i am thinking of moving to surbiton and the area has seemed fine when i've been there. i'd like to be close to station and off one of the streets near victoria rd i.e. maybe st andrews/philps/james etc...
however i read some comments about ymca and notice these streets back onto the back of victoria rd commercial buildings.
does anyone know if this area would be ok to live i.e. safe etc?
Comments
What a rediculous question. We don't want paranoids living in Surbiton - look elsewhere please
i'll take that as a no, which would have been fine thanks. I wouldn't be asking if I knew the area.
Hopefully most people are a bit friendlier
Hi Kstar
Ignore rude, uneducated idiots like smabey who think they are being clever (yet can't even spell their insults correctly). Most people in Surbiton are extremely friendly and welcoming. I've lived around here for donkey's years and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It's safe, super-convenient for London, and close to riverside walks, top shopping and several lovely parks. In fact, I'd say Surbiton is getting better all the time; there's now a lovely farmers' market and regular community events throughout the year. The YMCA used to be a bit of a problem (I emphasise 'bit' — a few loudmouths hanging round outside, we're not talking south London sink estates here) but that seems to have gone away. For my money Surbiton has it all. Make the move — you won't regret it.
Good summary. It is funny, I was just talking to someone on the weekend saying how much improvement there had been in the last few years.
The Farmers Market is great as are the regular events organised by the 'Seething' group based out of the Lamb pub (Ski Sunday, Kings Soup etc etc).
The pubs have also improved a lot. The Elm Tree and Surbiton Flyer were pretty awful a few years ago, but are now both good pubs with great food. The Rat & Parrot was one of the worst pubs in the area and this has now changed into a Pizza Express which has to be seen as a great improvement, even for those who don't like chain restaurants.
Unfortunately, the recession has stopped a lot of the development in it's tracks. There are quite a few unfinished housing developments hanging around the town centre, and I can't help but think Surbiton was high on the target list for a lot of nice restaurants and shops, but these organisations have abandoned any expansion plans at the moment.
I think there is an even brighter future ahead.
I think it is a really nice set of roads there - nice houses and reasonably quiet for somewhere so central.
As you correctly point out, they do back onto Victoria Road, which means you are going to get some noise from the restaurants/shops/bars etc.
I'd say that Surbiton is as safe or safer than most similar areas. The YMCA has caused issues in the past, but seems better now. In any case, the issues were mainly limited to begging for travelcards outside the station or verbally abusing passers-by.
The main problem that Surbiton seems to have is that the McDonalds has been given a 24 hours licence and this has caused a few fights amongst the type of people that would be eating that type of thing that late at night. Again, I don't think that this would cause a problem for those in the surrounding roads.
If it were me, I'd look one block further down in the 'river roads' area of Surbiton, which is the other side of Maple Road from where you are talking about. It is not quite so central which means you wouldn't suffer the minor problems mentioned above and it is only a couple of extra minutes walk to the station in the morning.
You are correct to ask and yes those YMCA lot can be troublesome and i would certainly hope others would be helpful in assisting me where to live.
As far as i know the roads you mention are fine and should be trouble free. Good luck
Don't worry people here are a hell of a lot nicer than that muppet smabey!
Hi Kstar, you could do far worse that live in Surbiton ! We went to the Farmers Market on Saturday in Maple Road and it was just buzzing. The new 'Wine Bar' on the corner of Surbiton Station (someone please help me with the name) is quite trendy and I believe owned by the same guy that has Gordon Bennett's in Maple Road. The area is young and vibrant and getting better all the time - and Victoria Road-works is finished! Hurrah for that. Lots of coffee shops, supermarkets, close to Kingston and the River. Lovely people in the main (apart from the YMCA). if you are looking for a flat, try Lovelace area, Adelaide Road, Claremont Road, Maple Road -- all close to Surbiton. The Black Lion gets absolutely packed most nights and has good live music most saturdays. And Mitch for your hair... What more could you want ? Not the cheapest of places to buy or rent but worth it.
thanks all for your comments. these are much more helpful!
as I said it looks very nice when I've been there and lovely walking along the river to kingston, whilst still being a bit quieter. perhaps i'll be joining you soon!