Another where to live in (South) London question.

Lizling

olly300 wrote: »

They have Morden Hall Park nearby which is quite nice. I felt safe running through there in the very early morning.

That's good to hear I love going for a run around the parks and I go at all times of day and night. I'll seriously miss it if I can't do that.

I would avoid Mitcham and Norbury due to the problems in those areas.

No hidden little decent bits? Oh well. Saw a gorgeous house in Mitcham but for that price, I suppose it had to be in a bad area.

Streatham though it has nice looking housing has a very run down high street. There will be a large supermarket soon but they have been waiting over 10 years for it. I also don't like waiting at the train stations in Streatham in the day, though I've had no issues waiting at the bus stops any time of day or night.

Really interesting to know about the bus stops being better than the stations. I wouldn't have guessed. I suppose we don't really need a good high street, but they are nice to have.

Colliers Wood is fine if you can't afford Tooting but it was one of the places that was looted last August due to how the shops are located i.e. in shopping centres away from most housing.

That doesn't worry me. Northcote Road was looted too, and that's certainly not a bad area. Imagining the looters breaking into the posh cheese shop now instead of trainers and TVs :rotfl:

If you drive or take the bus you will find the traffic doesn't move along the high street in rush hour.

We both use motorbikes for commuting and day to day short journeys, so an inconvenience but not a huge concern. The standard of driving in some parts of south London though...:eek:

Wandle Park there is now quite busy as it's the only local green space.

Ah, now there's a deal breaker for me. Need more green space than that. Wandle Park is getting too far out anyway.

The pubs in Colliers Wood are better so you will have no issues in going out.

Good to know Thanks.

Tatanka_2

Hello there,
I would like to follow up on the Mitcham comments.
All people always can say about Mitcham is that it is grim, it is a dump and forget about it. Doesn't that place deserve to be given a chance at last? I remember some time ago Balham and Tooting were not very good places to live but now they are all desirable and become more and more expensive. I agree that Mitcham doesn't have a nice high street with boutiques and cafes and the town centre looks depressing but on the other hand it has a very good transport links - you can get to Wimbledon or Clapham Junction in 10-15 minutes!

Mitcham's reputation is certainly not a good one and I appreciate that there are reasons for that but I also think that the Merton Council are trying to change that image there. There are new developments being built which hopefully would attract some first time buyers who might have been priced out from the expensive neighbouring areas; there is the Mitcham Eastfields station for commuters (20 mins to Victoria); there are plans to open Asda there this year (to help with unemployment and to make shopping easier in that area); there is Mitcham Common for cyclists and walkers - I really think that with time Mitcham's bad reputation may change. I honestly cannot believe that all Mitcham is all about is criminals, gangs and alcoholics. In fact I know few people who actually like it there because it is not as busy as for example Tooting but it is much cheaper and within an easy access to other nearby locations with all the restaurants, cafes and shopping centres if needed.

I'm a first time buyer myself and have been looking recently into buying my first property in Mitcham because after 7 years of renting I still cannot afford to buy in Tooting, Balham or Wandsworth. In Mitcham you can afford to buy a decent size property for a reasonable price - isn't it better than renting in Wimbledon? I do not want to move out further out of London as my work is in central London - whatever I don't pay for mortgage, I would have to add to my extra travel costs hence can't afford it.

I've been trying to find as much info about Mitcham as possible before making my final decision about buying there, looking for suggestions about which parts to avoid and which parts could be safe and quiet (as that's how it is in London, isn't it) and it really annoys me that majority of comments you can find on different websites doesn't go further than a general comment 'it's a dump'.

I am sure that there are decent people who live in Mitcham:) - not only criminals - perhaps some of them have been just priced out of the more expensive SW postcodes. If more people like that arrived to the area - perhaps the place would finally change for better?

Would be really good if we could hear some more comments about Mitcham from people who actually live in the CR4 postcode. Perhaps it's not all that bad?

duchy

Going a tiny bit further out -try south of Croydon -possibly Purley (half an hour to Victoria on the train -and stops at Clapham Junction so good to keep in touch with your current social life) -parts of South Croydon are nice too -not central or West Croydon though. Your budget should get the small house with garden scenario. Living where you do you probably are thinking more in terms of tube lines but the overland rail is often faster -eg it takes forever on the tube from Morden as there are so many stops whereas Purley to Victoria is a fast service stopping only at East Croydon and Clapham Junction.

Parts of Mitcham are nice -especially some of the roads leading to the common but not that close to the train station and not much in the social side -bit of a shortage of nice pubs, eating places etc. Decent shopping would be Croydon (which is fab for shopping)

k3lvc

duchy wrote: »

Going a tiny bit further out -try south of Croydon -possibly Purley (half an hour to Victoria on the train -and stops at Clapham Junction so good to keep in touch with your current social life) -parts of South Croydon are nice too -not central or West Croydon though. Your budget should get the small house with garden scenario. Living where you do you probably are thinking more in terms of tube lines but the overland rail is often faster -eg it takes forever on the tube from Morden as there are so many stops whereas Purley to Victoria is a fast service stopping only at East Croydon and Clapham Junction.

Parts of Mitcham are nice -especially some of the roads leading to the common but not that close to the train station and not much in the social side -bit of a shortage of nice pubs, eating places etc. Decent shopping would be Croydon (which is fab for shopping)

I'd second that - particularly if you're somewhere close to East/Central Croydon with the tram running over to Wimbledon and a couple of direct bus routes to Tooting/Mitcham.

Just as an example have a look at this - 10 mins walk to East or West Croydon, only a couple of minutes from the tram stop, couple of reasonable local pubs and the cinema only a couple of mins walk away

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-33138424.html

We used to live 5 mins from here and Mrs K used to commute to Oxford Circus in 40-45 mins each day

MiniSis

I was also going to suggest Croydon. I have lived in south Croydon on 2 occasions, the train links especially to clapgam are excellent and Croydon Does have some lovely parks. I grew up in coulsdon (south of Croydon) and my stepdad just sold his two up two down terrace (with a small yard) for £175k so their are properties out there of you really look.

ah6321

I'd try and stick to Tooting.

If you've got your hearts set on a house then you're really pushing it, there are a few available, albeit a bit pokey. What are your partners reasons for not wanting a flat? Is it just the idea of having a whole house? I'm not saying this isn't a valid reason, but considering flats gives you a lot more choice in terms of areas.

littlesaint

Hi OP. I was in a similar position to you. Lived in Tooting for 4 years nearly and wanted to buy a 2 bed with garden but in the last 18 months properties have gone from well within our range to well outside it. We started looking at Colliers Wood, but little on the market and most things going quickly.

You might like to consider the area of Merton between Tooting mainline station and Figges Marsh. I notice there are a few 2 and 3 beds with gardens for less than £250,000. You may even get a house in need of modernisation with a cheeky offer. You'd be less than 5 mins from BR and less than 15 to Tooting or Colliers Wood.

As it happens OH and I have turned our attention to NE London where we should be able to get something with two beds and a garden for well within our budget.

debrag

Not sure on prices but Greenwich, Bromley, Beckenham, Lee / Hither Green, New Eltham, Mottingham Village / Mottingham station, Shorthlands, Hayes, Kent House, Kingston, Charlton Village. Cheam, Surbiton, Chistlehurst, Elmstead Woods, Sundbridge Park.

chewmylegoff

Having lived in New Eltham for 3 years I would far far far rather live there than in any of the places mentioned above (pretty much all of which I have been to at least several times). I would particularly avoid Tooting (Broadway), Norbury and Brixton, all of which are horrible. Norbury is the worst of all of those places in my view (although the 'wrong' parts of Brixton are even worse and completely out of the question, the Clapham side is ok). Most of Streatham is a right hole as well.

Herne Hill is ok, and parts of Dulwich, but I'm not sure how much property costs in either of those places.