Trading up: three of the best commuter hotspots for family-sized homes, great schools and fast journey times

Take your house hunt to three premier league commuter towns and cities that offer good-sized homes for a London family budget, along with a do-able commute.
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Ruth Bloomfield10 May 2018

Many Londoners fondly believe that beyond the M25 their budget, which might just stretch to a small terrace in the capital’s suburbs, will buy them a mansion with many acres in the country.

Sad to say, you won’t get a mansion if you want to be within a decent daily commute of London. However, your budget of £700,000 to £800,000 will buy you a great family house in a desirable town or city.

A study by Hamptons International of the 350-plus commuter locations within an hour and 10 minutes’ journey of central London discovered that there are 40 options within this price bracket, including some premier league commuter towns and cities.

PRESTON PARK IN BRIGHTON & HOVE, EAST SUSSEX

Average price of a family house: £793,122

Annual price change: 11 per cent

Average train time to London: 69 mins

Pretty: Preston Park
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Unlike Kemp Town or Hove, Preston Park, on the northern outskirts of Brighton, doesn’t boast sea views. But it is pretty and it has its own train station on the main line into Victoria, just one stop along from the terminus at Brighton. It’s also quieter than down on the front at Marine Parade — and your paintwork won’t suffer salt damage.

The shops and nightlife of Brighton are a 10-minute drive away, with swathes of the city included in the South Downs National Park.

“We find that a lot of people coming down from London think they have got to be living right by the sea,” says Dominique Scott, associate director of estate agents Sawyer & Co. “Then after they have been here a couple of years they realise that instead of a two-bedroom flat on the seafront they could have a family home in Preston Park. It is a more grown-up area.”

A big driver of that family market to Preston Park is schooling. Hertford Infant and Nursery School gets an “outstanding” report from Ofsted and Varndean School, for seniors, gets a “good” rating from the education watchdog. However, Balfour Primary School “requires improvement” so parents need to be very clear about catchment areas before committing themselves to one of the area’s Victorian terraces.

It is actually a rather sweet neighbourhood with some original flint cottages and the excellent eponymous main park, plus local shops, good pubs and cafés in both London Road and Ditchling Road. “Over the last two years some really trendy haunts have opened up,” adds Dominique Scott. “Preston Park is very much part of Brighton.”

Average family house price: £701,651

Annual price change: minus two per cent.

Average train time to London: 57 mins

Commuter classic: Tunbridge Wells
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This historic spa town is a commuter classic. The Pantiles, the Georgian colonnade in the centre of town, is no longer a place to take the waters but rather for exploring upscale boutiques, galleries, cafés and restaurants.

Other pluses include the fast commute and a great grammar school system that Londoners love. The town has both boys’ and girls’ grammar schools, the boys’ school with a “good” rating while the girls’ is marked “outstanding”. Top-rated options for younger pupils include St James’ Church of England Voluntary Aided Infant School.

The High Weald that encircles Tunbridge Wells is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a green girdle of open land that’s ideal for walking, cycling and riding, with excellent village pubs.

Gavin Selbie, branch manager of the Jackson-Stops branch in Tunbridge Wells, says buyers with a budget of around £700,000 could bag a red-brick, bay-fronted Victorian semi-detached house in the town centre. “Most of our incoming buyers are after a character home, not a modern property.” Tunbridge Wells has two theatres, two cinemas, several town parks and commons. “There is quite a lot for foodies — one or two pretty high-class restaurants, and lots of wine bars and pubs,” adds Selbie. “It is quite vibrant in the evenings.”

Buyers are currently very much in the driving seat in Tunbridge Wells, he says. Therefore, homes need to be competitively priced and buyers can make offers.

WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE

Average price of a family house: £759,500

Annual price change: four per cent

Average train time to London: 67 mins

Ancient capital of Wessex: Winchester
Alamy Stock Photo

This ancient capital of Wessex is a city in its own right, perched on the western tip of the South Downs, its skyline dominated by its lovely Gothic cathedral. Famous for its public school, Winchester College, the city’s state schools are also excellent. Those with “outstanding” Ofsted reports include Kings’ School, for seniors, St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, and St Bede Church of England Primary School.

In terms of open space, it is well worth the exhausting climb up St Giles Hill for panoramic views over the city, while Oram’s Arbour Park, in the city centre, is achingly pretty, or you could simply stroll the towpath of the Itchen Navigation, or hire a rowboat if you prefer. There is some lovely property in Winchester, from Victorian terrace houses in the town centre, to Georgian townhouses, and 17th- and 18th-century cottages in the old town.

Buyers with a budget of about £760,000 could pick up a detached four-bedroom post-war house in the suburbs, or a three-bedroom Victorian townhouse in the city centre, says Gareth Anwyl, associate director of Hamptons International, while a three-bedroom terrace cottage right in the old town would cost in the region of £700,000.

“Most of our buyers coming out of London are coming from the SW postcodes,” adds Anwyl. “They soon realise they are getting a lot better value and quality than in Wandsworth, for example.”

Winchester is a surprisingly good option for commuters, with fast trains to London taking only about 50 minutes, while weekends around this county town are bliss, with the South Downs, New Forest and the coast all within easy reach.

Foodies love the Michelin-star Black Rat restaurant and The Wykeham Arms, while Londoners will welcome a new branch of The Ivy. Sadly, Winchester’s shops let it down. Greedy landlords have squeezed out the independents and left it to the predictable chains.

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