Maybe moving to Bristol?...
Discussion
Just got myself a new job based in Bristol, bit too far to commute from Sheffield so looks like I may be heading for a move sometime soon..
I like city centre living, and noticed some new flats being built near the river, (round about the Watershed/Arnolfini area) which would suit; anyone got any details? Managed to miss the name of the estate agents as I drove past.. Probably horrendously overpriced, but you never know..
Having developed an allergy to estate agents when I moved last, can anyone suggest someone that is sensible to deal with when looking for property in the Bristol area?
I like city centre living, and noticed some new flats being built near the river, (round about the Watershed/Arnolfini area) which would suit; anyone got any details? Managed to miss the name of the estate agents as I drove past.. Probably horrendously overpriced, but you never know..
Having developed an allergy to estate agents when I moved last, can anyone suggest someone that is sensible to deal with when looking for property in the Bristol area?
Don't right off getting a place in the surrounding area and doing the hellish commute...
Venture outside of the City and you tend to get a lot more bang for buck. There's a good reason why I live in Weston-super-Mare 16 miles away (and it's not for the seaside), namely a proper sized house with a garage and gardens for the price of a 2 bed flat in the area you're on about.
Sorry I can't help with your original question, as I don't know Bristol that well myself despite working here for the last 7 years.
Welcome to the area though.
Tuan
Venture outside of the City and you tend to get a lot more bang for buck. There's a good reason why I live in Weston-super-Mare 16 miles away (and it's not for the seaside), namely a proper sized house with a garage and gardens for the price of a 2 bed flat in the area you're on about.
Sorry I can't help with your original question, as I don't know Bristol that well myself despite working here for the last 7 years.
Welcome to the area though.
Tuan
Unfortunately most Bristol estate agents seem to be as bad as their stereotypes, so I can't really suggest any one in particular.
There are a fair few separate developments along the waterfront now, with more on the way. These have mostly been stupidly priced, but maybe the sheer quantity of them coming available might work in your favour?
Bear in mind that Bristol City Council are a bunch of car-hating muppets and they will do anything in their power to make it difficult for you to drive anywhere near the centre and are positively foaming at the mouth in their eagerness to get a congestion charging scheme up & running.
This might be the development you were talking about:
www.hamptons.co.uk/residential_developments/show_development.asp?county=Somerset&development_id=15
Some others:
www.hamptons.co.uk/residential_developments/show_development.asp?county=Somerset&development_id=153
www.hamptons.co.uk/residential_developments/show_development.asp?county=Somerset&development_id=28
www.fpdsavills.co.uk/news.asp?content=%5Cuber_news%5C4768.htm&subcategory=none&contenttype=news&category=
There are a fair few separate developments along the waterfront now, with more on the way. These have mostly been stupidly priced, but maybe the sheer quantity of them coming available might work in your favour?
Bear in mind that Bristol City Council are a bunch of car-hating muppets and they will do anything in their power to make it difficult for you to drive anywhere near the centre and are positively foaming at the mouth in their eagerness to get a congestion charging scheme up & running.
This might be the development you were talking about:
www.hamptons.co.uk/residential_developments/show_development.asp?county=Somerset&development_id=15
Some others:
www.hamptons.co.uk/residential_developments/show_development.asp?county=Somerset&development_id=153
www.hamptons.co.uk/residential_developments/show_development.asp?county=Somerset&development_id=28
www.fpdsavills.co.uk/news.asp?content=%5Cuber_news%5C4768.htm&subcategory=none&contenttype=news&category=
Having seen the prices of some of those developments, and what I can get for less money if I stay out of the city, I'm tempted to not go for the city centre flat type thing afterall. Love it up in Sheffield in a flat in the city, whats up with Bristol? I was a student there *cough cough* 15 years ago and loved the place..
I haven't regretted moving back to this area at all. Bristol has much to offer (although not as much as Bath IMHO), but it is blighted by a loony left council, who come up with this sort of crap on a daily basis:
CABBIES FACE BOOT OVER WHEELCHAIRS
Next Story | Previous Story | Back to list
BY MARC COOPER M.COOPER
11:00 - 14 September 2004
Taxi drivers in Bristol who are not fit enough to lift wheelchair-bound passengers into their cars could have their licences taken away. The city council wants disabled people to have equal access to taxis in Bristol and is set to introduce wheelchair loading tests as part of drivers' medical assessments, which they must pass before they can work in the city.
All hackney carriage taxis in Bristol must be wheelchair accessible by 2008 to meet new disability discrimination rules set down by the Government.
Taxi drivers can currently refuse to take passengers who are in wheelchairs on the grounds of their own medical condition.
Tomorrow, the council's licensing committee will meet to consider whether the new wheelchair test should be applied just to new applicants' medical assessments or to both new and existing drivers.
It could mean that current drivers who fail the test, or who refuse to take it, will be barred from working in Bristol.
The plans have angered drivers, who say some people have genuine reasons for refusing to take passengers in wheelchairs.
Mike Maddock, an independent taxi driver in Bristol for 36 years, said many drivers did not have the strength to lift wheelchair passengers, and described the council's plans as "ridiculous".
He said: "When you see ambulances and special transport for people in wheelchairs, there are always two people to lift them, but there's only one person driving a taxi.
"For some drivers, they cannot do it on their own. What would happen if they were called to a wheelchair passenger who weighed 20 stone? They would not be able to lift them or even push them up a ramp. It's a ridiculous idea. What the council should do is make 50 per cent of taxis wheelchair accessible."
David Massey, chairman of the Association of Bristol Cab Drivers, said in a written response to the council that devising a fair test to suit all applicants would be "extremely difficult".
He said: "Whilst broadly we agree that wheelchair users should be able to secure the use of a suitable wheelchair-accessible vehicle, we strongly believe that drivers with genuine medical reasons for not doing wheelchair work are not the problem."
John Olver, spokesman for Bristol-based service Tripscope, which advises disabled people who have problems using transport, welcomed the plans.
He said: "The problem with the business of accessible taxis is the piecemeal way it is being done across the country, that each local authority has been asked to make its own arrangements.
"Part of the problem is not how accessible taxis are but also how easy it is to put the disabled person into the taxi."
In its report to members, council licensing officers said the committee could decide what action, if any, should be taken against existing drivers who fail the wheelchair test or refuse to take it. Drivers who say they are unfit to carry wheelchair passengers could see their licence period reduced while they face further medical assessments
www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145176&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144906&contentPK=10946798
CABBIES FACE BOOT OVER WHEELCHAIRS
Next Story | Previous Story | Back to list
BY MARC COOPER M.COOPER
11:00 - 14 September 2004
Taxi drivers in Bristol who are not fit enough to lift wheelchair-bound passengers into their cars could have their licences taken away. The city council wants disabled people to have equal access to taxis in Bristol and is set to introduce wheelchair loading tests as part of drivers' medical assessments, which they must pass before they can work in the city.
All hackney carriage taxis in Bristol must be wheelchair accessible by 2008 to meet new disability discrimination rules set down by the Government.
Taxi drivers can currently refuse to take passengers who are in wheelchairs on the grounds of their own medical condition.
Tomorrow, the council's licensing committee will meet to consider whether the new wheelchair test should be applied just to new applicants' medical assessments or to both new and existing drivers.
It could mean that current drivers who fail the test, or who refuse to take it, will be barred from working in Bristol.
The plans have angered drivers, who say some people have genuine reasons for refusing to take passengers in wheelchairs.
Mike Maddock, an independent taxi driver in Bristol for 36 years, said many drivers did not have the strength to lift wheelchair passengers, and described the council's plans as "ridiculous".
He said: "When you see ambulances and special transport for people in wheelchairs, there are always two people to lift them, but there's only one person driving a taxi.
"For some drivers, they cannot do it on their own. What would happen if they were called to a wheelchair passenger who weighed 20 stone? They would not be able to lift them or even push them up a ramp. It's a ridiculous idea. What the council should do is make 50 per cent of taxis wheelchair accessible."
David Massey, chairman of the Association of Bristol Cab Drivers, said in a written response to the council that devising a fair test to suit all applicants would be "extremely difficult".
He said: "Whilst broadly we agree that wheelchair users should be able to secure the use of a suitable wheelchair-accessible vehicle, we strongly believe that drivers with genuine medical reasons for not doing wheelchair work are not the problem."
John Olver, spokesman for Bristol-based service Tripscope, which advises disabled people who have problems using transport, welcomed the plans.
He said: "The problem with the business of accessible taxis is the piecemeal way it is being done across the country, that each local authority has been asked to make its own arrangements.
"Part of the problem is not how accessible taxis are but also how easy it is to put the disabled person into the taxi."
In its report to members, council licensing officers said the committee could decide what action, if any, should be taken against existing drivers who fail the wheelchair test or refuse to take it. Drivers who say they are unfit to carry wheelchair passengers could see their licence period reduced while they face further medical assessments
www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145176&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144906&contentPK=10946798
Bristol is getting to the point where it's difficult to distinguish between news like the story above (Malcolm I hope you have your BP checked regularly) and the spoof news at www.thatbebristle.co.uk
I must admit that I was grateful to return to Bristol after a sojourn in West Yorks the otherday. The curry up there was crap BTW. But I can't wait to move out of town, much as I hate commuting.
I must admit that I was grateful to return to Bristol after a sojourn in West Yorks the otherday. The curry up there was crap BTW. But I can't wait to move out of town, much as I hate commuting.
. Mental." moments whenever the council makes a decision about pretty much *anything* these days!OI Psycho!!
I'm doing the same in the new year myself.
I regularly see a blue S parked in Clifton on the way to dropping my GF at work on a monday morning, also a chim lives up the street....Although I have not had a happy time with the onstreet parking as the griff has been dinged a couple of times (thank god for armorfend). I now take the diesel chugger that is armed with a towbar.
See you for a
or 2
Howard
I'm doing the same in the new year myself.
I regularly see a blue S parked in Clifton on the way to dropping my GF at work on a monday morning, also a chim lives up the street....Although I have not had a happy time with the onstreet parking as the griff has been dinged a couple of times (thank god for armorfend). I now take the diesel chugger that is armed with a towbar.
See you for a
or 2 Howard
I moved here about 3 years aho. Rented for a bit in Clifton to get the lie of the land as I was working in the city centre. Ended up selling the Cerb as it was a nightmare to find parking. In the end I bought in a village called Long Ashton - 2 miles outside the city centre. 4 bed houses for 2 bed flat prices in clifton and great local pubs.
I also bought a scooter so it takes me literally 5-6 mins to commute to work slap bang in the city centre.
Previously lived in Reading and London, Bristol cant be beaten. Council can be mad but also lay on great events like the balloon fiesta and harbour festival ( dont start on the bridge closure).
All in all a great place. When we were thinking of selling about 12 months ago we used various agents and I would highly recomend Richard Harding in Clifton.
I also bought a scooter so it takes me literally 5-6 mins to commute to work slap bang in the city centre.
Previously lived in Reading and London, Bristol cant be beaten. Council can be mad but also lay on great events like the balloon fiesta and harbour festival ( dont start on the bridge closure).
All in all a great place. When we were thinking of selling about 12 months ago we used various agents and I would highly recomend Richard Harding in Clifton.
obiwonkeyblokey said:
All in all a great place.
obiwonkeyblokey said:
When we were thinking of selling about 12 months ago we used various agents and I would highly recomend Richard Harding in Clifton.
For buying, though, RH rarely seem to have much on their books and unfortunately don't seem to be too hot on the admin side of things (kept getting inappropriate property details through from 'em up to about a year after we asked to be removed from their list).
I've a list of a few agents, but not found them terribly helpful over the phone so far. But then again, a farily vague request of 'what can I get for about this much money and roughly in this sort of area' is probably not what they want to deal with..
I'll start looking around when I get there, but looking at routes to the office from Sheffield which I'll have to do once a week and I'm convinced I'm going to have to move sooner rather than later. Suits me, loved Bristol when I was therew before.
Starting to like the idea of village and scooter to commute when I need to be there. House plus garage and driveway means I get to keep the S in comfort and have a runaround for when I need it..
I do like living in citycentres though..
I'll start looking around when I get there, but looking at routes to the office from Sheffield which I'll have to do once a week and I'm convinced I'm going to have to move sooner rather than later. Suits me, loved Bristol when I was therew before.
Starting to like the idea of village and scooter to commute when I need to be there. House plus garage and driveway means I get to keep the S in comfort and have a runaround for when I need it..
I do like living in citycentres though..We're in St Andrews, basically the wrong side of the A38/Gloucester Road across from Cotham. Handy for local shops/restaurants and only a 20 minute walk from the docks. I have to admit I've no idea what house prices are like apart from ours (3 bed terrace with garage at around £300k) but the centre of Bristol is easily accessible from quite a few affordable and nice areas.
Best bet is to do some research and decide exactly what you're after and then 'phone ALL the agents every week to see if they have anything similar coming up soon.
We ended up having a huge checklist and ticking off each agent as we called them every week. Paid off eventually (took a while, though)!
We ended up having a huge checklist and ticking off each agent as we called them every week. Paid off eventually (took a while, though)!
From experience of last house purchase...
If you're looking St Andrews/Redland/Glos Rd then I found the local branch of Andrews Estate Agents helpful.
We ended up buying in Fishponds though, and Besley Hill are the best around - even managed to sell our house for us within four days whilst we were still in Oz. Never had any parking or vandalism probs, and we were 400m from Straits Parade.
Bristol is a great place though, and a very compact city - enjoy it.
Have also done the Weston-super-mare & commute thing, but got bored of the place and the commute quite quickly - sorry guys, just wasn't for us. The M5 in the summer or during roadworks (such as securing the rockface on the split-level section...) is a pain in the arse.
If you're looking St Andrews/Redland/Glos Rd then I found the local branch of Andrews Estate Agents helpful.
We ended up buying in Fishponds though, and Besley Hill are the best around - even managed to sell our house for us within four days whilst we were still in Oz. Never had any parking or vandalism probs, and we were 400m from Straits Parade.
Bristol is a great place though, and a very compact city - enjoy it.
Have also done the Weston-super-mare & commute thing, but got bored of the place and the commute quite quickly - sorry guys, just wasn't for us. The M5 in the summer or during roadworks (such as securing the rockface on the split-level section...) is a pain in the arse.
Tyre Smoke said:
I'd stay put too. I absolutely hate Bristol, one of the reasons I'm relocating to Taunton (and taking a pay cut!)
And you can still afford a cerb?
You got one in the end then I see! Pleased with it? I'd love to follow in your foot steps but I just cant afford the potential runing costs as compared to the griff. It'll be nice to take a look at it at Thornfalcon car show though. Have to go for a few blasts with you if you're moving to Taunton.
>> Edited by jam1et on Thursday 16th September 15:25
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