Buying a House in Hackbridge - Any thoughts/advice

chris0123

Hi All,

I am looking at buying a house in Hackbridge by the station. Has anyone got any advice on around this area such as crime, what its like to live there and the surrounding area?

I have done lots of research and can't really find any bad points except the potential smell from the sewage plant and the new incinerator that is around the area? Is the smell there? Thames Water has told me that this has been dealt with... The last thing i want is a huge stench lingering in the summer...

Cakeguts

The only observation that I can make about this is the fact that if you put Hackbridge into Rightmove you get very few properties in Hackbridge apart from a whole load of overpriced new ones. You get lots of properties in Wallington that when you check on the map are actually in Hackbridge as well but the EAs obviously are trying not to draw attention to the fact that they are in Hackbridge. So it seems to me that Hackbridge is not a popular place to buy. I expect anyone buying one of the new housing there would make quite a good loss when they come to sell because the new housing is much more expensive than any of the 2nd hand housing.

martindow

chris0123 wrote: »

can't really find any bad points except the potential smell from the sewage plant and the new incinerator

This doesn't paint a picture of an appealing place to live.


I suppose you need to go to the area with the wind blowing from different directions to see whether there is a problem and maybe go into local pubs to chat.



Problems like this even if they are only perceived and not real will affect prices and ease of selling.

Shelldean

Cakeguts wrote: »

The only observation that I can make about this is the fact that if you put Hackbridge into Rightmove you get very few properties in Hackbridge apart from a whole load of overpriced new ones. You get lots of properties in Wallington that when you check on the map are actually in Hackbridge as well but the EAs obviously are trying not to draw attention to the fact that they are in Hackbridge. So it seems to me that Hackbridge is not a popular place to buy. I expect anyone buying one of the new housing there would make quite a good loss when they come to sell because the new housing is much more expensive than any of the 2nd hand housing.

Hackbridge doesn't exist as a postal area from my observations.

This is exactly what I was going to say,my daughter rents in Hackbridge ( and is very happy there)
But her address is not Hackbridge it's Wallington.
So for some reason Hackbridge doesn't exist as a postal area.

New mill quarter is the new estate.

Daughter chose Hackbridge due to transport, and their ability to get to work, she works in Merton, while partner work in various London sites. While still being reasonably close to us, in Wallington
Everything they need is on their doorstep, and easy transport to other places.

Only thing missing atm is a decent sized supermarket. There is a Sainsbury local, but it's not suitable for weeks shop.
She usually does an online shop to combat this.
Tho if local chat is to be believed, there will be a lidls on the new mill quarter site once complete.

Shelldean

The water plant does still smell occasionally, but more so if you're in the vicinity,say visiting Beddington lane Asda.

The incinerator is a huge bone of contention for local residents, and produces many heated debates. We're in Wallington slightly further away from incinerator and have never been bothered by it.

Daughter has never commented on it either however she only moved in August. And the incinerator became operational after that.

PhilE

Hackbridge was going to be developed as far as I can remember. If that's still the case, then the area will go up in value.

However, that was before Brexit.

Hackbridge/Carshalton is safer than Croydon, not as pleasent as parts of Sutton and Cheam. I would consider the latter, but not the North side close to St Helier.

PhilE

Property in the area had not gone down, as another poster has suggested. The whole area has been going up in value for a while.

Apart from Brexit, there is no reason why a property there would lose value.

Tugaville

Hackbridge is up and coming due to the new housing being build there, I find it very quiet and dreary, but maybe in a few years time when all the new housing has been finished it could attract new businesses, and make it more lively.
Have you considered Sutton or Cheam ?

tomhall

The smell you refer to isn’t just from the sewage works, it’s also from the landfill site, also close by. Yes that doesn’t paint a good picture, however, it’s my understanding that the landfill site is due to stop accepting new trash from December 2019, at which point it’ll slowly be incinerated to generate hot water and heating for New Mill Quarter.

The local council has committed to making Hackbridge the most sustainable suburb in the UK, so theres ongoing regeneration and investment in the area.

Lastly, Lidl will be opening a supermarket at New Mill Quarter, on the corner opposite the train station, from interpreting the plans, I am relieved to see that their eye-sore branding (bright blue & yellow!) won’t be too obvious!

It seems like a very pleasant area, with Croydon 10-15mins away (IKEA, B&Q, Dreams, all close by). Worth noting also, Westfield are due to start building a new shopping mall in Croydon in 2020, approx completion 2023.

zagubov

Good transport links, what with the railways and the fast bus to Croydon, Sutton, Kingston, Heathrow (the x26).

You need to drive to a supermarket to do a major shop, but that's typical for this part of London. You've Asda in Beddington, Sainsburys in Wallington and Sutton, and also Morrisons, Asda and Tesco in Sutton.