Southborough has recently grabbed the attention of the nation after being named by The Times as one of the top 3 towns they have highlighted in 2021 as being the ‘Top Towns to live’ in the UK! Their article recognises that since the pandemic the increase in home working as well as our natural desire to have more privacy and access to open spaces has made the prosperous provincial towns have become ever more desirable.
Although Southborough feels like a suburb of Tunbridge Wells it is in fact a town in its own right with approximately 9,000 residents. The new Southborough Civic Centre is a hub for services such as the library, a pharmacy, community rooms and offices to hire.
Driving in to Tunbridge Wells from the north, either from the M25, Sevenoaks or neighbouring Tonbridge, takes you through Southborough passing the idyllic Southborough cricket pitch and 75 acres of woods known as Southborough Common. Not only has cricket been played on Southborough common for over 200 years, cricket balls were also manufactured in Southborough up until the 70’s.
As The Times reports, some of the factors that make towns like Southborough so desirable today are that it has access to:
Parks, greenery and woodland. Pennington Grounds at the northern perimeter which has outdoor gym equipment, tennis courts, volleyball and a basketball court as well as a children’s play area. From the rear you can walk out into fields and woods. The Ridgewaye provides football pitches, dog walking space and outstanding long-distance views being on a high elevation beside pretty allotments.
Independent shops. Southborough butchers is highly acclaimed. The Earl Grey Tea Rooms is a popular spot for tea and cake. There are numerous excellent hair and beauty salons including the relatively new The Makeup & Hair Bar, The Gallery and Hair Workshop.
Schools. Southborough Cof E primary school is rated good by Ofsted and hence is very popular. Within walking distance or a very short bus ride there is a choice of outstanding or good selective grammar schools for secondary age pupils; Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Girls (known as TWGGS), Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, Tonbridge Grammar School (ToGS), The Judd School and The Skinners School (both boys only until sixth form). For those who prefer a non-selective option, Bennett Memorial Diocesan School and St Gregory’s Catholic School are also in the neighbouring St John’s district of Tunbridge Wells so easily accessible. See more in our Belvoir Schools Blog.
Transport Links. One of the real selling points of Southborough over central Tunbridge Wells has historically been the access to transport links. In 10 minutes you could drive the 3 miles approx. to Tonbridge Station (which has more trains going through it than Tunbridge Wells) or you have easy access to drive out of town to the M25 without fighting the town traffic.
One of the nice aspects of living in Southborough is that it is almost as quick to get to Tonbridge as it is to the Pantiles side of Tunbridge Wells and though stalwart Tunbridge Wells residents may not wish to admit it, Tonbridge is really on the up! There are a lovely batch of independent shops opening up near the castle, popular recurring events at the castle such as the Food & Drink Festival, the Artisan Market and Tonbridge Music Weekend. There is direct access to the River Medway which is increasingly popular for stand up paddle-boarding and kayaks as well as rowing. And last but not least, Tonbridge has a Waitrose (and the bragging rights that come with it).
The Property Market, Southborough
Southborough benefits from having a mix of flats, terraced period houses, large detached homes and everything in between. As with all areas, there is a mix of property types and sizes.
Sales:
Property prices have risen over 2020/21 by 26% (YoY at Sept 2021). The average price of a home being just under £444k currently. The highest value property sale in the last month was in fact £1.85m but average prices by property type are shown in the chart below (as at end July 2021):
Houses achieve an average selling price of just under £510k which will compare favourably to central Royal Tunbridge Wells (RTW) despite being only 10 minutes drive away, see the chart below on which the upper line is RTW.
Lettings:
Belvoir have had a portfolio of properties in Southborough for over 10 years. Houses close to the common are always popular with dog owners and family size properties will always rent easily due to the excellent choice of schools in a convenient distance plus good transport links for those travelling to work in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Orpington or London.
The average rent in the 12 months to July 2021 was £1219pcm which is +25% year on year. This is broken down further by number of bedrooms in the chart below:
There is a roughly 50/50 split in the age of tenants with approximately half being under 30 and half over 30. Similarly, 42% of the properties rented were flats whereas 58% were houses so it’s very clearly an area with something for everyone.
Please call our experienced property team at Belvoir Tunbridge Wells for any queries about living in Southborough. We’d love to help you with your property enquiry whether it is for a rental, a sale or a property to buy. We would be delighted to speak to any existing property owners in the Southborough area who need help managing their rental property – we know the market and are on your doorstep.
Belvoir Tunbridge Wells: 01892 615333 email: tunbridgewells@belvoir.co.uk
