London areas for 2 bed, 200k budget

abankerbutnotafatcat

There were riots in Croydon, there have also been stabbings and shootings in the area. The former affected many areas including trendy Clapham Junction and was mainly in dodgy West Croydon. It was also confined to Croydon town and not in Croydon borough. The latter, sadly affects many areas of London and equally sadly only tends to impact certain demographics, many (most?) of the victims are part of that culture (gangs etc) but unfortunately sometimes innocent people are dragged into it but to put it bluntly, unless you're a young, black male and hang around certain areas your chances of being involved in this are extremely slim.

Walthamstow is a district of London, Croydon is a borough with a population of c365,000, you're not comparing apples with apples if you're looking at how many negative references in a google search there are.

No one is suggesting you move to West Croydon, New Addington or any large council estates or tower blocks. However, if you play it smart you can find areas of Croydon borough which are pleasant, relatively safe (crime can happen ANYWHERE), have good transport links and are good value relative to other parts of London due to the general lower value of SE London and perhaps the reputation of Croydon specifically.

The tram link is a good example of infrastructure investment in Croydon, also the extensive improvement works currently going on at the moment at East Croydon Station. The Centrale shopping centre is fantastic and quite upmarket - check out the food court in the basement of flagship store, House Of Fraser. Stores like HOF don't invest like that without doing ALOT of research into demographics.

Within Croydon borough are areas like Purley and Coulsdon that demographically probably have far more in common with neighbouring Surrey than inner S/SE London. They are leafy suburbs with big houses yet enjoying being within the TFL zones. I'm not suggesting you consider these areas, merely pointing out that the image of Croydon is perhaps at odds with the reality.

For the record, I don't live, and never have lived in LB Croydon. I've known it for over 20 years and live c3 miles from the edge of Coulsdon and commute through it every day. Based on this I believe that the general reputation is undeserved. I am a research analyst and consider Croydon to have good fundamentals and potential as long as you go for a good road with a pleasant walk to good public transport.

BitterAndTwisted

Have a look at Addiscombe. I know two couples who live there and it has a nice villagey feel, with a proper little high street of useful and friendly local shops. My friends are greeted by name at the butcher, baker and greengrocer's. It's about four or five minutes on the tram from East Croydon. I'd live there like a shot if I could

Soundgirlrocks

Hi we aren't far from Addiscombe and it is very nice, it's nice to hear other people being positive about Croydon, as previous post have said Croydon does cover a wide area. I grew up in Croydon and moved back to buy some where as it is very reasonable, and great transport. My other half was a bit sceptical until we moved here but now he loves it. We are within walking distance of Norwood junction and round the corner from the tram which gives us access to east croydon and Beckenham junction (we could walk to east croydon as well if we were feeling motivated) so can get into central, west end and east London easily.
It's easy to get out into the country and the clock tower library and Fairfield are also great for the arts.

Also worth noting that East Croydon Station is having a lot spent expansion and development.

zagubov

sarah3585 wrote: »

You wouldn't, Walthamstow or Morden?

katejo wrote: »

I live in walthamstow and often go to Morden as my Dad is there. I prefer Walthamstow. Morden just doesn't inspire me at all. Transport from walthamstow is much better (Morden is zone 4)

tim123456789 wrote: »

I wouldn't

(and it was were I was brought up)

tim

Another no for Morden from me.
Sutton's OK and good schools if you're thinking that far ahead. It is about 10 mins further than you want to commute though.
Parts of Croydon would be fine. Parts closer into town I'd advise you to check first.

sarah3585

I've been researching into S.London areas a lot recently. Potential affordable areas I've discovered are:

Sydenham
Penge
Anerley
Charlton

Less affordable but nicer(?):
Forest Hill
Honor Oak
Greenwich
Blackheath

I welcome any views on these areas!
Addiscombe seems a little far out for the commute to the Angel.

sarah3585

I just thought I'd update this for anyone who is still interested in my search.

Last weekend we got the train to Chingford and walked through Highams Parks down to Walthamstow.

We liked Chingford, was a little surprised it was zone 5, that maybe a consideration for travelling. It felt quite village like, population seemed on the older side, which we prefer if that means it's quieter. Highams park was ok but nothing to get excited about. We wasn't too keen on Walthamstow. The houses looked very compact, and very busy, I guess that's a given as you get more towards need London. Lloyd park was nice, even though it was pouring with rain.

This weekend we'll be exploring the South. Starting at Anerley up to Sydenham then Forest Hill.

Strapped

http://www.commutefrom.com/

Strapped

And rent first to get an idea of areas. (I've worked in central London and always commuted from well outside "London").

abankerbutnotafatcat

sarah3585 wrote: »

I've been researching into S.London areas a lot recently. Potential affordable areas I've discovered are:

Sydenham
Penge
Anerley
Charlton

Less affordable but nicer(?):
Forest Hill
Honor Oak
Greenwich
Blackheath

I welcome any views on these areas!
Addiscombe seems a little far out for the commute to the Angel.

East Croydon has a much better train service than Forest Hill, Sydenham, Penge, Anerly and Honor Oak which are all on the line between East Croydon and London. So even though they're nearer London ensure you bear in mind journey time and frequency in your calculations. Btw you should add Brockley to your lower list, even if it's outside of your price range it will enhance your knowledge of that area.

hazyjo

Glad to hear you've had a wander round Moving to North Chingford myself now and can't wait. Had a walk round again on Saturday and still love that side of it. Must admit, HP isn't as nice as it once was! Very happy to be further north. Zone 5 I can cope with. Always feel like I'm on holiday in North Chingford

Jx