SE23 Forum

Hi everyone,

I’m looking at moving to Forest Hill and have been checking out the area behind the library.

I was a bit surprised that the houses there seem slightly cheaper than I’d expect, given how central it is — with the pools, cafés along Dartmouth Road, the station nearby, and being in the Eliot Bank catchment area.

The estate agent said it’s a really great, family-friendly area with everything on your doorstep, but also mentioned it’s seen as having parking and traffic issues, and suggested that might be why prices are a bit lower (around £50–100k).

I really like the area, but I’m a bit worried about how much of a hassle parking might actually be.

I tried out the swimming pool as part of my research and did notice I got stuck in traffic by the library for about 5 minutes, then it took another 5–10 minutes to find a space — not sure if that’s typical or just bad timing.

I’m ideally looking for a place with off-street parking, but my mum would be visiting quite regularly, so I’m a bit concerned she might struggle to find a space nearby.

Would love to hear from anyone who lives there (or nearby):

How bad are parking and traffic generally, or was I just unlucky?
Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance!

Hi - I live near the library/pools and it is a great area to be in. Parking can be an issue - I work 10-12 hour days, so when I'm home around 6ish I am able to find a place but sometimes have to go up the hill a bit. During the day it can be fairly quiet but school drop off/pick up times obviously affect things. Traffic is unpredictable - usually okay but subject to the woes of the South Circular - taking a slightly longer way 'round' via Kirkdale is often a good bet.