Kingston Upon Thames - downsides

do_it_today!

Hi all :hello:
me and hubby are planning to move either Kingston-upon-thames or nearby I keep hearing glowing things about it and just wondered if there were any downsides or specific roads / areas to avoid.

thanks

D&DD

http://www.upmystreet.com/local/l/kingston+upon+thames.html

This might help a bit not been there for a while *great shopping centre*

noyk

I lived nearby (Surbiton) for a couple of years, It's a nice enough place - not many bad things to say about it either. But it depends what you want out of it and how much you have to spend since it's pretty expensive place to live.
If you want a lot more greenery try Ham which is just north of kingston or Surbiton if you want a slightly more leafy environment as most of kingston (apart from the really pricey bits) is really built up.

Can't tell you dodgy areas specifically but there are some, when you visit they are obvious and easy to avoid but nothing is that bad afaik.

Sapphire

do_it_today! wrote: »

Hi all :hello:
me and hubby are planning to move either Kingston-upon-thames or nearby I keep hearing glowing things about it and just wondered if there were any downsides or specific roads / areas to avoid.

thanks

I've corresponded with you before about KoT, where I live. Just to add that North Kingston (KT2 postcode) is the best part to live in – nearest the river and Richmond Park, and the housing is mostly traditional, with some really nice houses of all sizes. It's also very near to Richmond, which I find convenient because some of my family lives there. Also, if you live in this part of Kingston you can avoid driving through some traffic-heavy areas (I don't run a car, so have never done this myself).

I think there may be one or two Council estates in South Kingston, although I don't go around there much. I tend to stay in the north and central parts, which have all I need.

carpetbelly

I used to go to college in Kingston many moons ago and lived near Richmond Park briefly. Lovely area, obv try to avoid the slightly more built up parts but then you pay a premium for that.

Having moved there from the Old Kent Road area of London I can't say I noticed any dodgy areas but considering where I had it to compare to that's not surprising lol.

Penelopa.Pitstop

Noyk,
maybe you could reply to my post regarding Surbiton.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=603493

kingston1_2

You will pay a premium for living in the best parts of the area.

The 'river roads' part of Surbiton is probably the nicest part - right next to the river (no river views, though), 5 minutes walk to Surbiton station (much better trains than Kingston), and 15 minute walk to Kingston itself. The advantage is that you avoid a lot of the traffic of Kingston itself. Surbiton town centre is also usefulfor basic shopping when you want to avoid going into Kingston (especially at Christmas)

As mentioned, North Kingston is also nice. Perhaps slightly cheaper, and nicer housing stock, although you would need to make do with Kingston's poor rail service.

Other areas worth looking at are Knights Park/St Johns in South Kingston, and Cranes Park in Surbiton.

A lot of the rest of the central areas is slightly blighted, by being too close to the Cambridge or Kingsympton estates. These are not too bad compared to 'real' London estates, but they are quite large, and have a negative effect on the areas directly surrounding them.

Doodles

kingston1 wrote: »

A lot of the rest of the central areas is slightly blighted, by being too close to the Cambridge or Kingsympton estates. These are not too bad compared to 'real' London estates, but they are quite large, and have a negative effect on the areas directly surrounding them.

Yes I'd agree with kingston1 - stay away from the Cambridge estate area if possible, not as much trouble there now as there have been in years gone by however, and be careful if you're buying on/just off the Kingston Road.