Living with a child on Queenstown Road? Post Reply

[Pithakos]

Does anyone have any opinions on what it's like to live on Queenstown Road? My husband and I thought we couldn't afford Battersea but have found a two bed flat with decent space within spitting distance of our budget - but it's right on Queenstown. Only one room faces the street and the double glazing REALLY works - but is it a nice neighbourhood to live with our 7 month old? Has a nice patio out the back and not far from Battersea Park... we love the flat so are basically looking for reassurance that it could work. Here's hoping! Thoughts?

[windmill26]

Hi,I use to know a family that lived in Queenstown road (we lost touch so I am not sure if they are still there or they have moved).They were a family of 3 and they lived in a 2 bedroom apartment.The apartment was very spacious with a live-in kitchen with a big balcony and a separate living room.The living room was the only room facing Queenstown road ,the rest of the rooms were facing the back so noise was not an issue.I think they enjoyed the proximity to Battersea Park and Clapham Junction .If you like the apartment...go for it!

[this_is_cat]

It is a busy road, but will hugely benefit from the Power Station development, and the new tube. This will also have a positive impact on house prices in the coming years.

It has changed for the better in recent years, and is almost certainly going to carry on in that direction when the Power Station opens fully

[FlorenceRose]

Hi,

We live just off Queenstown road with our 6 month old daughter and absolutely love the area having just moved here last year.

There is so much to do and we are constantly walking to Battersea Park and Clapham Common. The road is also well positioned for Northcote Road and Clapham Old town with so many baby groups/classes.

The Sainsburys on Queenstown road is also extremely handy.

Also the bus connections are fantastic and if I need anything from the Kings Road, there are two direct buses which are fantastic and fairly quiet in the day, so very easy with a pram etc.

The restaurants are great too - Le Pot is my favourite!

I really can't fault the area and if you have any more questions then please feel free to ask.

[BVK]

Hi, we love the area (our little stretch is full of families so our neighbours are lovely). Lots of great local shops etc and handy buses / trains everywhere else.

[Fisherprice]

We live on Wandsworth Road so comparable in regards to the traffic. Our bedroom is on the front of the house and I'd be lying if I said it isn't very nice living with the background noise of the busses, lorries, motorbikes, pedestrians etc. It is only an issue at night and you do get used to it though so we rarely even notice it any more. One thing it does mean is we keep our blinds closed all of the time in our bedroom for privacy which makes that room darker than it needs to be.

Our daughters bedroom is in the middle of the house overlooking the back garden and her room is surprisingly quiet even when the windows are open.

The rest of the house beyond the front is quiet and people who spend time in the living areas (they back onto the garden) do comment on how they are surprised they cant hear traffic. Even in the back garden we hear a hum only so it doesn't feel like we are living on a main road.

The biggest plus is always being super close to transport. The bus stop is 100metres away and takes us everywhere we would want to go.

My biggest concern living on the main road is pollution. When you hear about Lambeth breaching the EU pollution levels you have to imagine that those of us on main roads are getting the worst of it. We love our house and its location but my next home will be on a quieter back street where I *hope* we have more trees and less pollutants.

Feel free to PM if you want to pop by and see how it is on the main road. It can sometimes be hard to get proper access to a flat when inspecting as agents like to send you in at quiet times etc but you are welcome to use ours as a guide of how it really is.

The one thing id suggest is to consider the floor plan. Living on a main road you tend to live at the back of the house so you would want a floor plan that permits that without losing access to half of your rooms.

[Pithakos]

This is all really helpful, thanks so much for your responses!

It's great to hear all the positivity about the area... and while I definitely take the points about the busy road, it's the only location that would allow us to get into the area so we may have to be pragmatic about it.

[atbattersea]

Obviously the plus points are the already excellent transport links (two train lines and lots of busses - personally I'm not sure that the Northern line extension will make a lot of difference, considering that Vauxhall, Sloane Square and Clapham Common tube stations are so close), the river, Battersea Park and Clapham Common.

At the moment the Power Station and other developments are a downside, just because of all the grit and mud on the roads that make them super slippery (if you ride a bike or motorcycle you will understand this), and the number of construction lorries around the area (there is a cement works on Silverthorn Road, so there will always be quite a lot of that around).

The real downside to Queenstown Road is the traffic - which in the mornings can be tailed back from Battersea Park Road well past Broughton Street. And it doesn't stop, the road is busy all the time, and seems particularly attractive to late night noisy bikers and the emergency services.

At the same time, I expect that this is why it is even in your price bracket - if it were in one of the quieter back streets it would probably be 20%+ more money.

[Alchemy]

not far from Battersea Park

I think that's the critical bit -- the Battersea Park end is very good, the Lavender Hill end not so much.

I used to live at the Battersea Park end, and liked it very much. Noise is not too bad, transport links are outstanding, and the park is the best garden you could ever wish for.

With the new development next door providing new bars, restaurants, shops etc the area is rapidly improving further. And if you are thinking ahead for your little one, John Burns Primary is nearby and really very good.

[elna]

We lived in a flat right on Queenstown Road opposite the station (with two little ones) when we were refurbing our house. I was a little worried about it for the reasons you say but given it was only for a short period not overly - actually it was great. Trains are very quiet. Like you we had double glazing so noise didn't bother us, also it was toasty warm (which was a plus in winter not sure what that would be like in summer).
There is a lovely playground nearby and the park is so close. When we moved out I really missed being so close to buses and train station. My journey to work was 10-15 minutes longer and I missed it. That said you need to know the train schedule as if you get the wrong time you can wait at Queenstown Road station for quite a while in the morning.
Agree re impact of power station etc on the area.

[txmum]

We lived just off Queenstown road behind the church for 3 years. It was a lovely neighbourhood, and as others have said, excellent transport and proximity to parks. We were equidistant to Clapham Common and Battersea Park, and had a little fenced playground directly opposite our house. Transport links to Clapham Common, Clapham Junction and Sloane Square were all very good, as well as Clapham Old Town. We loved living there, and only moved for schools when we got caught out between rejecting an offer from one school and being rejected by another.
The only drawback was that it is a very mixed neighbourhood in terms of socioeconomic background, which resulted in some antisocial behaviour. I was regularly chasing teenagers out of the playground who were there doing drugs, and I don't mean just smoking pot. I called the police every time, as the youths were getting bolder and bolder about shouting back at me when I pointed out they were doing what they were doing in a children's park in broad daylight, and asked them to find somewhere else to do it.
For the most part though, it was a safe and friendly community, and it's location is tough to beat.