Where to buy a house in/close to Cambridge?
Discussion
I'm relocating to Cambridge from Suffolk, and will be looking to buy a house. Just started looking on the obvious Websites, but wondered what the up and coming areas are?
SW corner (Trumpington) seems decent. And houses close to train station = small and expensive?
Then the area around Milton Road heading NE seems to be OK value. E.G. http://www.findaproperty.com/for-sale/property-105... (just refurbished after selling for under £200k last year).
Cambourne seems to have lots of huge houses for relatively little money, but I have never been there to know what it's like. New town = soul-less feel, perhaps?
Ideas? Would prefer to be within the city.
SW corner (Trumpington) seems decent. And houses close to train station = small and expensive?
Then the area around Milton Road heading NE seems to be OK value. E.G. http://www.findaproperty.com/for-sale/property-105... (just refurbished after selling for under £200k last year).
Cambourne seems to have lots of huge houses for relatively little money, but I have never been there to know what it's like. New town = soul-less feel, perhaps?
Ideas? Would prefer to be within the city.
I have a house in Stow Cum Quy - about 3 miles from Cambridge. Nice village with two good pubs.
There are some good new houses for sale and Bottisham, about 6 miles away.
Bottisham/Histon/Trumpington and Stow Cum Quy is the best bet.
Avoid Longstanton or Bar Hill.
Hope this helps...
SG
There are some good new houses for sale and Bottisham, about 6 miles away.
Bottisham/Histon/Trumpington and Stow Cum Quy is the best bet.
Avoid Longstanton or Bar Hill.
Hope this helps...
SG
Thanks for the pointers. What's wrong with Bar Hill / Longstanton. 
I'll try to visit the 4 villages north of the A14 this week (Girton, Histon, Impington, Milton). Stow cum Quy is probably a bit further out than I want. I'm probably more interested in a fairly urban location. Although it looks like I'll need to downsize from the detached house I have now.
Thoughts on Cherry Hinton?
I'll try to visit the 4 villages north of the A14 this week (Girton, Histon, Impington, Milton). Stow cum Quy is probably a bit further out than I want. I'm probably more interested in a fairly urban location. Although it looks like I'll need to downsize from the detached house I have now.
Thoughts on Cherry Hinton?
Don't go to Huntingdon, you'll hate the A14. Arbury was traditionally the bit to avoid, but from what I gather its getting better.
Cambourne was the most soulless place I'd ever been to when we were buying, and to be honest getting along the road past the M11 junction into town is horrific during rush hours.
Cambourne was the most soulless place I'd ever been to when we were buying, and to be honest getting along the road past the M11 junction into town is horrific during rush hours.
Where abouts are you working? Cambridge can be a total arse to get in and out of. I used to live 5 miles outside of Cambridge and it took 30 mins to get to work. I now live the other side of Newmarket (21 miles) and it takes 30 mins to get to work. If you can cycle or walk to work from your intended house that would be the best plan.
Depends what kind of house and area you're after really. How much are you looking to spend?
It's hard to say with Cambridge as it isn't really a case of 'avoid X, move to Y'. It's also true that because Cambridge isn't that big, you won't really be hugely disadvantaged by being in one place or another in terms of commuting accross the town.
Anywhere around South Cambridge off Long road, Hills road or Trumpington road will be quite expensive though there are some nice roads in the area. (Lucky to get a 2 bedroom flat for under £300k).
The Chesterton / Milton Road area varies a decent amount, with the bits closer to Arbury not being that great, though there are plenty of decent houses in the area, getting better the further into the centre you move.
Cherry Hinton isn't very aesthetically pleasing but as an area it's okay enough on the whole, may want to have a look at the village of Fulbourn too.
Mill Road and the area west of Mill Road isn't that great. Mill Road itself is the 'multi-cultural' bit of Cambridge, where there are a high percentage of Pakistani/Indian/Chinese/African residents.
As for villages, the North Cambridge ones of Histon, Oakington, Milton and Longstanton are all good, all with access straight onto the A14 and into town. Histon being the best of them having 4+ pubs, Tesco Express, The Phoenix (excellent Chinese restaurant) and Indian Ocean (another good restaurant), banks, bakery, co-op, bike shop, doctor's, dentist, secondary school, primary school, you name it.
It's hard to say with Cambridge as it isn't really a case of 'avoid X, move to Y'. It's also true that because Cambridge isn't that big, you won't really be hugely disadvantaged by being in one place or another in terms of commuting accross the town.
Anywhere around South Cambridge off Long road, Hills road or Trumpington road will be quite expensive though there are some nice roads in the area. (Lucky to get a 2 bedroom flat for under £300k).
The Chesterton / Milton Road area varies a decent amount, with the bits closer to Arbury not being that great, though there are plenty of decent houses in the area, getting better the further into the centre you move.
Cherry Hinton isn't very aesthetically pleasing but as an area it's okay enough on the whole, may want to have a look at the village of Fulbourn too.
Mill Road and the area west of Mill Road isn't that great. Mill Road itself is the 'multi-cultural' bit of Cambridge, where there are a high percentage of Pakistani/Indian/Chinese/African residents.
As for villages, the North Cambridge ones of Histon, Oakington, Milton and Longstanton are all good, all with access straight onto the A14 and into town. Histon being the best of them having 4+ pubs, Tesco Express, The Phoenix (excellent Chinese restaurant) and Indian Ocean (another good restaurant), banks, bakery, co-op, bike shop, doctor's, dentist, secondary school, primary school, you name it.
Thanks for the info on the different areas. From my visits, it seems that some areas N of the Cam are being gentrified - presumably a knock-on effect of the high cost in the most sought-after areas.
Workwise - I'll be getting a business unit of my own, so I'll be choosing one with a view to the location of the other. Many units seem to be located around Milton Road, and some in those villages north of the A14.
Budget...? I'll leave here with a total pot of £400k, but that's also got to cover the costs of setting up that business unit (maybe freehold purchase via a director loan). So the house budget is somewhere within £300-400k.
From my visits, it seems that some areas N of the Cam are being gentrified - presumably a knock-on effect of the high cost in the most sought-after areas.Workwise - I'll be getting a business unit of my own, so I'll be choosing one with a view to the location of the other. Many units seem to be located around Milton Road, and some in those villages north of the A14.
Budget...? I'll leave here with a total pot of £400k, but that's also got to cover the costs of setting up that business unit (maybe freehold purchase via a director loan). So the house budget is somewhere within £300-400k.
Great Shelford here, a little further than Trumpington, but only a 6 mins train journey if you're to ending up too far from that area (there are some central business units)? Cambridge traffic is a nightmare, as you can probably guess from the other comments!
You're correct about Cambourne, soul-less (and a poor investment in my view) - the only thing going for it is that it's an improvement on Bar Hill.
Budget could be a constraint - you'll get much more for your money North of the city, in general.
Are the offices at Stow still up for sale/rent? They look pretty good to be honest and living near there can be comfortable (I used to live in Swaffham Prior)?
You're correct about Cambourne, soul-less (and a poor investment in my view) - the only thing going for it is that it's an improvement on Bar Hill.
Budget could be a constraint - you'll get much more for your money North of the city, in general.
Are the offices at Stow still up for sale/rent? They look pretty good to be honest and living near there can be comfortable (I used to live in Swaffham Prior)?
Thanks - I'll be visiting again this weekend and will try to visit Great Shelford. Ideally I'll find a house and business unit close enough to make walking to work possible. I know all about Cambridge traffic - I currently stay in Lensfield Road when visiting.
For maximum future flexibility, I'd quite like to find a house that would be easy to let out - e.g. to visiting academics. I'm told that means it would have to be pretty close to the centre? That's why the Milton Road area (not expensive, not too far) is interesting. 20yrs ago I used to live in Beche Road and that area would be suitable, too, I think.
Not sure if the areas off of the other radial routes - Madingley Road, Huntingdon Road, Histon Road, have potential?
Barton Road does, but the houses around there are bigger and super-spendy!
For maximum future flexibility, I'd quite like to find a house that would be easy to let out - e.g. to visiting academics. I'm told that means it would have to be pretty close to the centre? That's why the Milton Road area (not expensive, not too far) is interesting. 20yrs ago I used to live in Beche Road and that area would be suitable, too, I think.
Not sure if the areas off of the other radial routes - Madingley Road, Huntingdon Road, Histon Road, have potential?
Barton Road does, but the houses around there are bigger and super-spendy!
Don't get me started on this development.
Quite how the local planners can give me so much grief about wanting to update my old, tired and ugly 60's house and want me to reuse the existing large single glazed windows but then allow almost unrestricted and unchecked development on land just outside Cambridge and about the only piece of land that gives Shelford a separate identity from the ever encroaching Cambridge I just can't understand.
A typical result of flawed planning legislation and planning offices who have lost their common sense and can't be bothered to do their job properly and not take the easy way out.
I know Cambridge has been burdened with atrocious requirements to make up half the UK housing shortfall (OK that may be a little exaggeration) and they need to find space to built an enormous number of houses, but this location defies common sense and if the local planners applied their own guidelines consistently and didn't ignore them when they chose to would never have been allowed.
OK, you got me started... I probably sound like a typical NIMBY (although it isn't IMBY)
My concerns if I were to buy the properties would arise from the experiences of several friends who have bought in the Cambourne developments. Although some like living there (and others hate it, each to their own) it was taken several years for any sense of community to develop there. In addition, if you look at anywhere long term super-scale developments are undertaken the value of properties remains depressed for several years - I know this is happening in Cambourne, why buy a second hand property when brand new (near identical) ones are available and the volume of news properties consistently being released over a long period of time keeps downward pressure on prices.
Travelling into Cambridge from the South West side , which is poor at the moment, is only going to get more untenable with the development. Don't think the planners are going to help with this as they have a clear intention of reducing car commuting in Cambridge by the almost laughable strategy of simpky making it harder and harder to do so - although they have no solution to assisting people commuting from the new development by public transport either.
In short, I think the houses are over priced, in the wrong area, are likely to be built to a cost over quality and will generally be on a building site for some years to come (especially as the development area will inevitably be further expanded). Typical of the local planning I am afraid. That said, they do fill an demand for housing in the area - there, I fund a positive in the end...
Quite how the local planners can give me so much grief about wanting to update my old, tired and ugly 60's house and want me to reuse the existing large single glazed windows but then allow almost unrestricted and unchecked development on land just outside Cambridge and about the only piece of land that gives Shelford a separate identity from the ever encroaching Cambridge I just can't understand.
A typical result of flawed planning legislation and planning offices who have lost their common sense and can't be bothered to do their job properly and not take the easy way out.
I know Cambridge has been burdened with atrocious requirements to make up half the UK housing shortfall (OK that may be a little exaggeration) and they need to find space to built an enormous number of houses, but this location defies common sense and if the local planners applied their own guidelines consistently and didn't ignore them when they chose to would never have been allowed.
OK, you got me started... I probably sound like a typical NIMBY (although it isn't IMBY)
My concerns if I were to buy the properties would arise from the experiences of several friends who have bought in the Cambourne developments. Although some like living there (and others hate it, each to their own) it was taken several years for any sense of community to develop there. In addition, if you look at anywhere long term super-scale developments are undertaken the value of properties remains depressed for several years - I know this is happening in Cambourne, why buy a second hand property when brand new (near identical) ones are available and the volume of news properties consistently being released over a long period of time keeps downward pressure on prices.
Travelling into Cambridge from the South West side , which is poor at the moment, is only going to get more untenable with the development. Don't think the planners are going to help with this as they have a clear intention of reducing car commuting in Cambridge by the almost laughable strategy of simpky making it harder and harder to do so - although they have no solution to assisting people commuting from the new development by public transport either.
In short, I think the houses are over priced, in the wrong area, are likely to be built to a cost over quality and will generally be on a building site for some years to come (especially as the development area will inevitably be further expanded). Typical of the local planning I am afraid. That said, they do fill an demand for housing in the area - there, I fund a positive in the end...
Thanks, S. I knew that someone must feel that way, and given your location I can see why. Also agree on the absurdities of the planning approach to homeowners vs developers. For sure, I can see that the developer will be trying to get the maximum money out of this area. Looked at the Web page, and they are marketing only a few homes at a time, so they are trying to make it look like a limited opportunity.
As for transport into the city, I thought it's on the guided busway thing?
I knew that someone must feel that way, and given your location I can see why. Also agree on the absurdities of the planning approach to homeowners vs developers. For sure, I can see that the developer will be trying to get the maximum money out of this area. Looked at the Web page, and they are marketing only a few homes at a time, so they are trying to make it look like a limited opportunity. As for transport into the city, I thought it's on the guided busway thing?
My comments re Cambourne are fair though and, in the context of a region which has by and large otherwise seen sustained and continued increases in house prices over recent time, are somewhat sobering.
Guided busway... Still public transport which on the whole only a relatively small proportion of the local population tend to use on a regular basis. I have yet to see a busy guided bus which seems to be yet another poorly thought through decision made by our inept council against the general view of the public and independent advice.
Tend to agree about the new Novo/Gt. Keighton developments. It's abserd that Cambridge is being burdened with some huge number of new houses when the town centre is already at bursting point most days of the week. The run up to Christmas last year was so horrible that I decided to go elsewhere to do all my Christmas shopping. You had to que to get into some shops and the car parks were all full up by 10am everyday. How the heck the planners think that 10,000 new homes giving rise to maybe another 5,000 MORE people and cars in the city centre at busy weekends, is quite worrying.
That twinned with the addition of around 2000 new hotel rooms in the town and nearby to Cambridge means potentially a further 2-4000 tourists in the city at busy times.
I'm not really a NIMBY and understand that the ever growing population need somewhere to live but surely so thought should be given to how the city centre is supposed to cope.
Great news though if you're a city trader with a shop/restaurant etc!!
I've decided I've had enough and sold my house on Perne Avenue last week for £40,000 more than I was expecting. I'm moving to a little village over towards Newmarket into a beautiful 17th century thatched cottage which while nearly triple the size with a huge garden and triple garage, only cost me £90k more than my 2 bed semi in town
And, the mad thing is, that getting the 2 miles to Marshalls airport from my city home on a busy morning takes me MORE time than getting the 12 miles in from the new village
That twinned with the addition of around 2000 new hotel rooms in the town and nearby to Cambridge means potentially a further 2-4000 tourists in the city at busy times.
I'm not really a NIMBY and understand that the ever growing population need somewhere to live but surely so thought should be given to how the city centre is supposed to cope.
Great news though if you're a city trader with a shop/restaurant etc!!
I've decided I've had enough and sold my house on Perne Avenue last week for £40,000 more than I was expecting. I'm moving to a little village over towards Newmarket into a beautiful 17th century thatched cottage which while nearly triple the size with a huge garden and triple garage, only cost me £90k more than my 2 bed semi in town
And, the mad thing is, that getting the 2 miles to Marshalls airport from my city home on a busy morning takes me MORE time than getting the 12 miles in from the new village
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