The Sunday Times Best Places to Live in Britain - East Dulwich

[doveditor]

News just in: East Dulwich was one of five areas in London named in a list of the top 101 places to live in Britain by the Sunday Times. The other four areas are Balham, Hackney, Alexandra Palace and Marlyebone. http://bit.ly/1m3pJ7k

The Sunday Times? annual Best Places To Live supplement will be published on Sunday 16 March.

*Please note: we're far from posh, only highlighting the main stuff about the area. Feel free to share your thoughts and share the Sunday Times feature once it's out:)

[Earl Aelfheah]

Quite right too.

[Louisa]

The article represents all that is smug about middle England. It's a great area to live in because it's near Dulwich Village which has private schools, it's great because posh people opened up shops to suit their needs etc etc ... NEXT....

Louisa.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Ha, I wondered how long it would take you Louisa.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I'm pretty sure the Sunday Times mention Iceland and Speedo Pizza.

[Louisa]

"I was born and raised in East Dulwich, so a true East Dulwicher at heart."

Does this even mean anything? Someone brought up in this area would always claim to come from Dulwich. Growing up in Peckham as a kid we were always envious of anyone south of Goose Green.

Louisa.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I assume she means that, having grown up in the area, she feels an attachment to it.

[Dopamine1979]

http://www.thecoli.com/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/cheers.gif

This should be celebrated.

Most days I feel very lucky to live here.

[PokerTime]

That'll be house prices up another 10% then.

But Louisa does have a point. The five London areas listed all have something in common.

'The Sunday Times Best Places To Live guide takes into account a range of factors including transport links, quality of schools, natural beauty, low crime rate, property prices and culture, as well as unemployment figures.'

So the message is that high property prices and low unemployment are good, equalling affluence and class as the deciding factor.

Well I can think of many places that beat ED hands down for culture, and transport links alone. At the end of the day, it's a subjective list based on the assumptions of those that compiled it....and therefore pretty meaningless.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Agree it's all very subjective.

The criteria though - that areas with high employment, (relatively) low property prices and crime, good schools and green spaces are 'pleasant' places to live, seem fair enough.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I am not actually clear that they've released the outcome of this years selection... reading that blog, it seems to refer to last years and point out the 2014 list is released at the weekend.

[PokerTime]

The survey is looking at places with healthy increasing property prices rara. It is not interested in places with relatively low prices at all. Gentrification is what it's looking for.

Who are the readership of the Telegraph? Affluent middle England. So any article has to fit into their aspirations and culture to be relevant. Many people find the culture of areas like ED bland and boring. I grew up in an area with a mix of public and good state schools and located on the edge of a green belt. It's doesn't make the list though, because there aren't enough affluent enough people living there to drive property prices up. That's the bottom line. If you are a Telegraph reading, above average income household, looking for an area where you can buy into, see a very healthy return on your house purchase, send your kids to public school and so on, this list is for you. Outside of that it means nothing.

[doveditor]

The results have been announced (as above) and we were contacted by them. But you're right, the list is out this Sunday:)

[????]

er, it's the Sunday Times PT - which has a wider readership, although still pretty M/C. But it is what it is - all lists are to some degree exclsuive and therefor redundant by your logic. Looking forward for the Morning Star's one though :)

[Louisa]

I put my money on Toxteth in Liverpool quids.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Derelictoxteth.JPG

Louisa.

[Otta]

Toxteth would surprise ytou Louisa, it has some beautiful housing stock, a lot nicer than lots of the red brick "bread" type streets in the city.

[Earl Aelfheah]

@doveditor - sorry, I wasn't sure if it had already been announced from the blog - great news.

@pokertime - fair enough, it does seem slightly perverse that high prices are seen as a good thing - assumed it must have been judged the other way round. The other criteria all seem fair enough though. Clearly a subjective thing (like all 'best' lists) and I wouldn't take it too seriously - never the less it's nice to have our home town picked out.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Nice housing stock in that picture and no doubt cheap. Ripe for gentrification I'd have thought ;-)

Louisa Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I put my money on Toxteth in Liverpool quids.

>

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Derelictoxteth.J

> PG

>

> Louisa.

[PokerTime]

Liverpool has been demolishing houses over the past two decades because the migration south has left no-one to live in them! The suburbs, Sefton through to Southport are where the money is.

I just think that basing anything on middle class affluence and aspirations is too narrow a parameter. People makes places and culture, not property prices. Some of the most friendly and supportive communities are to be found amongst the poorest for example.

Perhaps the list should have been called 'aspirational' places to live - rather than desirable.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I really like the community here. When I moved in, my neighbors all came over to say hello and welcome us to the street. I agree that the 'best place' list is all very subjective and that house price growth is a bad criteria, if that's what has been used in part, but generally this is a great place to live.

This forum is itself a pretty good example of a local community that is engaged / interested in their area.

[stephen509]

"For the best value, look in and around Lordship Lane, where a typical four-bedroom house costs ?630,000."

Seems to be quite out of date. That would be a bargain now.

[Loz]

PokerTime Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> That'll be house prices up another 10% then.

And that will just be on the Monday after the article is published.

[doveditor]

Oh deary me! Prices are over ?750,000 plus, will update it now. I'm actually quite shocked to see some houses going for over a million!

[SteveUK1978]

It is a great place to live. Let's all be happy we live here - no negative comments please.

That said, the judging committee must have come on a day when the wind was blowing from whichever direction is blows to prevent those damn planes from flying overhead.

[daveybigpotatoes]

I think it's great to live in ED and a shame that the same old miserabellas chip in again and again with their negative comments. If you don't like where you live now would seem a great time to leave.