Any mixed Pakistani community in the UK outside London?

[Arctic]

I'm new to this forum although I've known of it for many years, and decided this is the place to come and pose the thread question.

I live in London, and have done so for many years although I did attend University outside London. I've found the UK outside London to be a bit intolerant, and somewhat chavy. There are not many Pakistani's outside London either, and the atmosphere is quite dull. I'm not saying London is a utopia but in the UK it's probably the best place to be.

I've thought about renting my London property out, and moving abroad but my family don't want to move out of the country at present. So I'm thinking about moving elsewhere in the UK, and renting my property out for a couple of years to cash in before any possible Brexit crash. The move will not be forever I intend to return to London or move abroad but at this stage moving elsewhere in the UK seems like a good idea.

I no longer have to be in the London office on a daily or even weekly basis, so there is essentially no need to be based within commuter distance. A couple of my friends have rented their houses out, and moved to Birmingham. However my experience of this midlands city is not great, it seems to have a lot of Asians but not many Pakistanis. It also seems to have a very large percentage of chavy people living in the city.

I've got a couple of relatives in Manchester who say that since the arena attack it's become quite racist. Perhaps somewhere else, preferably where it's multicultural, and there is some sort of Pakistani community. By Pakistani community I mean a mixed community including Urdu, Panjabi, Mirpuri etc. Also somewhere which isn't overrun by chavs. I'm not sure if such a place exists but thought I'd ask anyway.

My views are based on my own experiences, and preferences, they are not intended to offend any fellow forumer.

Regards

Arctic

 

[gazza619]

Welcome to Pakpassion. I moved to Birmingham from London about an year ago.

Birmingham is the second largest city and is booming as lots of businesses have moved offices here (HSBC etc). There are many nice places in Birmingham (away from the city centre).

Lots of people are also moving to Birmingham from London due to property prices and the community mix is going to change very rapidly in a few years.

 

[Yossarian]

... There are not many Pakistani's outside London either, .....

Ah, Ignorance must be bliss.

 

[ElRaja]

lololol, what a thread, theres so many random comments in there i dont even know where to start bro....

but yeh have been outside London and its pretty dead if you used to hussle and bustle of the city.

also u went brum, did u even go to sparkhill, i havnt seen a more pakistani area, and ive lived in pakistan, lolol.

 

[gazza619]

lololol, what a thread, theres so many random comments in there i dont even know where to start bro....

but yeh have been outside London and its pretty dead if you used to hussle and bustle of the city.

also u went brum, did u even go to sparkhill, i havnt seen a more pakistani area, and ive lived in pakistan, lolol.

Funny you mention Sparkhill. I live in a white area but it is 15 min drive from Sparkhill and thats where we do our halal food shopping from. But I was very disappointed when i visited Sparhill on 14 August (Pak independence day). It was dead and had no buzz (I was comparing to Ilford lane).

 

[ElRaja]

Funny you mention Sparkhill. I live in a white area but it is 15 min drive from Sparkhill and thats where we do our halal food shopping from. But I was very disappointed when i visited Sparhill on 14 August (Pak independence day). It was dead and had no buzz (I was comparing to Ilford lane).

i didnt go on any special day, but stopped over for a bit and agree with you, its a very dead area. desi food in brum is a plus, altho brum accent is pretty depressing, sorry brumwalas. Have been to aston as well, think more bengalis there, much of the same tho vibe wise imo.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Glasgow, Pollokshields. You’ll fit right in.

 

[Devilsadvokat]

Ignorance on display here is astonishing. Firstly we avoid mob justice. Secondly we avoid mob justice.

My absolutely favourite part of England (only been North Wales once, biology field trip and Scotland once, Edinburgh for the film festival) is, no before I get there, nothing beats the scenery in train between Leeds and Manchester, through the Pennines, the scenery from the little roads around the M62 at it's highest point, the rolling countryside of the Fans, truly majestic in the warmer season's.

I guess I have only seen the Pakistani triangle or square, I have just thought of that idea and don't wanna 100 per cent check on map, but the points would include, London, Birmingham, Manchester/Bradford and may be one more, so it'd be a rectangle or diamond at best.

My favourite part of England is Ironbridge outside of Telford. I will explain why at a later time.

 

[Arctic]

Ok just to clarify a few points.

I will rephrase, perhaps I'm looking for an area where it's not majority Mirpuri but rather a mixture of Pakistanis, and other communities. So a bit like London where you have a mix of Pakistanis from different areas as well as many other nationalities.

I guess it's difficult to find that kind of multiculturalism outside London, my experience of Birmingham is that it's ghettoised. I prefer Cambridge, and Oxford but it doesn't make financial sense to move to these cities because the rental cost is nearly the same as London.

So I was thinking Nottingham or Leicester maybe? Birmingham is an area I'm already considering but after seeing fights in the Bullring between Asians, and Blacks. Chavs walking around causing trouble, and high levels of deprivation in most areas near the city centre I'm not sure it's the right place to move with the family.

I agree Scotland is beautiful, I’ve got the odd relative in Glasgow but I’m afraid it’s too cold, and too far away from London.

 

[Pakistanian]

I'm not even from England but even I know most Pakistanis live in northern England

 

[Devilsadvokat]

Ignorance on display here is astonishing. Firstly we avoid mob justice. Secondly we avoid mob justice.

My absolutely favourite part of England (only been North Wales once, biology field trip and Scotland once, Edinburgh for the film festival) is, no before I get there, nothing beats the scenery in train between Leeds and Manchester, through the Pennines, the scenery from the little roads around the M62 at it's highest point, the rolling countryside of the Fans, truly majestic in the warmer season's.

I guess I have only seen the Pakistani triangle or square, I have just thought of that idea and don't wanna 100 per cent check on map, but the points would include, London, Birmingham, Manchester/Bradford and may be one more, so it'd be a rectangle or diamond at best.

My favourite part of England is Ironbridge outside of Telford. I will explain why at a later time.

My apologies, I completely misread the question in the heading. I was answering a totally different question.

 

[Salma_T]

Majority of "pakistanis" In the UK are Mirpur. So if you don't want to be around them best stick to London as that is more mixed. My hometown is in the home counties with majority Mirpuri community but has pockets of punjabis and a few urdu speaker, east Africans

 

[IMMY69]

move to Cornwall or Devon...
Enjoy the quiet life and make friends with the people.
Emmerse yourself and show people that you are not intolerant

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Ok just to clarify a few points.

I will rephrase, perhaps I'm looking for an area where it's not majority Mirpuri but rather a mixture of Pakistanis, and other communities. So a bit like London where you have a mix of Pakistanis from different areas as well as many other nationalities.

I guess it's difficult to find that kind of multiculturalism outside London, my experience of Birmingham is that it's ghettoised. I prefer Cambridge, and Oxford but it doesn't make financial sense to move to these cities because the rental cost is nearly the same as London.

So I was thinking Nottingham or Leicester maybe? Birmingham is an area I'm already considering but after seeing fights in the Bullring between Asians, and Blacks. Chavs walking around causing trouble, and high levels of deprivation in most areas near the city centre I'm not sure it's the right place to move with the family.

I agree Scotland is beautiful, I’ve got the odd relative in Glasgow but I’m afraid it’s too cold, and too far away from London.

Every city has rundown areas and some very desirable ones as well. Midlands has some of the most sought after locations such as Rugby and Edgebaston, pretty sure there will be well to do Pakistanis living there as well, but they will be fewer, and it will cost you to buy in those areas, just like it will further south. There's no getting around that, doesn't matter what your culture or race.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

move to Cornwall or Devon...
Enjoy the quiet life and make friends with the people.
Emmerse yourself and show people that you are not intolerant

Would you ever move there Immy? I mean it's beautiful, but it's about as multicultural as Madras. I can't imagine our friend is looking for a place where he'd have to go for a pint at the village pub to socialise.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

On the face of it, the OP can be seen to be quite pretentious.... but I understand where he's coming from.

Move to one of the Northern powerhouse cities either Manchester or Leeds.

 

[hafeezrocks]

How about moving to a quiet town like Barnsley or Sheffield?

 

[IMMY69]

Would you ever move there Immy? I mean it's beautiful, but it's about as multicultural as Madras. I can't imagine our friend is looking for a place where he'd have to go for a pint at the village pub to socialise.

I would consider retiring there.

 

[IMMY69]

Or, if finances allow, then to have a summer home there.

Naturally I enjoy going to places like China Town or some times to places where there are a high concentration of Desai restuaurants to enjoy the food. But by in large I think people should learn to live together rather then segragate themselves from other communities.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I have the best of both worlds at the moment, I live in a nice leafy suburb but am just a five minute drive away from the city centre. I have considered moving further out to the country proper, but not sure if it wouldn't be too dead for me. On the plus side there would be more green space which would be great, but at the moment I think I prefer the amenities and convenience a bit more.

 

[Devilsadvokat]

I have the best of both worlds at the moment, I live in a nice leafy suburb but am just a five minute drive away from the city centre. I have considered moving further out to the country proper, but not sure if it wouldn't be too dead for me. On the plus side there would be more green space which would be great, but at the moment I think I prefer the amenities and convenience a bit more.

If you move further into the country you'd only make the house prices dip of your neighbour's houses, do them a favour, stay put.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

If you move further into the country you'd only make the house prices dip of your neighbour's houses, do them a favour, stay put.

Sorry to disappoint you, but the neighbour who moved in next to me just recently is a professional sportsman who represented Scotland. Not a household name I'll grant you, but whereas white flight might be a trend where you live, seems to be the other way round here.

 

[the Great Khan]

Ok just to clarify a few points.

I will rephrase, perhaps I'm looking for an area where it's not majority Mirpuri but rather a mixture of Pakistanis, and other communities. So a bit like London where you have a mix of Pakistanis from different areas as well as many other nationalities.

Truth is London has the best mix of Pakistanis. Outside of this your going to find large pockets of Mirpuris and then smatterings of Pakistanis from other areas. Scotland would be a good bet as its a beautiful part of the uk. I would love to one day retire there away from it all. Somewhere like Inverness.

I guess it's difficult to find that kind of multiculturalism outside London, my experience of Birmingham is that it's ghettoised. I prefer Cambridge, and Oxford but it doesn't make financial sense to move to these cities because the rental cost is nearly the same as London.

Brum is up and coming. There are some nice area's like Solihull, Edgbaston but there are also ghettos there too. And its got a large population of Pakistanis. The largest being from our Kashmiri brothers, there are also pashtuns and pakistanis from eastern punjab. Generally our kashmiri brothers dominate.

So I was thinking Nottingham or Leicester maybe? Birmingham is an area I'm already considering but after seeing fights in the Bullring between Asians, and Blacks. Chavs walking around causing trouble, and high levels of deprivation in most areas near the city centre I'm not sure it's the right place to move with the family.

I live here in Leicester and its dominated by Indians. Muslims, Hindu's , Sikhs. However there is a vibrant Arab and north african community, a new and old pakistani community (a small one compared to the indian community), a large somali community, plenty of eastern europeans and yes there are plenty of white/brown chavs too. Compared to London it is less busy, you are pretty much minutes drive from the countryside and plenty of different food around. Although not much Pakistani food. Its very multicultural, carribbean carnival, largest diwali celebrations outside India, statue of gandhi lol..As a friend from London once said to me "yaar tum is gaon(pind) main kyon ray rahay ho".. We in leicester have a nickname for Nottingham. Shottingham..I would never live in that racist, crime infested hole..or derby another little england narrow minded racist cesspit. Everyone I meet from those parts is either a closet racist or a full on narrow minded racist. You could try smaller towns like Warwick or leamington spa.


I agree Scotland is beautiful, I’ve got the odd relative in Glasgow but I’m afraid it’s too cold, and too far away from London.

regards

 

[mani1]

Huddersfield is full of Punjabis as is Manchester.

Leeds is mixed

 

[Devilsadvokat]

Bestest place in the country is Ironbridge, ten miles from Telford. The world's first Iron Bridge was built there, still there as is, awesome scenery around residential dwellings. It is seriously desirable, worth being rich for.

 

[Arctic]

How about moving to a quiet town like Barnsley or Sheffield?

Sheffield is a dull isolated sort of city in my opinion, and Barnsley is not the most multicultural or accepting of places. If I was to move that far up the country I would rather go a bit further north to Leeds or a bit further west to Manchester.

 

[Arctic]

Huddersfield is full of Punjabis as is Manchester.

Leeds is mixed

I know that, I have some relatives in Manchester but apparently since the arena bombings there have been a lot of racist incidents up there. This is not something which bothers me personally being a young man who can handle himself but I will be moving with the family. This is also the reason I’m looking for a place which has a Pakistani community. I think Huddersfield is bit too small for me coming from London, and it seems somewhat chavy too.

Leeds is an area I'm considering, are there any nice mixed areas there? The Asian areas in Leeds seem pretty bad. I've heard Roundhay, and Chapel Allerton are nice but haven't been.

 

[Arctic]

regards

I've been advised to move to Hall Green or Solihull which makes financial sense because the rents are cheaper than in London. Allowing me to make a profit for a few years, plus I can still get back into London when required. I don't know either area very well, may have seen them in passing but I know they're close to Stratford road which I've visited twice. How mixed is Stratford road in terms of Pakistani community?

So I guess I should avoid Nottingham then but it seemed to tick some of the boxes, as in cheap, some good schools, a good hospital, tram system, train into Central London, and a mixed Pakistani community. Apparently there's a good mix of Mirpuris, Panjabis, and Urdu speakers there.

 

[Arctic]

You should be more hospitable towards refugees from 'top athiest forums'.

As for the OP

You want to save money but you also want to live in a good area? Even in the midlands the best areas property prices are high. My advice would be live in a nice area where you can drive to an Asian area in 10-20 mins. You wont feel much racism in areas where people make a good living, well at least not directly at you or your family.

I live in a nice enough area in London, and this is why I'm not planning on selling the house instead I'm looking for somewhere cheaper. The plan is to rent the London house out, and earn some extra income by renting in a cheaper city. Some of our friends from London have already done this, and moved to Birmingham so considering following suit but I'm not convinced Birmingham is the place to take the family hence the reason I'm considering other cities.

 

[Devilsadvokat]

Leeds is an area I'm considering, are there any nice mixed areas there? The Asian areas in Leeds seem pretty bad. I've heard Roundhay, and Chapel Allerton are nice but haven't been.

Leeds is known as the "London of the North' and is better because in general it's cleaner, less busier, it is coming out if the shadow of Manchester who after smashing it is resting on his laurels. Channel 4 have moved there. It's happening and if Leeds get into Premier League...

 

[Bewal Express]

Most places have either too many desis or none at all. Both are a real problem because with one we have a sub culture based mostly around taxis, fast food businesses and drugs and the other is a problem because you have few halal food places and you have to travel miles to get things like meat or things like cooked meals.

 

[Minnowbasher]

Here in Manchester there are more Pakistanis than any other non white community.

 

[gazza619]

I've been advised to move to Hall Green or Solihull which makes financial sense because the rents are cheaper than in London. Allowing me to make a profit for a few years, plus I can still get back into London when required. I don't know either area very well, may have seen them in passing but I know they're close to Stratford road which I've visited twice. How mixed is Stratford road in terms of Pakistani community?

So I guess I should avoid Nottingham then but it seemed to tick some of the boxes, as in cheap, some good schools, a good hospital, tram system, train into Central London, and a mixed Pakistani community. Apparently there's a good mix of Mirpuris, Panjabis, and Urdu speakers there.

Solihull is nice, close to the city centre. 10-15 min drive from Stratford road where all the asian food shops are based. Basically you dont want to be too close to Stratford road which is very congested. You will probably see more Mirpuri people. All of them are a friendly bunch and good to do business with.

PS: Solihull also has nice schools if you got kids. Best thing I can suggest is to drive around different parts and get a feel for the areas

 

[KingKhanWC]

I live in a nice enough area in London, and this is why I'm not planning on selling the house instead I'm looking for somewhere cheaper. The plan is to rent the London house out, and earn some extra income by renting in a cheaper city. Some of our friends from London have already done this, and moved to Birmingham so considering following suit but I'm not convinced Birmingham is the place to take the family hence the reason I'm considering other cities.

Intersesting I didn't realise people were moving out of London to save money. Personally I think it's more important to be happy where you live and it's a big task to up and move. I could never leave the midlands.

Birmingham is a great city, there are some great areas which aren't too far from the city or Asian 'roads'. All depends on your budget.

 

[James]

Leeds is known as the "London of the North' and is better because in general it's cleaner, less busier, it is coming out if the shadow of Manchester who after smashing it is resting on his laurels. Channel 4 have moved there. It's happening and if Leeds get into Premier League...

I know!! So exciting

 

[James]

Leeds is an area I'm considering, are there any nice mixed areas there? The Asian areas in Leeds seem pretty bad. I've heard Roundhay, and Chapel Allerton are nice but haven't been.

I lived in Leeds for many years, various suburbs and eventually the city centre, and it’s brilliant to be fair.

The city centre is very loud to live in.

Ethnically speaking you won’t really get White areas in Leeds. Possibly only Horsforth.

Areas tend to be either Mixed (most), Asian (Hyde Park which has two beautiful mosques, and Harehills or as it is known here “Scarehills”), Black (Chapeltown, Little London), or Jewish (Moortown and Alwoodley).

There are also some predominantly student areas near to the Unis. Cheaper to live there, and they’re okay, but obviously lots of students too - so the nights can get rowdy, there are small-time drug dealers hanging around everywhere, and the burglary rate is a disaster.

Nicer areas - Horsforth, Roundhay, Garforth, Rothwell, Chapel Allerton, Meanwood, Moortown, Alwoodley, Shadwell, Kirkstall.

Student areas - Headingley, Woodhouse, Burley Park, Hyde Park.

Areas to definitely avoid - Harehills, Little London, Chapeltown, Seacroft, East End Park, Gipton, Cookridge.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I was pleasantly surprised by Leeds city centre, quite a nice day out, but then I can say the same about the Bull Ring in Birmingham, and more importantly the streets adjoining it. These are big cities, just like London you will get some run down areas, but there are also plenty of high end locations with greenery and less noise where the better off live. The only real plus of being further south is the slightly warmer weather, other than that I prefer it up north.

 

[James]

I forgot about Beeston, which is in South Leeds and probably gets filed under areas to avoid. It’s where Leeds United are based - Elland Road is bang in the middle of Beeston - so that tells its own story.

 

[the Great Khan]

I've been advised to move to Hall Green or Solihull which makes financial sense because the rents are cheaper than in London. Allowing me to make a profit for a few years, plus I can still get back into London when required. I don't know either area very well, may have seen them in passing but I know they're close to Stratford road which I've visited twice. How mixed is Stratford road in terms of Pakistani community?

So I guess I should avoid Nottingham then but it seemed to tick some of the boxes, as in cheap, some good schools, a good hospital, tram system, train into Central London, and a mixed Pakistani community. Apparently there's a good mix of Mirpuris, Panjabis, and Urdu speakers there.

Solihull is a nice area and will be good for your family. I would go and have a look around and see what you think. Overall Brum isnt so bad and is the second city afterall so you do get a busy vibe..I have many relatives who live there and live perfectly comfortably..

 

[Thulsa]

You could always move to an affluent part of London where you avoid the ‘chav’s’ - however if you are after a decent mix of people from your community they will be few and far between as, to put it bluntly, they cannot afford to live there. I personally prefer the greater diversity and where there are people from ethnic minorities, the more intelligent ones - best of both worlds without any of the baggage.

Re the comment to above about Birmingham, I respectfully disagree - Birmingham is a dive and the only good thing about are is the numerous exit routes.

 

[gazza619]

Its really depends how close you want to be to London. For me it was Birmingham (2 hour drive), hence I chose.

When Brexit crap is over and done with, the ecomony picks up and we are near the HS2 completion (fast rail network) the property prices in Birmingham are going to shoot up.

 

[Arctic]

I lived in Leeds for many years, various suburbs and eventually the city centre, and it’s brilliant to be fair.

The city centre is very loud to live in.

Ethnically speaking you won’t really get White areas in Leeds. Possibly only Horsforth.

Areas tend to be either Mixed (most), Asian (Hyde Park which has two beautiful mosques, and Harehills or as it is known here “Scarehills”), Black (Chapeltown, Little London), or Jewish (Moortown and Alwoodley).

There are also some predominantly student areas near to the Unis. Cheaper to live there, and they’re okay, but obviously lots of students too - so the nights can get rowdy, there are small-time drug dealers hanging around everywhere, and the burglary rate is a disaster.

Nicer areas - Horsforth, Roundhay, Garforth, Rothwell, Chapel Allerton, Meanwood, Moortown, Alwoodley, Shadwell, Kirkstall.

Student areas - Headingley, Woodhouse, Burley Park, Hyde Park.

Areas to definitely avoid - Harehills, Little London, Chapeltown, Seacroft, East End Park, Gipton, Cookridge.

Thank you, your post has been very helpful

 

[Arctic]

Its really depends how close you want to be to London. For me it was Birmingham (2 hour drive), hence I chose.

When Brexit crap is over and done with, the ecomony picks up and we are near the HS2 completion (fast rail network) the property prices in Birmingham are going to shoot up.

I generally work from home these days but have to go into the office every now, and then for meetings. In that sense somewhere in the home counties would be ideal but the cheaper towns in the home counties with a mixed community are not the best of places, Slough, High Wycombe, Basildon, and Luton for example.

What are your thoughts on Hall Green, is it a nice area to live in?

 

[Arctic]

You could always move to an affluent part of London where you avoid the ‘chav’s’ - however if you are after a decent mix of people from your community they will be few and far between as, to put it bluntly, they cannot afford to live there. I personally prefer the greater diversity and where there are people from ethnic minorities, the more intelligent ones - best of both worlds without any of the baggage.

Re the comment to above about Birmingham, I respectfully disagree - Birmingham is a dive and the only good thing about are is the numerous exit routes.

By affluent parts of London I'm guessing you mean areas around central? You do realise most of the properties in central are not owned by London or UK people. To rent in central I'd be paying more rather than less which defeats the purpose. Also central is not exactly chav free because of the estates which still exist there, so one wrong turn, and you could quite easily find yourself on chav row. Especially because of the close proximity between estates, and expensive roads within central. I don't think any community from the UK can afford to live in the areas you speak of, unless of course they're renting, in council housing or bought decades ago.

By the way I live in Stanmore, a leafy suburb with a mixed community so not exactly chav central hence the reason I'm not planning on selling the house.

 

[Arctic]

Solihull is a nice area and will be good for your family. I would go and have a look around and see what you think. Overall Brum isnt so bad and is the second city afterall so you do get a busy vibe..I have many relatives who live there and live perfectly comfortably..

I actually like Birmingham it's multiculture the people of all races there seem quite friendly, and relaxed unlike in the south where people can be a bit stuck up. On the down side when I was there last I saw a fight break out in the Bullring for no reason, we walked outside to see another fight breaking out between chavs. The time before that some chavs seemed to be trying to cause trouble with strangers for no reason. Witnessing this sort of behaviour in the city centre put me off. Also I noticed a lot of the Asian areas around the city centre such as Alum Rock, Small Heath seem extremely deprived. However, I know there are nicer areas such as Edgebaston, and Harbourn but rental prices in those areas are on a par with where I live now.

 

[Arctic]

Intersesting I didn't realise people were moving out of London to save money. Personally I think it's more important to be happy where you live and it's a big task to up and move. I could never leave the midlands.

Birmingham is a great city, there are some great areas which aren't too far from the city or Asian 'roads'. All depends on your budget.

Yes people are realising they can make money from their properties by renting them out, and moving to places like Birmingham or even further afield without leaving the capital for good. Now that I'm working from home most of the time it's something I'm able to do, and also live in a city where everything is in easy reach. In London we have to go to other parts of the city for a lot of things which involves commuting whereas in other cities it's more compact, you've got one city centre which serves the whole city.

 

[Thulsa]

By affluent parts of London I'm guessing you mean areas around central? You do realise most of the properties in central are not owned by London or UK people. To rent in central I'd be paying more rather than less which defeats the purpose. Also central is not exactly chav free because of the estates which still exist there, so one wrong turn, and you could quite easily find yourself on chav row. Especially because of the close proximity between estates, and expensive roads within central. I don't think any community from the UK can afford to live in the areas you speak of, unless of course they're renting, in council housing or bought decades ago.

By the way I live in Stanmore, a leafy suburb with a mixed community so not exactly chav central hence the reason I'm not planning on selling the house.

Not at all. So a few off the top of my head - Wimbledon village, Richmond Hill (my personal favourite), Ascot, Thames Ditton, St Margaret’s (Twickenham - the nice part). Not too far from London but some lovely surroundings , schools and general atmoshpere.

I don’t classify living in ‘central’ London as desirable personally - very hectic, poor air quality and overall quality of life - it’s why I left several years ago (from South Kensington townhouse that I owned).

 

[Arctic]

Not at all. So a few off the top of my head - Wimbledon village, Richmond Hill (my personal favourite), Ascot, Thames Ditton, St Margaret’s (Twickenham - the nice part). Not too far from London but some lovely surroundings , schools and general atmoshpere.

I don’t classify living in ‘central’ London as desirable personally - very hectic, poor air quality and overall quality of life - it’s why I left several years ago (from South Kensington townhouse that I owned).

I agree with you, parts of Wimbledon are nice, and Richmond is also a lovely area although somewhat detached. If I was thinking of selling the house, and moving to another area in London I’d definitely be considering these areas. Perhaps in the future I can consider it but my plan for the time being is to rent out the London house for a return.

 

[Salma_T]

Have you considered the smaller villages in the home counties but then I guess cost comes into it. I am from High Wycombe and there good and bad areas in the town so you could move there but not sure on rentals as I have lived away for 7 yrs but what I do know is isn't cheap even for a "dive"

 

[gazza619]

I generally work from home these days but have to go into the office every now, and then for meetings. In that sense somewhere in the home counties would be ideal but the cheaper towns in the home counties with a mixed community are not the best of places, Slough, High Wycombe, Basildon, and Luton for example.

What are your thoughts on Hall Green, is it a nice area to live in?

Hall Green has some very nice houses. A good area and good schools. Make sure you dont get a property on a busy road.

 

[Kroll]

Glasgow, Pollokshields. You’ll fit right in.

He did say, "not overrun with chavs". Shields is full of wannabe gangsters.