does anyone live in/known areas to avoid in Milton Keynes.

ado

pcyam wrote: »

yeh im sorta wish i didnt accept new job now. :eek: right now a bit,
but going to give it a go, i guess its only for 12months!!

MK has grown up and matured hell of a lot in the last 10 years and whilst its never going to have the feel of a city which has grown up organically over hundreds of years, it does have a lot going for it in terms of entertainment, different areas and feels, countryside, shopping and jobs. It has engulfed a load of old little villages so you can find some surprisingly old areas when looking round but as with any town there are good and bad parts.

I'd avoid Coffee Hall, Netherfield and the Lakes Estate but Fenny Stratford, Willen village, Stony Stratford/Old Stratford and Newport Pagnell have good parts.

choccybikkie_2

All the Shenleys are lovely, (Brook end ,Church end and Lodge) Emerson Valley, Furzton,loughton,great holm,two mile ash, oxley park, grange farm, westcroft , tattenhoe, monkston, middleton, walnut tree, wavendon, kingsmead, medbourne are all GREAT places to live. (just avoid any estates right near the city and hospital is a usual rule lol)
I love living in MK, been here 13 years now (moved from Torquay) MK has so much going for it and it's a wonderful place for kids to grow up IMO.
Also, the roundabouts mean we hardly have traffic and the grid system means it's hard to take a wrong turn Good luck!

beolens

As a resident of Milton Keynes since I were a lad (around 30 years) the biggest issue is you will find good and bad streets in each estate.

I have lived in a number of the better and worst estates and so far each has good and bad points. Places like Fishermead and Conniburrow get rough reviews, but I currently live in the latter and have found it quiet and calm, but I live on the edge of the estate in the more plush places, however the name of the estate alone means my rent has about £100 knocked off the likely cost in another area!

Similarly I have lived in Shenley lodge, an affluant area, and we had nothing but trouble with the local youths.

Best advice check out what the neighbours gardens are like (better maintained usually means a nicer area) and avoid being opposite or backing onto parks, they seem to have become a haven for rowdy youngsters late into the night (often early morning).

A run down of locations I've lived and how I found them, if that helps:

Stantonbury (grew up here) - No problems but then I was part of the local youth!
Oldbrook (twice) both quite locations on the outskirts, no issues aprt from near local pub and shops.
Crownhill - No issues apart from near shop sometimes.
Wolverton (twice) - No issues, apart from near shops sometimes. (oh and one stolen car hitting ours). Very friendly people.
Shenley Lodge (twice) - Major issues near park in centre, and lots of issues around fireworks night etc. with noise.
Shenley Church End - can have issues around pub, shops underpass into Loughton. And again major issues around fireworks time.
Willen park - Very nice (barring some noisy neighbours towards the end of our stay but this would be limited to being next door to them).
Conniburrow - Very quiet, but then I'm not sure I would want to walk through the bulk of it alone at night.

beolens

As for the roundabouts, if you can think logically it means you won't get too lost. Miss one road and you can quickly turn around and head back.

lincroft1710

Regarding the Olney debate, it's definitely nearer to MK than Bedford and postal address is MK, but strangely the telephone code (01234) is Bedford.

pcyam

kiddy_guy wrote: »

How far do you want to live from work? That might help us to give you an idea. The further out from the centre (not Bletchley/Wolverton), usually the better...

Oh and the cheeky blighter who suggested Olney is quite nice - Yes it is - but to suggest Olney, is like suggesting living in Bristol is quite a nice place near London. I'm from Olney, and it's 15 miles away; it's not in Milton Keynes ! If you put "Olney, Milton Keynes" on the address, it would devalue houses by 1/4! In fact Olney is nearer to Bedford and as close to N'Hampton as it is MK.

I think as long as its within walking distance that would be ideal so I dont have to drive to work during the snowy times.

I've gotten over the homesickness thing, so not freaking out now either:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

dacouch wrote: »

Anywhere near a roundabout

I dont think thats possible, everywhere I turn its a roundabout :rotfl::rotfl: and on the way back from home I know when I'm nearing to MK because of the constant start/stop because of the roundabouts on roundabouts.

Hanky_Panky

ado wrote: »

MK has grown up and matured hell of a lot in the last 10 years and whilst its never going to have the feel of a city which has grown up organically over hundreds of years, it does have a lot going for it in terms of entertainment, different areas and feels, countryside, shopping and jobs. It has engulfed a load of old little villages so you can find some surprisingly old areas when looking round but as with any town there are good and bad parts.

I'd avoid Coffee Hall, Netherfield and the Lakes Estate but Fenny Stratford, Willen village, Stony Stratford/Old Stratford and Newport Pagnell have good parts.

It certainly has and it has been my pleasure over the last 40+ years to watch it grow.

Its funny but I work with loads of people who just wouldn't consider moving outside the M25 as it's 'in the sticks' but I chuckle every time I land outside Bank tube station having just had a 30 minute train ride into Euston and a short hop down the Northern line whilst they have sweated on Picadilly line for a lot longer ! Also you find that many people who live here now may have been slightly reticent about moving here initially but now wouldn't move anywhere else. Generally the only negative comments come from people who 'may' have driven through at some point but not spent much time here.

pcyam - the newer apartments in Central Milton keynes are ok and you will have a lot of choice to rent. Plus they are near a lot of night life if that's what you want. Personally I would steer clear of any of th estates immediately around CMK like Oldbrook, Fishermead etc but really just get out there and look around. I would also suggest walking or getting on your bike in the area you choose as you get an entirely different view of the city on the redways.

good luck.

FireWyrm

What is it with you tourists and your fear of roundabouts. For heavens sake, it's not like you can get lost. Miss a turning and just go left, left, left at the next roundabout and end up back where you started.

I grew up in north MK so, Two Mile Ash, Crownhill and towards Stoney were my childhood haunts. There is one house going in MK88JD at the moment, it's 59.I know, because it was my childhood home. The bloke who's selling is desperate for a sale since hes in negative equity so don't believe the £160k asking price, you could squeeze him for more (karmas a !!!!!). I'll tell you the story if you want. Yes, I have a grudge against the owner, but the house is sound as a pound and close to TMA Middle which is just within the catchment area. You have the lake close by and when I was living there, there was 1 break in in twenty years.

As others have said, head towards Stoney but steer clear of the right of the golf course towards Wolverton. All Shenleys are good but Netherfield and the Lakes are no go.

MrRee_2

Great Linford .... not mentioned yet, but some lovely little cul-de-sacs there ....

PLUS, you can get concrete milk from the concrete cows in MK

RedfordML

I live in MK, so can help!!

Good places would cover Shenleys, Tattenhoe, Emerson Valley. A little further out Monkston looks nice!! I find the west side the best!!

Places to avoid include Leadenhall, Fishermead, Eaglestone Oldbrook (some ok bits) and Heelands - anything very central!!