Tag Archives: Maidstone

Best places to live in Kent 2018 – Canterbury, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Ashford, Sandwich, Margate, West Malling

We have collated the results of several surveys to highlight the best towns and villages to live in Kent. We know that choosing the best place to live in Kent is very subjective, everyone has their own personal favourite town or village. Selecting the right place for you will depend on your personal circumstances, are you commuting, do you need access to good schools, are you a shopaholic etc? However, research and league tables do help define what each town can offer and provide a different perspective on life in various Kentish Towns. We have been looking online and have pulled together the top lists from a number of areas.

One Dome – Best towns and villages in Kent

One Dome, a property technology company, recently conducted some research into the best towns to live in Kent. Each town was measured using data from 70 sources and scored according to their own algorithm. The ranking was based upon education, transport links, lifestyle and nightlife, noise, crime, green spaces, public safety and access to groceries.

In One Dome’s view, Canterbury topped the charts by combining its cultural and historical heritage with some great education establishments and local nature areas. This makes it a hit with families and students alike. The full top five looks like this:

  1. Canterbury – Scored well for education, green spaces and historic landmarks. Not a great place for noise but good commuter links.
  2. Royal Tunbridge Wells – unsurprisingly this historic spa town scored well culturally, with plenty of green space, shops, restaurants and bars. Moving here does come with a price tag though!
  3. Belvedere – Easily commutable to London, being in zone 5, with lots of ‘Good’ schools as rated by OFSTED.
  4. Ashford – Scored well due to the high speed link to London along with plenty of shops and restaurants.
  5. Sandwich – small but attractive town, quiet place to live and only minutes from the coast. Not great if you’re looking to get to London in a hurry.

Dartford, Maidstone, Gillingham, Dover and Folkestone finished off the top ten, Sevenoaks just missed out in 11th spot.

One Dome also looked at Kent’s villages. They ranked our quaint settlements on Local Reality data and the top rated were:

  1. Eynsford
  2. St Mary’s Platt
  3. Ightham
  4. Staplehurst
  5. Brenchley
  6. Marden
  7. Langton Green
  8. Hawkhurst
ashford removals

Award Winning House Removals Company Kent.

Halifax Quality of Life Survey 2017

Interestingly, Kent has not done so well in the Halifax Quality of Life Survey 2017. We only managed to get one of our great towns into the top 50 this year, in 2014 we managed 5 (see our blog).  Well done to Tonbridge and Malling who secured 16th in the Halifax rankings.

Overall 17 of the top 50 were located in the South East and 4 in London. The South scored well in Halifax’s assessment due to high employment, and earnings as well as long life expectancy. The full top 20 ranking is here:

Local Authority Region 2017 Rankings 2016 Rankings
Hart South East 1 26
Orkney Islands Scotland 2 2
Rutland East Midlands 3 28
Wychavon West Midlands 4 3
Winchester South East 5 1
Wokingham South East 6 9
Waverley South East 7 17
Craven Yorkshire and The Humber 8 64
Richmondshire Yorkshire and The Humber 9 33
Stratford-on-Avon West Midlands 10 21
Uttlesford East of England 11 35
Ryedale Yorkshire and The Humber 12 29
Westminster London 13 44
South Oxfordshire South East 14 13
St Albans East of England 15 8
Tonbridge and Malling South East 16 14
East Herefordshire East of England 17 47
City of London London 18 20
Chiltern South East 19 10
Rugby West Midlands 20 32

The Newspapers

The Telegraph chose West Malling, specifically Kings Hill, as the best place to raise a family in the UK.  The Times rates Margate as one of the bets places to live in the UK in 2017.

Summary

There is a variety of choice out there and Kent has something to offer everyone. We have great commuter towns, seaside getaways, up and coming gems and picture postcard villages. Whatever you need for your own piece of perfect, Kent has an option for you. The league tables above offer some insight but are very dependent on the data and algorithms used, take them with a pinch of salt. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so don’t take these scores as fact, do your own research and find what is right for you.

Read more about the research and reports here:

https://www.onedome.com/blog/lifestyle/the-best-places-to-live-in-kent/ – besttowns

https://static.halifax.co.uk/assets/pdf/media-centre/press-releases/2017-10-14-halifax-reveals-top-spots-for-kids-press-release.pdf

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/pictures/11072925/Britains-top-20-places-to-raise-a-family.html?frame=3025899

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sunday-times-best-places-to-live-2017-3qkwjnvrm#/

House & Piano Removal Customer Feedback Jun-Aug 17

Check out some of the reviews we received for our house removals and piano removals services from the last few months. All the reviews are independently verified and are authentic customer comments. A massive thank you to all our customers who took the time to provide this hugely valuable feedback.

House Removal Feedback Faversham KentPiano Removal Review – Faverhsam Kent 15 August 17

Extremely competent skillful removers. Took endless care to avoid damage to house walls and instrument, which was very heavy.

House Removal Feedback DorsetHouse Removal Review from Kent to Dorset 8 August 17

The team of removal people were very friendly, courteous and polite and we were so happy that they took the time to check details with us and ask questions. It meant the move was much less stressful than it could have been.

 

Whitstable house removal feedbackHouse Removal Review Whistable Kent 27 July 17

The whole process was incredibly stress free. Everything went smoothly. Chris and Steven were an absolute delight. Friendly but professional, going the extra mile to ensure I was happy.

Everything was packed up and installed in my new home speedily but with care. I hadn’t imagined that the process would be so pleasurable but it was!

Customer review of house removal from Kent to NewportHouse Removal Review from Kent to Newport 20 July 17

The company made on 3 day removal as smooth as they could. They were helpful and courteous under trying conditions. We would have no hesitation in recommending them.

Kent house removal customer reviewHouse Removal Review – Sissinghurst Kent 18 July 17

We have had 8 moves in the last 20 years and this was the best by a mile. Chris H and Mark were brilliant!! We will certainly be recommending your company.

Many thanks Rob and Jill.

 

Sandwich house removal customer reviewHouse Removal Review – Sandwich Kent 11 July 17

The all round service was excellent. The team kept us informed and did what they said they would. Packing, loading and unloading were all smooth and efficient.

 

Customer comments on our house removal in Maidstone KentHouse Removal Review – Maidstone Kent 12 June 17

The Colin batt team were very professional, courteous super efficient in packing removal and safe delivery of our belonged to our new house on a hot day.

 

 

Feedback from a house removal Maidstone KentHouse Removal Review – Maidstone Kent 1 June 17

Steve and Walter were fantastic crew who made this move as easy and stress free as possible. Would recommend!

 

 

Check out all of our reviews at http://www.referenceline.com/removers_removals_companies-in-ashford-colinbattremovals-15104

House Removal Reviews February 2016

We are really pleased to say we have had some fantastic house removal reviews from our customers from Kent in February 2016. A big thank you to all the customers who took the time to give us this feedback. We really appreciate the feedback and overall 99% of our customers would recommend our house removal and piano moving services to their family and friends.

It is always great to receive positive comments but we want to hear all comments, good or bad. This is why all of our reviews are collated and verified by an independent company, Reference Line. This allows us to continuously challenge ourselves to improve our removals service. You can read all of our house removal reviews by following the link in the footer or clicking here – House Removal Reviews.

House Removal Reviews February 2016

Here are the reviews we received in February 2016:

Colin Batt Removals_Review_Maidstone_KENT_20160216Maidstone House Removal

Great service from the office staff and the team of guys who worked really hard on the day.

 

 

 

 

House Removal Reviews TenterdenTenterden House Removal

Excellent service from Colin Batts

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Removal Reviews MaidstoneMaidstone House Removal

The team were very courteous, helpful and flexible. they were very professional with removal of all items from the house. The move ‘in’ went equally well and flexibility and meeting our requirements was a key point of the success.

 

 

 

House Removal Reviews GillinghamGillingham House Removal

The team were terrific.

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Removal Reviews MaidstoneMaidstone House Removal

Very helpful. Dismantled big furniture pieces and reassembled where needed. Guys were courteous and listened to my needs and wants. Thank you!

 

 

 

 

Using the House Removal Reviews

Choosing a house mover is a tough job. Independent reviews help you to gain a true picture of a company’s performance. Always ask for references or search online for any removals ratings or reviews. Any reputable removal company, such as members of the British Association of Removers, will have a customer feedback procedure in place and will be able to show you their customers’  comments. Use these to help down-select the removal companies you like and then get a minimum of 3 quotes from different companies for your move.

 

Thinking of Moving to Maidstone?

Maidstone has much to offer being situated in the heart of Kent and only a stones throw from London as well as the coast. It is surrounded by some of the most picturesque villages in the South-East, without the hustle and bustle of some other commuter cities.

MaidstoneMaidstone is the administrative centre of Kent but surprisingly only has a population of 140,000 people. Sought-after areas of the town include Loose and Mote Park and there are several popular villages nearby such as Bearsted and Aylesford. The River Medway provides a beautiful back drop for the town which still has some wonderfully historic parts.

Maidstone House Prices

House prices in Maidstone have risen by 5.96% in the last year, according to Zoopla, with the average price paid for all properties being £282,904. This makes Maidstone really good value when you compare it to other commuter areas such as Surrey. For instance, the average price for a detached property in Maidstone is £446,433 whereas in Surrey the cost is £812,407.

One of Maidstone’s main draws for home buyers is education, with great schooling in and around the town. Several schools have an Ofsted grading of outstanding, including St Michael’s Church of England Infant School, Valley Park School and Maidstone Grammar School for Boys and Girls. Check out all the school reports at http://dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk

MaidstoneCulturally the town benefits from a plethora of attractions. You can catch a play at the Hazlitt theatre, explore over 600,000 objects at the Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery, all for free, or enjoy nature at its finest in the 450 acres of parkland at Mote Park. If retail therapy is more your thing check out Fremiln Walk and The Mall Maidstone, Maidstone is ranked in the top 5 shopping centres in the South-East for shopping yields.

Great Value Commuter Town

When you need to roam further afield, London can be reached by train in under an hour, or even 35 minutes if you’re prepared to drive to nearby Stroud. The M20 also gives easy access to London, including Gatwick and Heathrow which are 45 and 65 miles away respectively.

Maidstone has considerable appeal with its proximity to London, great schools and culture. If you’re considering moving house the value that Maidstone offers is considerable. Thinking of moving to maidstone? Why wouldn’t you.

Five Kent Towns in Top 50 Best Places to Live in UK: Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford, Maidstone and Tonbridge

Five of Kent’s towns have been ranked in the top 50 best places to live in Britain according to the Halifax Quality of Life Survey 2014, great news if you are moving to Kent or the South-East. We all know that Kent has some of the best places to live and it is nice that this is recognised.

The highest placed Kent town was Sevenoaks, which ranked 14th, followed by Tunbridge Wells which achieved 31st place. Ashford ranked in 38th, Tonbridge and Maidstone were 42nd and 44th respectively. If you are thinking of buying a house and moving to Kent you can’t go far wrong with these towns, they offer something for everyone.

Local Councillors of the top towns were very pleased. Leader of Ashford Borough Council, Gerry Clarkson, said:

Being named as the 38th best place in which to live in the UK is pleasing. It echoes everything residents have told us about the borough as a desirable place to live.

Nicolas Heslop, leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said good schools, transport links to London and leisure facilities played a part in the borough’s placing.

As a region the South East dominates the survey, with over half of the towns found in this area. Hart in Hampshire was crowned the winner, as it has been for 4-straight years. Though, interestingly, only two London boroughs, Kensington and Chelsea and Bromley, made the top 50.

This is the ninth year that Halifax has completed the survey, which takes into account a variety of factors such as the labour market, housing, physical environment, health, education and personal well-being. Data is compiled from public agencies such as the Office for National Statistics, the Met Office and the British Crime Survey to produce the report.

What do you think – do you agree with the survey? We would love to hear your views on the best places to live in Kent and the South East. Where would you move to if you had the choice and why would you move house? Leave your comments and views below.

Kent Towns in Best Places to Live in UK

Top 50 Best Places to Live in the UK 2014

 

To find out more about the Quality of Life Survey check out the following link:

www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/globalassets/documents/media/press-releases/halifax/2014/quality-of-life-2014-final.pdf