. I agree that Newbury is a great place. Has good schools (I used to teach in one:rotfl: ) and first class connections to north, south east and west. What mmore could you ask. Good luck.:T

Have to agree about Newbury, I used to live in Wash Water, a small village about 2 miles south of the town. Very nice. Town centre excellent, good rail links, traffic can be a pain though. Excellent retail park just to the edge of town.

From where I live I quite often hop up to Newbury for shopping, Drive through Mcdonalds etc.

Cristy

In response to those who say no to Basingstoke, may I ask, what is it about the place that makes you see red? To be honest, as a foreigner who has lived in /visited many parts of your beautiful country, I just can't see how Basingstoke is so much worse than other (equally anonymous) towns in the South East. What exactly is wrong with it? OK, there are a few rough areas, like everywhere else. But what precisely makes it so despicable? Is it because it's a little parochial? Are the people who live here nasty? (If so, I have not noticed).

I am genuinely interested - after all, my DH was born and bred here and it was such an effort to convince him to come back to the place! LOL