London areas - where to buy? 7 February 2005 at 11:46AM edited 5 February 2014 at 5:52PM in House Buying, Renting & Selling 115 replies 168.5K views

clairehi

Definitely agree with the person who said to narrow it down by transport links - both from home to work and also if you are frequently going back to Swindon, make sure you can get to Paddington without too much hassle.

Look at travel times rather than the distance on the map as overland rail is surprisingly fast if you are further out.

have fun!

bobbadog

I live in Streatham Hill, Zone 3. I rent currently, but would buy in a second if i could - I can get to work in Oxford Circus in half an hour, and it's safe as houses. (Streatham itself isn't so nice, mind, but SH is). If you'd like to PM me feel free x

10_to_3

bobbadog wrote:

I live in Streatham Hill, Zone 3. I rent currently, but would buy in a second if i could - I can get to work in Oxford Circus in half an hour, and it's safe as houses. (Streatham itself isn't so nice, mind, but SH is). If you'd like to PM me feel free x

Streatham Hill is not "safe as houses".

The 109 and 250 buses which run from Croydon to Brixton via Streatham Hill did very "well" recently in a survey of London's most violent buses. The area has a reputation for prostitution. In fact my girlfriend knows some of the girls, they're lovely but their punters, who might proposition YOU if you're a woman, aren't.

Streatham Hill station: Nice big sign outside warning of kids on bikes stealing mobile phones.
Etc, etc, etc.

Streatham Hill has its good points but being "safe as houses" isn't one of them.

bobbadog

10_to_3 wrote:

Streatham Hill is not "safe as houses".

The 109 and 250 buses which run from Croydon to Brixton via Streatham Hill did very "well" recently in a survey of London's most violent buses. The area has a reputation for prostitution. In fact my girlfriend knows some of the girls, they're lovely but their punters, who might proposition YOU if you're a woman, aren't.

Streatham Hill station: Nice big sign outside warning of kids on bikes stealing mobile phones.
Etc, etc, etc.

Streatham Hill has its good points but being "safe as houses" isn't one of them.

Am presuming you don't live in Streatham Hill, yes? The bus you're describing stops in Streatham Hill, but that doesn't mean the violence happens there - i'd imagine most busses originating from Brixton are quite rough. Every area has a red light district, and most stations have warning signs! I've lived in East Putney, Camberwell, Brockley, Hammersmith and Nunhead since being in London and Streatham Hill is the one I feel most at home in. It's grassy, quiet, no gangs, i've never seen any violence or been spoke to in a way to make me feel uncomfortable - and i'm generally to be found crawling home along the gutter. Lovely brick houses too.

astonsmummy

Brixton and clapham are actually being smartened up - my sis lives on a manky estate clapham park but the whole estate is going to be knocked down and rebuilt - the plans look amazing, personally i think maybe you have to go and visit some areas you like the sound of at different times of the day to get a feel of it, also reaserch them on the net.
I'm hoping to move back to london after 17 years, but i will be doing a mutual exchange with my council house so wont have as much chioce as anyone buying!
The thing is everyones opinion on places can be different, while one person thinks an area is a dump and feels dangerous the next person might think it's a great place to live.
Good luck xx

astonsmummy

10_to_3 wrote:

Streatham Hill is not "safe as houses".

The 109 and 250 buses which run from Croydon to Brixton via Streatham Hill did very "well" recently in a survey of London's most violent buses. The area has a reputation for prostitution. In fact my girlfriend knows some of the girls, they're lovely but their punters, who might proposition YOU if you're a woman, aren't.

Streatham Hill station: Nice big sign outside warning of kids on bikes stealing mobile phones.
Etc, etc, etc.

Streatham Hill has its good points but being "safe as houses" isn't one of them.

These days nowhere is 'safe as houses';)

lynzpower

bobbadog wrote:

Am presuming you don't live in Streatham Hill, yes? The bus you're describing stops in Streatham Hill, but that doesn't mean the violence happens there - i'd imagine most busses originating from Brixton are quite rough. Every area has a red light district, and most stations have warning signs! I've lived in East Putney, Camberwell, Brockley, Hammersmith and Nunhead since being in London and Streatham Hill is the one I feel most at home in. It's grassy, quiet, no gangs, i've never seen any violence or been spoke to in a way to make me feel uncomfortable - and i'm generally to be found crawling home along the gutter. Lovely brick houses too.

Not to be going on about this too much

But I worked as an outreach worker working with children abused through prostitution based in Stretham Hill. I would not live in streatham hill for all the tea in China.
*crack problems endemic-you dont need to walk that far out of a front door round there to be accosted by someone high on crack, I know this, they were my clients
*Rapes very high, yes this comes in the territory of ared light area, but believe me I certainly would not be crawling home round there, and I suggest that you dont either :eek:
*Violent Crime - I have been threatened with a firearm ( this is in my line of work tho not as a member of the "public" ) + Ive seen someone be stabbed at 7pm on Stretham high road while i was waiting for a bus. A quick browse of the South london press shows you that streatham regularly featured.
Its very well known in the "underworld" and by police that known crims drift to streatham as its not as well policed as brixton.
*Kerb crawling, drug dealing, begging and other unpleasant social problems blight the area.

In fact I dont think Ive been anywhere else in london with such a blatant under/overcurrent of crime, bar possibly wembley & stonebridge.

Great if you like it, no ones arguing about that, but I agree that safety is certainly not one of streathams strong points. Not at all.

bobbadog

lynzpower wrote:

*Violent Crime - I have been threatened with a firearm ( this is in my line of work tho not as a member of the "public" ) + Ive seen someone be stabbed at 7pm on Stretham high road while i was waiting for a bus. A quick browse of the South london press shows you that streatham regularly featured.

Eeek!

I've been mugged in the leafy countryside of Northampton, incidentally, but I understand why Streatham Hill gets a bad press, it's proximity to Brixton and the gangland doesn't help... but as a place to buy and live, cost wise and ammenities wise, i'm not going anywhere

South London Press HQ is in Streatham Hill. Suppose they have to be where the action is

Bargain_Rzl

I have a lot of friends who live in Streatham and love it there. Some of said friends are fairly wealthy and could have the pick of the majority of London areas, but choose to stay in Streatham.

I wouldn't feel safe alone in Streatham Hill, nor in central Streatham around the High Road near the train station. There are indeed a lot of social problems there - I've never lived in the area but have had dealings with one of the churches there, so have had some insight. Also, the traffic round there is simply appalling - on Saturdays it's often one long tailback all the way from Clapham to the big retail park at Purley Way!

But most of the Tooting end of Streatham is very nice, and I really do like the Streatham Vale/Streatham Common area which is really "my kind of place" - a sense of community without unnecessary gentrification.

rooban

I live in sutton and have to say it is a pleasent place. Of course there are rough places but that comes with all places. Quite expensive but I have to say that I got good commuting links to victoria, london bridge, Kings cross and best of surrey places.