London .. help on where to live

[sisu]

Go for a Mews, noise is the thing that grinds you down in London, be that people, buses taxis, planes or trains that is the luxury in London. Most Mews are backed onto 3 to 5 story apartments that pay to face the posh street, but the humble Mews was the stables and off the beaten path.

[Mike]

Yep Stockwell on the edge of the Brixton Clapham area I was talking about and an easy tube/bus into Soho. Drinking in the Landor and gigs at Brixton Academy, but more more importantly close to her friend.

[satan]

Hi James,

Having lived all of my life sarf of the river I'm inevitably biased but Stockwell/Oval/Kennington have a lot going on and excellent transport links.

This is my last month in Greenwich where I've lived for the past 15 years and has changed enormously in even that short space of time, with masses of new developments (particularly in North Greenwich where the O2 is), a healthy and generally friendly nightlife and only 15 minutes into Charing Cross on the train (which is a much nicer travelling experience than the tube).

Although its unfortunately lost a chunk of its bohemian and independent nature there is still a thriving pub/music scene and despite being so close to central London still has quite a village feel. Then of course there's the river, Greenwich park, the no-longer-quite-so-stabby up and coming Deptford for independet bars, breweries, clubs - or Blackheath if you like Boden and Range Rover Sports...

[8bit-ash]

It all depends what sort of persons she is and what shes in to. I always advise people to live east and would never dream of living in Fulham/Clapton etc but i'm sure there are people who would have the exact opposite view. I live on a boat so change neighbourhoods every couple of weeks and therefore get to see/live in a decent amount of London.

For me -

Stoke Newington, Newington Green, Clapton, Victoria Park, London Fields, Haggerston are all great places to live, none have easy tube links but cycling is getting increasingly safer and all have decent bus routes. Mile end area is easy for the central line straight in but isn't as nice imo. Angel if you can afford it is great for location, Holloway road is also a vastly improved area now.

[Disco]

stockwell is a DUMP! - sorry to say it, but it is and always has been. Think about looking around Richmond, Putney, Mortlake - if she's used to a bit of green space she'll get it there, unlike Stockwell, - the only green space you'll get there is looking at the pavement outside a kebab shop.

for 12-1,400 per month she should be able to get something half decent too.

My daughter lives in Islington. also a complete dump, but its trendy so for some reason people seem happy to look past the stabbings, drug deals and tramps. She's just around the corner from Shorditch House, which is why she moved there. - for some reason she likes it better than when she was living in Richmond, must be an age thing.

[Dougieboy1]

Off the wall suggestion - My daughter (26) lives in Hove/Brighton and works in Farringdon. In the brave new world where you are expected to only be in the office 2-3 days a week, it makes a huge difference to the 'burden' of commuting. Brighton is
- cheaper (she pays £500 per month for a flat that is 50yds from the beach) shared with 2 friends
- super trendy apparently - what do i know given i am old
- full of younger 'alternative' people if that is what you are looking for

[hot66]

Thanks for all the advice … certainly eye opener and helping lots

Slight positive development , her friend who’s already in London is looking for a new place to rent so we are now looking for a 3 bed place so they can all live together which I’m much happier about . Commuting to soho and Shepherds Bush ?

[Lightweight_911]

.

As I said earlier - you'll get as many different suggestions/opinions as replies.

I totally disagree that Stockwell is a 'dump' though - Stockwell/Oval/Brixton is a vibrant area with lots going on - not far from the Southbank & Borough Market too ...

.

[Disco]

I'm afraid I'm going to continue to disparage. - Stockwell/ Brixton have been up and coming areas for the last 30 years. Maybe they've improved, maybe people have just come to accept less. you live in Stockwell if you can't afford Battersea or Clapham and you live in Peckam if you can't afford Stockwell - you might disagree with my broad brush statements and I agree there's good and bad things in most areas, but however you want to cut it, Stockwell is no Fulham or Chelsea.

If you believe the Times or Telegraph, they'll tell you that somewhere like Margate is an "up and coming area with fantastic artistic roots" - if you've spent time there, you may have a different perspective and see it as a tired seaside town with very little to offer than an art gallery and donkey rides.

Yes, there are plenty of opinions of the different parts of London, with people from the Sarf rarely venturing to the Norf much less moving there - and visa versa. I suspect, though, like most young people, it will come down to budget. unlikely that she's going to get a private garage and diplomat accommodation in Mayfair with the numbers mentioned, but hopefully somewhere in between that and Peckham.

In all honestly, best bet is she gets a 12 month lease, with a 6 month break clause, if she doesn't like where she is she and her mates can always move when she's explored the area. - as mentioned previously - in the end, my daughter chose islington ( the worst part ) to save money on rent, so she could put it towards more holidays a year, maybe she's got it right, after all if you're out at work and play all day, its just a bed most of the time.

anyway - you know what they say about opinions - just like a**holes and we've all got one. - happy Friday.

[neilbardsley]

Firstly rent a flat just for her is going to be very expensive. The going rate for a room in Brixton is 1000 a month. I know Brixton is super cool with the kids but it's a dump. Nicer areas are going to be more. Hoxton is where the really cool kids hang out. Camden is central and cool too. Really forget Fulham/Chelsea etc unless you want to sell a car. Kennington/E&G are somewhat central and might be better value but honestly a bit scary to live in. Bermondsey might be a good shout but prices are probably silly too

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[anglophone1]

Off the wall suggestion - My daughter (26) lives in Hove/Brighton and works in Farringdon. In the brave new world where you are expected to only be in the office 2-3 days a week, it makes a huge difference to the 'burden' of commuting. Brighton is
- cheaper (she pays £500 per month for a flat that is 50yds from the beach) shared with 2 friends
- super trendy apparently - what do i know given i am old
- full of younger 'alternative' people if that is what you are looking for

My daughter did the same - now my grandchildren live there!
c

[stevenery]

Some practical points:

Use Waze for getting around when you visit as it picks up street driving restrictions. It's too easy to pass through a street which is pedestrian only during certain hours and then have a £65 ticket to pay.

Parkopedia is great for showing a lot of paid parking spots in the area. If none are listed try searching on the main payment apps RingGo and PayByPhone.

Worthwhile asking for property videos before venturing for a look. These often show aspects not photographed such as storage, window views, and size of rooms (agents often use wide angle lenses for photos which can be misleading).

Use Citymapper to show various route options from perspective properties to the place of work. Personally the underground can make me really uncomfortable, but having the options of cycling part way, using buses, or the overground makes journeys much better.

Lastly, spending a couple hours cycling around perspective areas can be very helpful. I liked the proximity of Clapham to Battersea Park, getting into central, and Clapham Common. It wasn't until a Sunday spent cycling around parts of Hackney such as Victoria Park, Broadway Market, and London Fields that I felt it was the better area for me.

[sisu]

London feilds? Greenwich? Guys I don't get the logic here. One of the worst decisions to make about living in London, as with any city is why are you living there? I made the mistake of living far out of London, London fields, Tooting Bec, Notting Hill, etc. Yes it was cheaper but I was spending my life each day on a Tube, Bus or a Black Cab.
Thinking I was saving x per month in Rent, but actually it all went on getting about and no parking as all the row houses don't have a garage. You have to go WAY out to suburbia to get off street parking and then because of traffic if you want to go into London its a grind.
As WHEN the public transport takes a dump you will need to get in and out and the time you want to experience London you are grinding your way through it with everyone else doing the same thing.

I ended up in Wapping next to St Kathrines dock. I stayed there even when I was working out of London when my co workers were moving further out into the outer green belt, which is more expensive, Harpenden, Tunbridge Wells etc you aren't getting cheaper in day to day stuff.
I had an underground carpark. I could drive in the opposite direction to the traffic during the week or weekend. On a Saturday/Sunday morning I would blat thru the city to get a coffee, or head out to get shopping to give the car and myself an Italian tune up. Having a car park space for my friends to park when they wanted to bring in a toy to London was a nice option too.
If I worked in Soho I would want to be able to enjoy that space and there are plenty of places that fit the criteria.

[neilbardsley]

Do you really think an intern is getting somewhere in Wapping with underground parking? The reason people more out is because it's expensive in central London

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[anglophone1]

Have to read whole thread to get that Neil- most haven.t time - sadly.