Hemel Hempstead

albanchick

Hi all,

Looking to buy a house next year in the Hemel Hempstead area (re-location due to job) and was wondering if anybody could advise me what are the good & no go areas/suburbs?

Thanks!

MML_2

Hi albanchick

The more desirable places are called Boxmoor and Leverstock Green. Boxmoor is closer to the station whilst Leverstock Green is closer to the M1. Basically anywhere on the outskirts of Hemel are better eg Boxmoor and Leverstock green.

The places to avoid and I hope I'm not offending people here are Woodhall Farm and Grovehill.

MML

mrsS_2

Hi- IMO- Hemel is a bit of a mixed bag with a great deal of affordable housing- the town itself seems to be one big housing estate.

however, very nice areas just outside, are Longdean Park, Bovingdon, Frithsden, Potten End, Little Gaddesden, Kings Langley, Felden and possibly Boxmoor.

I dont know anything about no-go areas- sorry- all the people I worked in Hemel with, all lived outside and drove in.

oramgepekoe

Schools, especially secondary, are not too good in Hemel if that's important to you. Schools are much better in nearby St Albans but houses are expensive there.

jockettuk

do what we did drive around hemel and the surrounding areas get a feel for the towns.. we decided on aylesbury as it was more local to more amenities for my daughter ...

were are you moving from?

and you will have to look at your budget for a house as some of the outside areas of hemel quite expensive

Secret_Wookie_2

The nicest area of Hemel - St Albans.

More seriously Apsley is worth a look if you need to get the train into
London.

albanchick

Thanks all for your comments, really appreciated. Am planning to go for a drive around on Saturday so will check out all places in and surrounding Hemel.

No kids yet, so schools not a priority yet but will bear in mind for future reference thanks. Moving from quite a pricey part of Essex (renting at mo) so hopefully won't have too much shock with the house prices, even in the nicer bits. Can't be much worst than I am now!

General_Mayhem

Have a look at Redbourn too if that is in budget. You have a chance at Harpenden and St. Albans secondary schools (some of top state schools in the country), and its not Hemel

Would also advise to avoid Adeyfield area, along with the above areas listed.

You'll find you pay significantly less for villages/areas not within easy reach of a train station into London. If this is not an issue for you (as you will be working in Hemel), you can get much more for your money.

albanchick

Thanks, this is all really helpful. Been looking on the net at some houses and that Adeyfield area came up quite a lot, so will give that a wide berth now aswell!

A station isn't essential thankfully so hopefully will be able to find something of a decent size, in a decent area.

vivatifosi

There's nothing wrong with Adeyfield! Like any other part of Hemel its about the right parts.

Hemel was built as a new town and there are good parts in all of the estates.

Highfield has the most deprivation (bottom 25%), followed by Grove Hill and Bennetts End (bottom 33% I think). The other areas of Hemel are much more balanced with Boxmoor, Leverstock Green and The Old Town probably among the wealthier areas.

Having said that, there are some nice houses in the Planets Estate (Highfield), round Chambersbury Lane (Bennetts End), the self-build area of Grove Hill (off St Agnells Lane) and North End, which I don't like, backs on to Leverstock Green.

The nature of Hemel is that all of the town has ex local authority housing. Adeyfield was the first planned neighbourhood (1948 onwards) and was probably the best planned and it has a good selection of shops. There are also a number of private housing areas along/off of Adeyfield Road and High Street Green. Prior to becoming a new town, Hemel was a small market town in its own right (centred around the old town) surrounded by pleasant villages such as Leverstock Green and Boxmoor which have long since been taken over as part of the town itself. Most of the house-building took place from the immediate postwar period to the 1970s, though some houses have been built since. Compared to other local towns that are relatively close - such as Milton Keynes and Aylesbury - there has been relatively little new build activity for the size of the town since the 1980s.

If you are looking for an older property, your best bets are Leverstock Green, Boxmoor and The Old Town, though parking can be a problem in the latter two as people park there to go to either the station or into town. There are old properties in Apsley too, but contrary to what others have written I would avoid Apsley. There are major traffic problems getting through that part of town and they are always plans afoot to cram yet more homes into it. If you are driving around Hemel on Saturday, you will experience this first hand!

Here's a quick guide to some of the other estates:

Gadebridge/Chaulden/Warners End. Built c1950s/1960s, there are some nice houses and open spaces in all three. Warners End has the best local shops. In terms of non-ex-LA housing there was a large housing development (Fields End) built on the edge of Gadebridge in the late 1980s and more recent developments in Sovereign Heights (edge of Gadebridge, across the park from the Old Town), as well as another development off the back of Fennycroft Road (don't know its name). Some of the better schools are in this part of town.

Leverstock Green (parts)/Hales Park/Hunters Oak/Woodhall Farm/Adeyfield (parts). These are the parts of town closest to Buncefield. If you are going to buy here, make sure that you check all of the windows open and close properly, especially if they are plastic, ditto garage doors. Hales Park is a private development, but there are few amenities as it is close to the industrial estate and not much else. Hunters Oak is quite a pleasant 80s built private estate, but opposite Woodhall Farm on one side and backing onto the travellers site the other.

Jarmans Park: largish development of new houses built in the early-mid 1990s. Some houses suffer from being close to the night club development nearby and experience vandalism.

Outside of Hemel, the more reasonably priced areas are in the direction of Aylesbury, Tring, Eaton Bray and outskirts of Leighton Buzzard, though expensive Berkhamsted bucks this trend.

jebervic

Personally I think HH is just awful, much better looking at some of the surrounding towns/villages. If you really must be near to HH, then Apsley and Boxmoor are the only areas worth considering.

Kings Langley, Berhamsted, St Albans and dare I say Watford (Rickmansworth.croxley Green) are much nicer and worth looking at.

You may also want to look at Bovindon, Chipperfield and Sarrat, lovely little villages very close to HH.

As for the rest of HH, my opinion would be to steer clear.