No where in Croydon, or Sutton or even Bromley managed to make it on to this year’s Sunday Times Best Places To Live guide – in the latest bit of housing market boosterism to hit the public discourse.
Gone to the dogs: it’s astonishing what can be achieved if you don’t demolish heritage buildings and create LTNs, as in Walthamstow ‘village’
The three southernmost London boroughs didn’t even scrape on to the newspaper’s chosen seven spots in the capital, all of which are sure to experience a rush to estate agents by homeowners keen to capitalise on a sudden uplift in their property values…
The Murdoch paper gave Walthamstow the nod as the Best Place to Live in London, which seems extraordinary, as they don’t even have a dog track there any longer.
The Sunday Times judges described Walthamstow as “diverse, vibrant and cool without being frosty”. They said it encapsulates so much of what’s great about the capital: hip hangouts, independent shops and restaurants, handsome Victorian housing stock, calming green space, excellent public transport and, “imminently, West End-quality culture, courtesy of the new Soho Theatre, adding to a cultural scene that includes a wallet-friendly local cinema, the Instagrammable neon art at God’s Own Junkyard, and the William Morris Gallery”.
It is worth noting that two of London’s “top” seven places chosen by the newspaper this year both have noted art galleries. Croydon spent more than £70million on a badly botched arts centre refurbishment that removed its gallery…
Walthamstow apparently has a street market, too, which the paper says “is part of an impressive retail offering that runs from upmarket lifestyle stores, pubs and delis in chi-chi Walthamstow Village to no-frills fabric shops on the High Street”.
Oh Croydon… Remember that bit in TV quiz show Bullseye, where the stage curtains are drawn back and Jim Bowen tells the unlucky loser: “Here’s what you might have won!”
All of the districts of Croydon (and Sutton, and Bromley) have missed out to the charms of “regional winner” Walthamstow and six other areas, including East Dulwich, Telegraph Hill and Wembley Park, “this once nondescript corner of Brent”, which appears to have been chosen because it has a Boozepark. So what?
Apparently, The Sunday Times’s experts visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street. Oh.
View from a hill: Telegraph Hill, SE24, appears to have been chosen by the newspaper’s judges because they can still see central London from the Lewisham enclave’s high ground
“As always, the judges looked for thriving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices.”
Just to underline what this housing market boosterism is really all about, it was sponsored by mortgage lender Halifax.
Of East Dulwich, the Sunday Times judges said that the “Victorian and Edwardian terraces are less grand than the Georgian piles of Dulwich Village next door — frequently described as one of the poshest areas in the capital. But they’re also a good deal less expensive and within walking distance of the village’s prized assets: powerhouse private schools (excellent state schools are also available); the genteel Dulwich Picture Gallery; and the glorious 76 acres of Dulwich Park.”
So, basically, they’ve chosen it for their list because it is Dulwich, just cheaper. Regular readers of Inside Croydon will also recall that East Dulwich is where Jo “Negreedy” Negrini chose to live when she was chief exec of Croydon Council, rather than finding anywhere in Croydon to live. Which says much. About Negrini.
The judges added: “Community spirit comes deeply rooted, and proximity to Peckham is a serious plus when a dose of urban energy is required.” Yes. Peckham.
Village life: East Dulwich, chosen because it is ‘Dulwich’, but cheaper. And where Jo Negrini lives…
They call SE14’s Telegraph Hill “the urban hamlet”. They say: “This tranquil conservation area in southeast London has a pair of highly regarded state schools, a community centre next to the local church, a café and events space, top-notch pizza, grand Victorian houses and, blissfully, not an awful lot else, apart from the two beautiful parks that are its crowning glory. One dog-free, one dog-friendly, with spectacular views of central London.”
Yep. Nothing at all that cannot be found almost anywhere else in south London. Including Sutton. Or Bromley. Or Croydon. Oh well…
Read more: Location is coming to Croydon – and they want to film you
The Croydon Advertiser sold an average of just 742 copies per week last year (ABC 2024 audit).
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Surprised Crystal Palace and Wimbledon didn’t make the list for Best Places. Croydon is continuously in the top 3 worst places to live in the UK unfortunately.
i am afraid that croydon will never make it as the best place to live all the time we keep seing shops and stores closing down in croydons north end and high street we have even lost our local companies and manufactoring i have visited kingston upon thames and richmond upon thames and both these towns their shops and stores remain open you will be surprised to learn cheltenham in gloucestershire was voted one of the best places to live being near also to the cotswolds countryside it has schools and jobs and more and more tech industries are coming to cheltenham it also has beautiful parks being a spa town also i have yet to visit cheltenham but when you type photos of cheltenham on the internet it gives you a good impression and property developers say it is a great place to live
Croydon must be good. It will cost another 5pc to live here from Tuesday!
Thanks Perry