Catford Green, SE6

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

It has 3 stations which is very good along side a large variety of buses and lime bikes. It has a huge field just opposite along with a Sainsbury’s. There is also a local hospital not too far away along with a Pret. Lewisham DLR is under a 30 min walk and 5 min on train or 10 on bus. Everything is local and good.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Parking is limited, and expensive. But for the house or apartment you get it’s worth it

What is the best feature of your home:

Fibre optic gigabit Broadband, modern kitchen. Decent bathroom. Big rooms

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Location is excellent, very close to two train stations, Catford Town Centre and the lovely parks all within 15mins walk. It’s a car lite development so there is no through traffic. Management company is responsive and friendly. However, there are a few problems with some of the socially rented flats.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes and very responsive to issues raised. Friendly management team who do a good good despite some anti social residents.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Anti social behaviour from rented flats managed by housing association.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Great location - few parks nearby, there is going to be a shop soon, close by stations. Only negative point is there are no tube/overground station close by.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Look out for snags when moving it

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Locally there is a lot a development here which can be considered a good and bad thing. There have always been lots of local parks and facilities - tennis courts, cycling and running routes and clubs, cafes, shops etc. We are also a 5 minute walk for the train station and main road for buses which makes it very accessible for public transport. The good thing is that those that join us living here have all these great facilities and amenities, the only bad thing is that people don’t always appreciate or respect the existing cultures and communities that were here before the development was built. With social housing, shared and privately owned flats- the development has the ability to bring even more to the vibrant communitiy already here. We are lucky to be within close distance of lots of great London suburbs - Peckham, Forest hill, Dulwich, Brockley and Lewisham town centre which have their own great amenities and personalities. Catford Green provides the perfect opportunity for people to explore and love and support South London communities and businesses.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Although the support from Barratt has been good, we wish we had more understanding of how the development would progress over the coming years. There are multiple discussions between the residents, the council and the developers as to how the area should progress and grow - some of these conversations are more positive than others, some have changed drastically since moving in. One thing that is a definite benefit is the resident-run Community group that is run by volunteer residents and is brilliant at ensuring residents are involved and updated.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

We have remortgaged once during our 3 years at Catford Green and seen the property value increase by 10% which is rare for new builds and expect this to continue with the new infrastructure coming to the local area and Lewisham. New shops and restaurants are being built in the area and gentrification is clearly visable with new pop ups and market stalls. Commuting from Catford Green is a major benefit with links to London Bridge (11 mins) and Charing Cross (20 mins) and I've never had any issues not getting on a train in the morning, although they can be fairly cramped in some carriages. The road system however is a major flaw to the area and needs redevelopment with narrow roads considering the South Circular is a major artery for South London.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The most important piece of advise I can offer is how it's important to get to know residents on the road by any means. We created a facebook community group that now has 600 members and elected a president of the residents comity and meet when any issues arise. We are the sum of our parts and community spirit can make or break a living area with so many people in close proximity. Events, communication and generally looking out for one another really makes the area a pleasure to live in Catford Green.