Hi all,
I am looking at buying on Hook Road, just up from the Maypole pub and the garage opposite. The road seems a bit scruffy in places and was wondering what the road is really like to live on and the broader local area. Is it on the up or on the decline?
Comments
I live near there just off the Hook Road and its not too bad! The road is busy during the peak rush hours, but a lot quieter during the night. The main benefit is you are on the bus routes into Surbiton/Kingston so will never need to use a car! The station is a 10-15 min walk away, there are some great restaurants such as SARAB on Ewell Road There are lots of lovely roads just off the Hook Road with Victorian terraces, and most of the council property at that end is occupied by elderly residents or being done up for young professionals. Things are scruffier the further towards Chessington you go, but the Southbourgh conservation area is on your doorstep and it doesn't get much posher than that!
Hook Road is not the best part of Surbiton, but not the worst either.
The main problems for me would be the fact that the road is a very busy arterial one and that the station is quite a long walk.
Hook Road divides Southborough (the 'poshest' part of Surbiton) from Tolworth (the least affluent part of the area), but it is not really like either of them.
It is a bit scruffy, but I often find that on main roads for some reason. There are quite a lot of nice Victorian houses around there, but a lot have obviously been in council/HA hands over the years.
Surbiton itself is a great area and tends to survive downturns reasonable well. The fast train service into London, the riverside/parks and the proximity to the shopping and facilities of Kingston should ensure that it remains desirable.
You will see many of the downsides of Surbiton debated on this site, but in reality the town just suffers the same problems as any other, and often to a much lesser extent.
There are empty shops on the High Street, a new 99p Store and several chain restaurants, there is a bit of chav behaviour in the town centre on a Friday night, but this has happened in every town in the country over the past few years.
To it's credit, Surbiton still retains some good quality restaurants, pubs and bars, but can also make a nice, quiet place to live for somewhere so close to London.
I live on Hook Road.
Yes the traffic is busy during rush hour, but all the main roads in Surbiton/Kingston are.
It is nicer near the Maypole end of the road, which is where I live, surprisingly.
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