A flat in London?

[ciphergoth]

As I mentioned in an earlier LJ entry, it looks like bootpunk is going to need the room I'm now living in before the end of the year, so I'm looking for somewhere new in London to live before then.

• I want to share a flat, is anyone else looking for a flat share?
• Where in London should I live?
• How much rent should I expect to pay? Update I think the £100pw cost of that Tooting flat is about the limit of what I'd want to try and pay.

I want to live near Lisa and Lili, who live very near Streatham station. But I'd also prefer to live somewhere that was on the Tube so I can get into London more easily. One possibility is this flat as mentioned in Howard's journal. It has the huge advantage of being about fifteen minutes walk from Lisa and Lili. But from what he says I'd have to move out again in a year. Alternatively, Brixton has been suggested as a good place to live, handy for the bus to Streatham but also for the Victoria line which takes me rapidly into London and on to the burgeoning bisexual ghetto in Walthamstow. julietk has told me I should live in Bermondsey, which is apparently cheap and handy for London Bridge which has frequent trains to Streatham. Thoughts, ideas?

Comments

[booklectica]

I mainly know about South London.

I work next to Bermondsey and would be happy to give you a tour of the area from London Bridge station to Bermondsey station. Pros: the Jubilee line, walking distance from the river, Zone 1, the area's quiet at weekends. Cons: Bermondsey itself is not exactly picturesque and I don't know how safe it is.

There are other Jubilee Line options - Canada Water, say. Also Surrey Quays, which is a little further out but extremely affordable and OK as an area.

Re rent, I think the question is, how much can you afford? I can have a look for average rents round Tooting and Bermondsey if that would be useful.

[juliet]

Bermondsey so far seems safe enough (note: have only been there a few weeks, but I've walked home from London Bridge or from the tube/bus stop by myself late at night several times & not felt worried. marnameow & sbp have lived there longer & haven't had trouble as far as I know). My partner got his bike nicked this week but then he *did* leave it not chained to anything which was a bit stupid.

Rent: we're paying 230quid/wk between us for a very nice house (1 double bedroom, 1 single, large living-room, smallish kitchen, *garden*), about 2min walk south of the tube. When we were looking there seemed to be decent enough 2-bed places available for 200-250 per week depending on location & so forth.

As well as the river, there's Southwark Park as well, which is quite nice. And there *is* Borough Market which is a pretty big bonus in & of itself.

[(Anonymous)]

Bermondsey is relatively safe, although not all that inspiring, as it's broken by Jamica Road which leads to the Rotherhithe Tunnel/ express way to Kent and Dover. It's mostly built up and made of council flats / blocks which are tucked away. There has been a lot of redevelopment, with Yuppie flats by the river. For greenery there's southwark Park, which is a nice park, that's where I walk my dog ( whippet ). Bermondsey is a traditional white working class area, as there's definitley an air to it, and there was a NF march through the area recently, I haven't ventured to the pubs there yet, and probably won't as they don't appear too appealing, and I go out elsewhere. However as Katyha said, Surrey Quays is closeby, and the new Jubilee line has major advantages, there's a big shopping area by Surrey Quays as well, and the area is fairly safe, and quiet. As for N1 don't beleive a word of it, yeah for sure, if you right next to the angel you're fine, or even in agated community in Cannonbury, but there's some dodge areas there as well, I once was queerbashed in N1, and the gangs of kids from the different estates that roam the back roads in the summer are a constant pain.

Laurence

[reddragdiva]

Ask marnameow for all the info there is on Bermondsey. Also comes with a complete collection of excellent drinking partners.