Living in council estate near Battersea Park London? -Advice needed pls

Posted by LawIcy2863@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 8 comments

Hi all,

I've never lived in London before, and I'm relocating for a new job near Battersea Park. I've just been offered a room in one of the high-rise flats between Battersea Park Road and the railway tracks.

A friend mentioned that the area is council estate. I only did a virtual viewing since I currently live quite far from London.

Not trying to stereotype, I know London is a mix of very affluent areas and places that can feel less safe. Safety is something I have to consider as a young woman. I'm just hoping to get some honest insight into the safety and general atmosphere of those council estate between Battersea Park Road and the rails.

Many thanks!

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Kayos-theory@reddit

There are a few in that area.

Could be the Frances Chichester estate which is pretty sketchy and I wouldn’t want to live there. I used to be wary walking through that way during the day, evenings or nights I wouldn’t go near it.

Next estate is the Doddington which is a mixed bag.

Then there is Rollo Court which is similar to the Doddington.

There’s an older estate which I don’t think has a name that branches off of Dagnall Street. It is adjacent to what used to be a state secondary school (Battersea County then Battersea Tech) and is now a Harris Academy 🤮. As long as you aren’t going to be around during the end of the school day that might not be too bad.

TBH the nicer Battersea council estates were sold off during the Tory years so most of what’s left in council control are not going to be “easy”. You might be lucky and get a decent set of neighbours who look out for each other or just keep to themselves, or you might end up in hell. It’s Russian roulette.

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ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit

The school has improved enormously since it was Harrised

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Kayos-theory@reddit

Well tbf it couldn’t really get worse unless it sank into a hell mouth or something.

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ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit

Do you mean roughly level with Battersea Park or further east roughly opposite the Power Station?

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LawIcy2863@reddit (OP)

The area between Battersea Park Road and the railway tracks, the high-rise buildings just south of Battersea Park.

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ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit

There’s more than one between that road and the tracks! But very high rise and level with the park narrows it down - I’ve written a separate post about it

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ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit

That’s almost certainly the Doddington

Mixed reputation. Not as sketchy as some.

Pros: lots of community activities (including a community garden that’s a little treasure), pretty active residents association, other social initiatives, has a largish Tesco and other shops, adjacent library and medical centre. Near 2 train stations, useful bus routes and since the extension Tube is only a v short walk.

Cons: the sense of community though strong for some is absent for others, somewhat transient population (people tend to move away from it), you can find people just hanging round (they’ll probably ignore you but you might find it unsettling), occasional police raids (usually for dealing)

Unknown: what it’s like inside the talker tower blocks and what the lifts are like