The Gardens

[Juness]

What's it like living around The Gardens off Peckham Rye? I'm looking to rent and seen a few coming up around there, but don't know it all. Is it a safe quiet place to live? Nice community feel?

[robm123]

Been there for about a year now and yes it's definitely quiet. It's a great place to live as the buses at the end of the road run every few mins to Peckham Rye station, yet you're set back from the road a bit so don't get so much noise.

We haven't had any problems at all in terms of safety so far, but of course you have to be sensible as with anywhere else in London.

Neighbours are great but perhaps we're lucky in that respect.

Other good points: the gardens themselves are a nice space to have and usually quiet, peckham rye right at the end of the road, aneto cafe is a few minutes walk which I love, and Tesco or the store on Barry Rd aren't far if you need a quick shop.

[the-e-dealer]

Some Genius put a road closure in Oakhurst so the gardens was no longer a rat run.

[Strudel]

I've been living in the Gardens for over five years, and love it.

Very quiet, as cars generally only come in if they need to access the Gardens - very little passing traffic unless they are lost or failing to make a shortcut. Some airline noise and foxes, but I love coming home after a day at work - it's so peaceful.

Despite the communal garden in the centre, I don't feel that there's much of a community. Some residents are more sociable than others, but everyone is certainly helpful and civil. No troublesome ones.

Great to have the park nearby, well-connected to ED and PR, as well as Elephant and the West End/City from the bus stop.

One word of warning. Grainger owns the properties on three sides of the Gardens. Allegedly they like to put up the rents regularly and by an ambitious %. With that in mind, I wouldn't stretch your budget to move here - quite a few neighbours have moved out after 6 or 12 months as they can't afford the rent hike.

[Juness]

Thanks, that's all really helpful.

Good to know about Grainger and rent increase.

[zeban]

Lived there for 2 years and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately though I'd agree about the rent hikes. The first year they hardly raised it at all for me, but the second they raised it massively and I could no longer afford to live there and moved out. This is very obviously going to continue year in year out as the housing situation in London gets worse and worse, and to be honest not sure if will ever get better, so just be aware of that. Despite the huge rent hike my studio flat was let within 24 hours of it going on the market so it's a very desirable road to live on, people are prepared to pay the raised rents because of this, and Grainger know this.

[Ani]

Also, there is the Gardens Doctors' Surgery in case you need to register with a GP.

I would recommend Dr Rebecca Stephens who is an excellent GP