Streatham Common... advice! Post Reply

[btcmum]

We currently live 'Between The Commons' on a great road but in a rather
small house with no real outside space... we have recently sold and are
about to proceed on a lovely property close to Streatham Common (great garden and an extra 1000 sqft of house!) but I am beginning to wobble a bit. We do not know anyone in Streatham and our children are at nursery and school here in SW11, which we plan to keep the same. I am a bit worried I'll miss being able to reach everything on foot and find it hard to make 'local' friends. I would love to hear the thoughts of those of you who have made the move out that way.....

[Tillyjimjams]

Hi there
We moved from BTC to Telford Park which is more Streatham Hill and we love it. We have met quite a few people who live in Streatham Common area through my daughter's nursery and they have fabulous big houses with huge gardens and love it! You will quickly meet people through nursery/school I would imagine.

Granted Streatham High Road is never going to be Northcote Road and I miss it but we love our house, the people we have met and we can easily get to Balham from where we are and Tooting Common is fabulous.

We seriously have never looked back and when the weather is like this and the kids are in the garden all day long I know we have made the right move!

Good luck

[balhammac]

Hi! We moved to Streatham Park (between Tooting common and Streatham station) from Balham two years ago before my son started school. I was nervous before the move but I feel it was the best thing we could have done. There is a brilliant local community of very involved people working hard to make Streatham a lovely place to live. The streatham festival has just finished, the kite festival was earlier in the year, there are some GREAT new pubs and restaurants. I now feel like a proper Streathamite. Transport is great - streatham station takes you to Blackfriars in 15 mins and buses to Tooting / Balham / Brixton are plentiful. Schools are goos too. Take a look at the Facebook group Streatham Mums Network - there are many lovely like-minded mums all over Streatham. Xx

[btcmum]

Thank you so much for your lovely positive responses. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and am now getting rather excited at the prospect of moving. Hurrah!!

xxx

[balhamwilbur]

Just to add to the positive Streatham comments - we moved a year ago to a house right next to Streatham Common (border with Upper Norwood) and it's definitely been the right thing for us. I love our new house and the garden space for the kids, and I love the amazing peaceful Common and then how you get into Streatham proper with all its noise and bustle. Check out the Rookery and the woodland at the top of the Common, you'll hardly believe you're in London. My commute to Farringdon is far nicer than it used to be from Balham, and my eldest recently started secondary school in Dulwich and gets a bus there from the end of our road. It took a while for me to stop going back to Balham for stuff, but now I am getting to know where everything I need is here, and it's been amazing fun exploring places like Crystal Palace which is far closer by than you might think. I think SW Londoners get scared of going east but there are some wonderful places, great shops and cafes, and thankfully much cheaper than N'cote Rd! Hope the move goes well.

[btcmum]

Thank you so much balhamwilbur... that is so encouraging to hear!

x

[falconmum]

Hi.....saw your post and responses. Very encouraging. We are considering our next move as well.
So, my question is about primary and secondary schools in the area. Which schools and catchment areas are worth considering?

[btcmum]

Yes, I would be keen to know the good local schools too! Have heard wonderful things about the Cavendish Lodge nurseries on Lewin Road and there is a Broomwood Hall site and a Kindergartens (The Park SW2) in Streatham Hill but other than that I am pretty ignorant......

x

[DebsB]

I currently live just off Northcote Road and we are also thinking about making the move to Streatham Hill next year. My in-laws live there and since we have 'hinted' about moving there, the families on either side of then have been so lovely, asking if we wanted to go for dinner / get to know each other/ etc. in the next couple of years we will be priced out of there too so we're excited about making the nice, having more space...a garden! Best of luck, am sure you'll find it's the best decision you've made x

[Godlovesatrier]

We moved from Balham to Streatham Common last year. We enjoy a lot more space and a garden, an easy overground commute to work and a brilliantly diverse neighbourhood. Streatham Mum's Network is a GREAT resource and a very welcoming, well informed group. You'll not regret the move....

[maxey]

Sorry - I don't like Streatham. Horrible High Road with no decent shops, dangerous Common patrolled by Pitbulls, Lambeth rates, weird populace, poor public transport, unstable property values (in a downturn it really turns down), dreary streetscape, crack houses, poorly maintained housing stock etc, etc.
In fact I can't think of anything good about it. I'd stay in a smaller house in SW11.

[natalieg2b]

Hi there,
we have lived in streatham for quite some time now and i would say it's improving all the time. Lovely (child friendly) cafe's, pubs and restaurants popping up all the time at the moment. There are plenty of families and family activities in the area.
I don't agree with the previous poster who said transport links are bad- with 3 train stations close by you can get into town very easily and buses are very regular and will take you back into wandsworth with ease!
The high street isn't great, it's busy and a world away from Northcote but there is pretty much all you need for a basic shop, there's also a nice farmers market every sunday.
Yes there are pitbulls-but i know for a fact there are pretty unruly dogs running loose on wandsworth common too!
For the extra space a growing family needs streatham is perfect. I hope you have a good move!
p.s-i've never seen a crack house-obviously not looking in the right places

[Jodie1984]

Please ignore Maxey she can stay in SW11 in her small house!

Streatham is on the up and fastly becoming the new nappyvalley. Yes we don't have 'Northcote Road' as our high street, but we have the farmers market and good quality shops popping up! A new soft play centre is opening as well as talks of a theatre.

The schools are great really good Ofsted and there are some brilliant Nursaries such as Cavendish Lodge.

I haven't come across any crack houses? Wonder where they are?

More house for your money!!

[kgarner]

Also, the much-derided High Road is bursting with lovely cafes and restaurants. It's way easier to find a nice place to have coffee, a snack, a quick lunch or a nice dinner either as adults or with pram in tow, than it is on Northcote Road, which barely has any prammable lunching spots any more. The community is amazing and one is spoilt for choice for things to do with children from babies upwards. Check out http://www.streathambaby.co.uk/

The housing stock is amazing (full of Georgian and Edwardian villas), particularly the 'heritage' area of the ABC roads.

Anyone who remains unconvinced, feel free to stay away from Streatham and leave it to the people who love it!

[falconmum]

Hi Streathmers....wat are the hotspot worth looking into for housing? We are still trying to make thestreets where its worth looking and easily commutable as both of us don't drive...