Orpington - Opinions?

LFH

I'm currently looking at houses in Orpington - does anybody have any advice? (e.g. nice areas/not so nice areas, crime, transport, noise etc.)

Some of the semi-detacheds seem suspiciously cheap for London. Anybody know why? (I'm suspecting a build quality issue.)

Thanks for any help,
LFH

Waterlily24

I think it depends where you are looking in Orpington. There are some big council estates nearby St Mary Cray for example. When we looked in the area years ago Orpington was one place we didn't bother with. I wanted transport to Bromley so we chose to look in Beckenham, Hayes and West Wickham. Not sure what it's like now though.

bouicca21

Orpington is very variable. You need to know the area well to work it out. I suggest you visit - several times.

lindsloo

I'd say the closer you go to Bromley/keston the nicer Orpington gets.

gemaface

Hi

Orpington is quite a big place. To the north is St Mary Cray & St Pauls Cray which are grim. They also rely on one railway line (St Mary Cray) of which you can be some distance away from. Central Orpington has various types of housing and good transport connections (fast trains into London Bridge/Victoria), however the nearer to the high street, the station and the South/West, the more expensive the housing. It has lots of buses connecting you to Bromley, Lewisham, Sidcup etc. Also note that there is a lot of traffic around - the A224 is always busy.

I suspect that the cheaper houses are either in the not so nice areas, need a lot of renovation and/or are more than a mile away from a station. From memory, once you near Petts Wood or Chelsfield prices shoot up.

Good luck with your search!

chelly78

Where abouts are you looking? Where do you need to travel to?

Personally I'd avoid the Crays, plenty of areas within walking distance from the station that are fine. Good transport links to London, Bromley, Bluewater.

Have to say that prices seem to have jumped a bit in the last 6 months but cheaper than Bromley.

Carlusha

I lived in Farnborough for 20 years. Nice area. A leisurely 15 minute stroll down Tubbenden Lane and you arrive at Orpington Station where there are frequent but crowded trains into London.

You can substitute the "leisurely" with "hellish" during the winter months especially when there is a downpour and snow.

As mentioned, West Wickham is a popular alternative.

Kimberley

I live in Bromley. I'm also a Bus driver who drives Buses through Orpington High Street. I would not recommend it especially in the Cray areas. Farnborough, Locksbottom is a better area and is placed between Orpington and Bromley. Keston is very nice and so is Biggin Hill. Chislehurst is not far from Bromley and Orpington which is a nice area.

bagpussbear

Definitely avoid the Crays areas, large council estate areas where there is poverty and trouble. My friend has lived all her life on them, I cannot tell you how much trouble she has had from yobs and troublesome families in the last 25 years or so.

Morglin

Orpington has some really nice roads, some of which are fairly near the Crays (St Paul's Cray is much better), and it is much cheaper than Chislehurst.

Good transport links to London, Kent and Sussex from Orpington.

Bromley can be really nice - but there are some rough parts, and some scruffy worn out looking roads near the centre of it.

I would avoid Swanley and St Mary Cray.

I like Chislehurst, but it can be a bit up itself in some parts!

Like all areas, it's best to visit a few times, and get an idea, that suits your budget, in mind.

Lin

RupertTheCat

I lived in Orpington for over 10 years and absolutely hated it. It had a good Chinese on the High Street and that was it. The trains were OK but otherwise - blurgh. It was depressing - and I lived in the nice part near the main station! House prices were cheap there and I did like my house but I would have liked it more if it had been in a completely different area.