... with the waterfront opened up, work on the new DLR station much in evidence and with a number of large scale developments going through planning approval process which should transform some of the more neglected corners of the town centre.

A little way to go before the evening street scene loses the ‘kids hanging around a kebab shop’ feel but lots of reasons to be optimistic for more changes for the good over the next couple of years or so.
D Fisher

... Ok it has its problems - but this is London and kids are kids (who sometimes like to act tough). I've lived and worked in Hackney where the kids are proper tough so Plumstead is tame by comparison.

The prices there, as in many parts of London are stupid to almost criminal. I bought a 3 bedroom semi detached Victorian cottage in Plumstead about 3 years ago for £165K which at the time was well over a third of what you would have to pay in other buroughs in London, including Hackney, which doesn't have the transport connections and has all of the problems of inner city life.

Plumstead is green and pleasant and full of history, but without being too gentrified. I would agree that it’s not cool and people don't come out of their way to come here because there are no exceptional pubs or restaurants. BUT THIS WILL CHANGE! I'm glad to say my house has gone up by £70K in the 3 years.

Check out the second to last comment below which is a real indication of how much prices have risen! Buy fast because it’s creeping up all the time. Oh and the improvements to the High Street should be complete soon - in time for the Tour de France which comes through here in July - Yeeeha!
D Claxton

... In the heart of Woolwich there are some modern flats, which already look a bit dated, however with the DLR coming along, the prices for these flats will rocket. There are some old warehouses which have been converted on the river bank, but these are over priced yet luxurious. Seeing that freehold houses are available with more space across the road, why not buy those and convert/renovate?

Woolwich is ethnically diverse, which is great with bargains to be found in regards to buying food and household items. The place lacks any real entertainment however, and it is quite a trek to the West End on a Saturday, particularly the return journey. Travel to Docklands is complimented by a river bus which runs till 8pm.

Shooters Hill is great, fantastic place to live, with great views, some nice old fashioned property, but a car is essential. Professional people living around the place, close proximity to A2, and so Gatwick Airport and Bluewater are easy to reach as are City Airport and Heathrow. Shooters Hill is very green.

Plumstead on the North side is good, very green and some nice properties. Overall, a good place to invest. Ok to live in if you want to take a trek to get anywhere in central London. I would personally buy in Shooters Hill only though.
Asar

Our house actually backs onto East Wickham open space (which is actually Bexley, Kent) so were right on the edge of the London Postal Code. The open space is a vast expanse of green field and Shooters Hill Golf Club is also nearby.

I think it is a nice and pleasant place to live. The open spaces, gardens and green lands are splendid for both serious jogging and pleasant strolls.

The Woolwich DLR is opening in 2007 and the area has been earmarked for regeneration. There is a good selection of shops in Woolwich and Bexleyheath Shopping Centre is bigger. Bluewater is 20 minutes by car and you're into Central London within 25 minutes by Train.

My neighbours are fantastic, very friendly and unobtrusive (being a spatially-challenged urban-townie!). There are plenty of local amenities stretching from Woolwich, Charlton, Bexleyheath and Greenwich!

You may also like to join the local conservation group which campaigns to safeguard the unique landscape of the common.

Plumstead is definitely the next 'HOT SPOT' of London, so don't miss out, especially for 1st time buyers getting a foothold onto the property ladder.

It's only half hour to Charing Cross. We got so much more for our money. Great place to buy your first home. Woolwich and the surrounding areas are very green and clean. Sure the house prices will rise here and the surrounding areas soon.

If you are thinking of moving here then choose somewhere closer to Plumstead Common than the high street. It is quite grotty down there by the train station. The common is cleaner, quieter and obviously greener.

Plumstead is not 'cool' like Camden or Crouch End, but it is a nice, friendly, pleasant place to live that is affordable.

The schools are quite good and I got my son a year 3 place in a "Beacon School" without any problems.

It is like a little overlooked gem and hence the house prices are still not overly inflated like the rest of London. I think for this reason it is attracting young families and obviously a lot of first time house owners.

But like everything, I think soon the secret will be out, plus the Planned DLR (2007) at Woolwich is also another reason why prices are likely to go up in the surrounding areas.

We've made a considerable number of friends in the area (we've noticed it's very popular with Finnish people for some reason) and there is a good "community" feel.

Transport is acceptable, from most areas of Plumstead Common you can get to Woolwich Arsenal station in about 15 mins if everything goes smoothly.

The Woodlands Estate is served directly by the 291 bus, which generally runs okay. Woolwich Arsenal has very regular services, every 10 mins or so to London Bridge, Cannon Street, Waterloo East & Charring Cross; the line is served by South Eastern Railways which aren't the best when it comes to clean or on-time trains. A journey into the city will not take more than 40 - 50 mins, and there are fast trains, which will do it in half the time.

A huge benefit to the area is the DLR extension currently being built at Woolwich Arsenal. This will provide 20 min access to Canary Wharf and about 30 mins to Bank; it's already started and will be finished in 2008. This, if nothing else, will make the very reasonable house prices (for London) rocket. In addition, the huge Royal Arsenal regeneration is going in and around WA, again this will set prices heading upwards for the likes of Plumstead.

Although not fully approved there is also a new bridge across the Thames planned running from Thamesmead to Beckton, again another huge boon for the area.

Plumstead Common is well served for local shops; it has a selection on the Woodlands Estate (The Slade) and another set on Plumstead Common Road.

Pubs are present but at this moment in time the owners just haven't brought themselves up to date with the new blood coming into the area. They're all harmless but hardly inviting for people new to the area. They look run down, dirty and aggressive.

The ones looking out directly over Plumstead Common (The Prince Albert, The Old Mill) do themselves a great disservice, considering their enviable location, by having mottled glass windows and manky old curtains preventing you from seeing the interior; there is nothing more off-putting than not being able to judge a pub or bar before you step through the door! Both pubs have good outdoor seating for the summer though; you can watch the world go by on the common from The Prince Albert.

The Who'd A Thought It lets itself down by not managing the space outside the premises and letting people almost pile there cars on top of each other. In its favour it does great cheap food and serves a decent pint.

The Star is a good pub, probably the best of them all, presented very nicely but currently still very old fashioned. What Plumstead needs is a decent cafe or pub looking out over the beautiful common that realises the huge potential the area has. All the people new to the area (commuters) will flock to it.

All in all I would say Plumstead is good (around the Common anyway), it's popular with young families and is becoming increasing popular with commuters (the platform at Woolwich Arsenal is always rammed).

It's got its fair share of muppets on mopeds and chavvy little council kids but other than loitering around looking hard and throwing the odd egg at the 291 then it's fairly tame.

The same can't be said for the areas closer to Woolwich itself though, I've not experienced any problems directly nor do I know anyone who has but I have seen the police incident signs several times - but then this is the case in most parts of poor London, I believe. I wouldn't want to scare anybody but it's important to be honest. I imagine it's a case of trouble follows trouble so decent folk should be fine.

You can still buy a 3 bed terraced house with garden on a good street for £175k. Considering the reasonable transport and the nearby green open spaces I think this is remarkably cheap. From what I've seen on the Woodlands Estate people are starting to catch on to how popular the area is becoming with all the improvements it's undergoing - houses are selling all over the place.

The area around the common is very quiet, safe and clean. I do not understand why the house prices are low. I'm guessing that it's due to the fact that it's not on the underground map. In terms of shopping, there's a Co-op on the common and several small shops dotted around. I often drive to Sainsbury's in Woolwich. There's also a M&S there. Greenwich peninsula Sainsbury's is 15 mins away so is the North Greenwich tube. There's very little traffic in this part of town which makes it easy to get around. I can get to Bluewater in 25 mins.

And the most important thing is value for money - where else in London could you find a lovely 2 - 3 bedroom house with a garden for under £150,000?

This cheap area of London is vibrant and safe; there is much development and the housing stock is tremendous with the added bonus that you will not have to pay stamp duty on properties under £150,000.

Blackheath is also only a stone's throw away and the facilities there cater for all needs.

Buy here; but before the inevitable price rises!

Good luck. Robert Ailsby.

We have now lived here for about five months and already we a seeing some fantastic jumps in the property prices but if you decide to have a look around you will find them still well below the average. A good place to start is Harrison Ingram.

We are enjoying the pace of life that Plumstead offers and are just waiting for the boom that will invertably hit this developing area.

My only specifications for a property, especially as I was a first time buyer, was that it was bigger than a studio and it had good transport links.

At first I was not convinced but for example it would take me 35 very cramped, hot and sweaty minutes to get from Tooting to London Bridge - this was wintertime and I dread to think about summer!!!!! As compared to 20 minutes from Plumstead to London Bridge - and I always get a seat.

Granted the tube is every 3 minutes but when the trains are as frequent as 9 an hour, who cares.

Now the area; its 'cool', safe and plenty of pretty places. There is plenty to do with a gym and plenty of pubs, a club and takeaways. My only downer is that it does not have a 'Blockbuster'.

These are the reasons you should buy:

1 I bought a three bedroom house for £85,000 in 2002.
2 Fantastic Transport Links.
3 DLR planned for the area - 2007.
4 Safe and plenty to do.
5 Gym.
6 Stamp duty exempt area for properties under £150,000.

All I would like to see is more suits and maybe we all will make a fortune in a couple of years time!

With its easy links to both central London and the south coast from Woolwich Arsenal station and the coming extension to the Docklands Light Railway we think that Woolwich is THE place to be!

Sadly, not every part of SE18 is so nice. Woolwich has been neglected for years and not unlike other areas in London, being out late at night isn't advisable.

There are also no real places of entertainment locally, however, Blackheath and Greenwich aren't too far away, as are Bexelyheath and further afield Bluewater.

There are some excellent bargains to be had. When I lived in the area I brought a two up-two down terraced house. When selling, I made 75% on it in five years!

The area itself is fine, it has all the amenities that you could possibly want whilst being able to buy a 1 bedroom flat that is only five years old for £72,000. Yes that's right, £72,000, you tell me where else you can buy such a cheap property in London.

Our leaving comment is strike, and strike while the iron is hot if you want to find proprities like ours for the price we paid.

Good luck and hopefully you will join the revolution of sensible buying.

Our Woolwich Market has been selling wares for over 100 years (originally selling Wool - hence Woolwich). We are also the Gunners and our army barracks history is still evident for all to see. A long time ago employees of the armoury played league football, calling themselves the Arsenal (originally Dial Square FC).

Woolwich is a wonderful vibrant and bubbly town and anyone who lives here will tell you it has a charming character. Close enough to be called a Londoner but far enough to enjoy the fresh air of Oxleas Woods and Shrewsbury Park...the Woolwicher!