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.

That’s a fair summary in terms of timing, but I’d say it’s busy more often than not, except after 7pm on weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Agree on Kirkdale as well — often a better route. If you come through there you’ll pass the school street, where the no-entry noticeably reduces parking at that end, but beyond it things tend to be busier, with residents, pool users and others all competing for space into the evening.

For visitors it can be a bit hit and miss — it may take your mum a little time to find a space nearby, and she might need to walk a short distance.

If you have off-street parking it’s much easier day-to-day, but like most busy streets access around driveways can occasionally feel a bit tight.

It’s a great area overall, which is probably why people put up with it, but it’s something that used to affect mainly those without driveways and is now noticeable more widely across the area.

Thanks everyone — really appreciate the insights, super helpful.

I went back and tried approaching via Kirkdale as suggested, and would agree it makes entering the area easier. That said, after another look I think the traffic and parking might still be a bit more hassle even with a driveway than I’d like day-to-day, especially with regular visitors.

I suspect if there were parking controls I’d probably look at it more seriously, but as things stand I’m likely to keep looking elsewhere.

That said, it does seem like a great area overall — thanks again for all the advice, it’s been really useful.