Moving to Maidstone (info would be appreciated)

benlea

Hi,

My wife and I are looking to move to Maidstone from Esher (Surrey) in an attempt to gain a much larger property.

I have now found an ideal property located just outside of the center near a place known as Parkwood. This property is located on a new estate (next to Morrsions) which consists of some lovely houses, however I have read numerous articles online warning people not to move near Parkwood?

I was wondering if someone could expand on this, as I have also viewed houses not too far away from this estate, however according to threads on here, areas such as loose are actually ok.

This is a little confusing as they appear literally right next to each other when going from one viewing in Parkwood to Loose.

Some further information would be great, as I have found an ideal 4 bedroom house on this new estate, however these reviews I have read online are putting me off a little.

Many thanks

Ben :beer:

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davsidipp

hi benlea,parkwood had a bad name a few years back,don't know why,if i remember rightly the guy who played barry in eastenders came from there,and said it was rough,hopefully some locals might come along and say otherwise.

Sagaris

I don't know anything about the area, but have visited my friend who has a house on the new estate in Loose, it was very nice and she, her husband and (well behaved!) dogs are very happy there! Nice pub within walking distance too, not a rowdy one either!

Guppycaz

I'm born and bred in Maidstone.

Parkwood has always had a bad name. However, there has been a lot of rejuvenation and investment in the area with new houses being built. I think with all areas there are good and bad....some parts of Parkwood I wouldn't go near. However the new houses near Morrisons look lovely. The doctors surgery is great, the schools in that area are average and there is a bus service every ten minutes into the town centre.

The nice areas in maidstone are Penenden Heath, Bearsted, Loose, Allington. These will be a lot more expensive. Other good area are Madginford, Downswood and Larkfield.

It really depends on what you are looking for eg good schools etc and also your budget.


I don't live far from there so if you want to PM me thats fine.

marmitepotato

Yes, Parkwood HAS had a bad name but I thinks it's whole lot better now. I love living near Maidstone and I love the town for shopping and its proximity to Bluewater, either of the two main airports, the coast, Canterbury, London etc etc. The only other place I would rather live is Cornwall.

benlea

Thank you guys, this info has been really helpful. I have now placed an offer on the house that is based on this new development by redrow houses, so hopefully everything will go through

Please feel free to add more if you have any more info on Parkwood

Moneybagz

Hi Benlea, I've been living on the Sutton Wood (Redrow) estate for a year now. We don't like to think of it as Parkwood, although in our last local election i realised we come under that ward. I find this estate very nice, quite and friendly. Parkwood hasn't got a great reputation, I must admit. Maidstone Borough Council seem to house all the single mums there.I moved from Crawley to Maidstone 22 years ago, it's a nice place to live and some great places to visit. A trip down the river to the Malta inn in the summer is great, mote park and Leeds Castle. Maidstone night life is good with lots of clubs, bars and restaurants, many with live music at weekends.

benlea

Thank you for this moneybagz. The sale of the house on the redrow estate is now going through so I should be living on Darwin avenue in the next few months. I went knocking on a few houses and they gave similar feedback to you