Looking for the next up-and-coming places to live in London? Whisper it quietly, but change is afoot in London.
With extensions to the Bakerloo and Northern Lines nigh and the prospect of two Crossrail projects the face of London is set to change dramatically in the next few years, which is good news for property buyers looking to move or make their first purchase in the capital.
Average house prices in London are now a whopping £581,825, which means more people than ever are moving to up-and-coming areas in order to get more bang for their buck. Fortuitously, there’s plenty to pick from.
With everything from the waterfront towers of Woolwich to the cosy south-west hamlets of Brentford and Acton, we’ve got it all covered in our top 10 guide to the best up-and-coming places to live in London.
Home of the original Arsenal Football Club and two train stations still named thus, Woolwich is soon to become a transport hub of south east London thanks to the new Elizabeth Line which, from 2018, will provide up to 12 services an hour ferrying passengers to Canary Wharf, the City and the West End without having to change trains.
This has already had an impact on property and regeneration in the area. Some 5,000 homes are being built in waterfront towers in an ambitious £1.2 billion Royal Arsenal Riverside development. Alongside that the council has plans to transform derelict estates in the area into lovely new homes.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
Currently around 40 minutes, but expect that to drop dramatically when the new Crossrail is in place.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Two beds? We do three beds in Woolwich, and there’s plenty of them on the market for less than £300,000. We’ll take that!
We featured Acton on our top 20 most affordable places to live in London, and it is also a worth member of our best up-and-coming places to live. Equidistance to Shepherds Bush and Ealing on its west and east borders Acton is now a haven for trendy bars, niche cafes and a plethora of cosy pubs.
It is also a transport dream. Already home to three central line stations, a Piccadily and District Line stations along with Overground and train stations, it is soon to be included on the Crossrail map, with a station set to be open from 2018.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
25 minutes on the Central Line, with the Elizabeth Line also soon to add more direct routes.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Plenty of two bed flats for less than £300,000.
Nestled in between Chiswick, Kew and Ealing, Brentford is an area that has been largely forgotten about in West London. But change is afoot. New developments by the riverside along with new plans for retail and hospitality outlets have made this quiet corner of London a property hotspot for people looking for up-and-coming areas.
According to estate agents Chestertons first time buyers are targeting Brentford “in their droves”, largely attracted by the affordable property and transport links to Waterloo, the West End and the City.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
Up to Northfields on the bus for a smooth Piccadilly ride into Leicester Square – allow 45 minutes.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Two beds start around the £325,000 mark.
Property buyers in London are increasingly accepting of the fact that you have to move a little further out to get more bang for your buck, but at least they can take comfort in the fact that places such as Croydon have transport links to rival most suburban boroughs.
With 288 trains per day travelling from West Croydon to London Victoria, taking around half an hour to reach the city or just nine minutes to reach Clapham Junction from East Croydon this is a fertile up-and-coming spot to buy property. The suburb has been transformed of late and is now home to a bustling array of retail outlets and new build properties. A ripe time to snap somewhere up.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
Around 35 minutes – faster than most central London boroughs!
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Plenty of decent two beds for around the £275,000 mark.
The most urban of all our up-and-coming candidates, Hackney has the pleasure of been within walking distance to most of east London’s central districts. With Liverpool Street a mere stone’s throw away and the city towers casting a shadow over its cosmopolitan streets, Hackney is definitely a must for any buyers looking for a more central up-and-coming location.
Along with a plethora of trendy restaurants, bars and cafes, Hackney is also home to several property developments which will surely whet the appetite of prospective buyers. Four-hundred homes in the Nightingale Estate have been given the green light and several other developments are on the horizon, making this a borough to keep a good eye on.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
A quick 25 minutes with the Victoria Line only a couple of stops away.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Decent properties start around the £425,000 mark.
Wedged between New Cross and Peckham, Brockley is a well-located borough that very much has its own identity. With a quirky laid-back vibe it boasts vibrant markets on a weekend as well as several good pubs, bars and dining options, and for those who enjoy a good view there are several afforded of London from the sloping banks of its many green areas.
Transport is also very good with Overground connections into Canary Warf and train services into London Bridge.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
A breezy half an hour on the Overground, with connections to the Jubilee at Canada Water.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Around the £365,000 mark.
For such a centrally located borough, Nunhead is remarkably green. Described as an “inner city gem” by most property experts the Southwark suburb has undergone significant regeneration in recent years, with Southwark Council investing millions into the area on improving shop fronts, enhancing the greenery of the landscape, updating the festivals programme and making improvements to the lighting.
With good connections into the city and several bustling hotspots such as Peckham, Dulwich and New Cross nearby, this is certainly an area to watch for prospective buyers.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
A breezy 35 minutes in, with a change at Victoria.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Around the £350,000 mark.
It is somewhat surprising that Beckenham finds itself on this list, given that it is home to some of the best late-Victorian, Edwardian and Twenties homes in London, and yet it remains an undiscovered gem. They say that a four or five-bedroom family house in Beckenham (20 minutes from Victoria) is half the price of a similar house in Dulwich (15 minutes from Victoria), and it is steadily becoming aligned to the civic make-up of its renowned neighbour.
Comfy pubs and restaurants line the high-street, with several retail outlets around for convenience. There are trains into central London and the tram to connect it with Wimbledon and other south London spots. It is also a remarkably green area, making Beckenham the perfect place to buy for new families.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
Around 45 minutes on a good run.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
Still nice places on the market for £350,000.
New Cross is like the Brooklyn of London. You cross the bridge from central and all of a sudden you are met with a more quirky side of the capital, with niche gig venues, bars and cafes. Princess Beatrice even chose to study at New Cross’ Goldsmiths, University of London, so it must be doing something right.
It is also a mere four miles from Charing Cross and has a good stock of housing to keep the prices down. That means that you get the cosmopolitan vibe without the property price tags seen in south west and North West London.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
Half an hour thanks to the Overground and connections.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
From £275,000!
A mere four stops and ten minutes from the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, Lewisham is an up-and-coming, affordable spot to buy in the south east with excellent transport connections. Since the DLR and Canary Warf were put in place Lewisham has become an increasingly popular place to live for city workers, but it has still to realise its full potential.
Now may be the time. There is significant redevelopment underway in the south east suburb, with the Renaissance development offering 800 new homes and several other projects in the pipeline. With cranes filling the SE13 skyline and the centre undergoing seismic change, it’s only a matter of time before Lewisham is firmly on the map as ‘the’ place to buy.
Time to Angus Steak house Leicester Square
Less than half an hour thanks to its direct route in to Charing Cross. It’s three stops up to Leicester Square from there.
A decent two bed on Zoopla
As cheap as £240,000.
Don’t agree with our ten next up-and-coming places to live in London list? Let us know your suggestions so we can check the area out ourselves.
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/property/top-10-ways-savvy-renter-london/01/02/
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/property/22-cheapest-boroughs-in-the-capital-for-first-time-buyers/22/11/
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/top-10-pies-in-london/26/02/
