What is Fleet, Hampshire like?

HangTime

HangTime

HangTime

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TL;DR version: Considering moving to Fleet, opinions wanted

Proper version: I am currently researching potential commuter towns to move to that are South-West of London (the criteria are a bit more complex, but in broad terms we need reasonably fast access to London by train, and Southampton & Salisbury by road). Top of my list currently is Fleet, and hence I am looking to get some anecdotal evidence in terms of what is is like, recommendations on best/worst areas etc. To give some background as to what we are looking for in a new home:

-Would need to be within walking distance of the train station, so reasonably central rather than a nearby village
-Priority for us is safety, low crime, quiet area etc rather than lots of nightlife etc
-We have a young child so need good nursery/pre-school (and subsequently infant school) facilities
-Having suffered with slow broadband the past 6 years I would like somewhere that has FTTC as a minimum (and ideally cable as an option too).

So far we like what we have seen for the most part although I did notice a few vacant lots and closed shops (on a Saturday!) in the shopping centre which set a few alarm bells ringing. In fact the town centre seemed fairly quiet in general for a Saturday afternoon.

Other things that would be useful to hear about include:
-What competition for school places is like i.e. typical catchment areas (where we currently live, if you are more than half a mile from the primary school you won't get in)
-Buoyancy of housing market i.e. are housing typically selling fast and/or around the asking price or would one?
-Commuter experience i.e. are the majority of trains standing room only?
-Any 'random' problems one might not anticipate e.g. additional charges around newer estates, bizarre local government setup etc

Cheers.
 
Thanks - actually it's the other way round (Fleet is a part of Hart). Just looking for some anecodotal evidence as I've ready the surveys etc and am not 100% convinced (e.g. Fareham made the top 50 which I find very hard to believe!).
 
The couple of times i've been to Fleet, i liked it, went to a nice italian restaurant there last time i was there. I also liked Reigate if that would be an option. Lovely park there.
 
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Cant you Londoners just stay out of Hampshire please ?:)

Prices are absurd anyway without the tentacles of London stretching any further down here!
 
I lived in Fleet for years. The town centre is small but the shops are all pretty useful. It's all basically one long road that leads down to the train station. The station has recently been renewed and is quite modern now. Lots of people there work in London and commute.

They have a few annual events like the 'Fleet Carnival' which is a parade of floats. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's rubbish. There's Fleet Pond, which is quite nice for the kids.

It's a good place to live and I'd happily move back there.
 
My 2 pennies worth.

Basingstoke, mrs used to commute from basingstoke to south london.

Think the train to clapham is well under an hour. Just another option. :D
 
If you're planning on staying a while I'd consider somewhere on the Crossrail line. Twyford? Taplow? Burnham?
 
It's fleeting.

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Fleet is a great place to live. I personally wouldn't worry about the shops closing now, it now just has the "essentials" with restaurants opening in their place. I think people tend to shop in Camberley, Guildford etc resulting in some shops closing.
 
From a commuting point of view.. I get the 7:16 or 7:28 from Farnborough which previously stops at Fleet. There is normally always seats when it gets to us.

Shops are fine, has all you need. I sometimes go there instead of Farnborough as it's just 'nicer'.

I would look at Ancells Farm as it has local shops, a park, pub, and is in the catchment area. Also good for walking to the station.

Maybe also look at Elvetham Heath. It's a longer walk but has a supermarket, a primary school, a nursery, a pub, church, park, nature reserve etc. Will be more expensive however. Houses sell quick there and is considered to be a desirable place to live. Need to live near the school to be in catchment however.

Avoid 'The Lea' and All Saints School, IMO (lots of statemented children).

Fleet is also nice as it's 5 minutes away from country side. Also has lots of very good private schools.
 
There isn't going to be a lot of houses within a sensible walking distance of the station, but the town itself is nice enough. You could look either way up the train line too, Hook is pretty nice in terms of local-village feel and meets all of your criteria (including FTTC). Housing market is very competitive though!
 
Fleet is good. Its a bit of a 'functional' town with the long high street providing the essential shops. Quite a few of the retail units in the Hart Shopping centre are vacant and have been for some time, presumable because it doesn't get the footfall. It has a sainsburys, waitrose and M&S food for shopping essentials. Farnborough isn't far away and is more of a traditional town, although its appears to constantly be in a state of redevelopment. It sits in the middle of a triangle of Basingstoke, Reading and Guildford for city trips. As somebody else mentioned, they have just finished rebuilding the station and car park so its new and fresh, perfect for London commute.

The area in general is beautiful. There is lots of MoD land around you are free to walk on and enjoy.
 
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el_dazza said:
Where are you currently?
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Whiteley.
ci_newman said:
There isn't going to be a lot of houses within a sensible walking distance of the station
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I've been searching in a 1 mile radius and there is least some stuff coming on the market, but obviously not as much as I'd like that fits my criteria. The one plus point is we are not desperate for a quick move, so can bide our time.

manic111 said:
Pleasant but quiet
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Sounds good to us :)

Basingstoke - bit wary, the impression I get from others is it is cheap for a reason i.e. areas near station not that fantastic
Guildford - wouldn't totally discount it but concerns versus Fleet are links to Salisbury/Southampton, house prices and possibly(?) not quiet enough for what we want
Crossrail villages - probably too far North for us, although I might do a bit more digging

EliotG (and others) - useful info, thanks.
 
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