The Undiscovered Country

The Evening Standard's Homes & Property section has decided to chuck a bit of fuel on the fire that's raging on this thread, with an article that's been published today but could have been written at any point in the last decade.

South East London - the Undiscovered Gem. Greater Brockley is all over it like a rash. They say:

“A lot of buyers have pre-conceived ideas about south-east London, but there are more and more converts, including cross-river movers,” says Huw Davies of estate agent Caddington Blue. “When they discover up-and-coming areas like Brockley and Nunhead, they’re taken aback by the value for money they can get — and how nice these areas can be. Similar homes north of the river can cost twice as much.”

So buyers are realising they can get a property twice as big for half the price and still get to work quickly.

One hot address is Telegraph Hill,  just south of New Cross, which has six-minute trains to London Bridge. Large Victorian semis priced up to  £1.5 million are attracting City people, doctors and lawyers from other parts of London. These houses sit in wide roads and have at least 2,000 sq ft of space plus a 100-ft long garden...

Other areas on the rise include Ladywell, which has acquired “village” status following streetscaping improvements and the opening of a deli and other independent shops, and Brockley, where bars and eateries, organic food cafés, delis and a micro brewery are clustered around the train station. Under way here, too, is a scheme of new apartments.

The main conservation area is a network of wide, tree-lined avenues surrounding Hilly Fields, a green expanse where parents cluster with daughters attending Prendergast secondary school, situated alongside the park. Many of the vast Victorian houses have been split into flats, but increasingly they are reverting to single residences, along with more modest flat-fronted, semi-basement terrace homes.

Thanks to Sheila for the spot.