Located in Travelcard zone 3, both Streatham and Norbury are well-connected suburbs. With a safe community vibe, excellent public transport links and a variety of green spaces, SW16 has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. With many people finding themselves priced out of the Clapham, Balham and Brixton markets, migrating a little further south means finding a nice affordable family home is a possibility.

Streatham High Road is not only the longest High Road in Britain, but it was also voted Britain’s worst street in 2002! Since then, £millions has been invested in regeneration. SW16 is one of London’s thriving postcodes: its parks, food scene, leisure facilities, great schools and fantastic transport links to Central London, Croydon, Gatwick airport and the South Coast are now drawing young professionals and families into the area.

In the first of our area guides, we have pulled together all of our favourite places to be discovered in SW16, helping you get to grips with what Streatham and Norbury have to offer.

Property prices

The average price for property in SW16 stood at £522,947 in September 2020. This is a rise of 3.02% in the last three months (since June 2020) and rise of 3.14% in the last 12 months. In terms of property types, flats in SW16 sold for an average of £366,838 and terraced houses for £571,894. This is according to the current Zoopla estimates.

Rental prices

Property Rents in SW16

Schools

There are a number of Outstanding and Good schools (as rated by Ofsted) including St. Andrew’s Catholic Primary and Woodmansterne primary schools and Dunraven which caters for children from primary to sixth form, Bishop Thomas Grant and Norbury Manor. For information on other local schools visit: https://www.schoolguide.co.uk/best-schools-in/Norbury

Transport

The busy A23 London to Brighton Road runs through Streatham. Although there is no tube, there are four railway stations. Trains to Victoria from Streatham Hill, Streatham Common or Norbury take from 22 – 18 minutes, trains to London Bridge from Streatham Hill, Streatham Common or Norbury take from 25 -30 minutes, and Thameslink trains from Streatham to St Pancras or London Bridge take a little over half an hour. All stations are in Zone 3 and an annual travelcard costs £1,696 pcm.

Streatham and Norbury are also served by several bus routes where you can catch the tube from Brixton (zone 2) or Tooting Bec and Balham (zone 3).

Festivals

Streatham loves a festival, hosting the Streatham Food Festival in June and the Streatham Festival in July. Due to COVID-19, the Streatham food festival has been delayed until September 2020.

Food & Drink

You won’t be short of places to eat out in SW16. Streatham and Norbury are full of award-winning restaurants. From vibrant brasseries such as Perfect Blend in Streatham Hill close to the junction with Leigham Court Road to Spanish Tapas at Bar 61 (rated 3rd of all UK restaurants on Trip Advisor) further along Streatham High Road. Heading towards Streatham Common and Norbury, Café Barcelona close to Streatham station is a lovely spot for brunch and throughout September 2020 they are offering 30% off on Mondays – Wednesdays. If you do pop in, we recommend you try their custard tarts!

If you are looking for something a little spicier, then head further down the A23 to Norbury and try Karachi Cuisine for some delicious authentic Pakistani food, they too are offering a discount on Mondays – Wednesdays so eat in or get a take away on these days and benefit from 25% off. If you prefer Italian flavours then head over to Norbury’s Sorrento Inn (currently open for takeaways only due to COVID-19).

Close to Norbury station, you can grab dessert at Kaspas ice cream parlour (very popular with locals) and a coffee at Affogato, or why not try the newly opened Fat Twins Halal burger restaurant? A brand new café has just opened up in Norbury which we are quite excited to try; Woodland Café. Described as ‘a fairy tale, set deep in the woods, where you can sip coffee, make crumbs & dream,’ we think Woodland Café sounds like a fabulous new foodie destination for Norbury.

Whatever flavours tickle your fancy, you won’t be short of choice in Streatham and Norbury. For more information on where you can eat out visit: https://www.mystreatham.com/food-and-drink/

Nightlife & Leisure

Streatham has a wide range of pubs serving great food and with sunny beer gardens, including The Rabbit Hole on Greyhound Lane opposite Streatham Common has one of the largest beer gardens in SWI6 and features stunning Alice in Wonderland murals. One of our favourite haunts for a night out is The Hideaway, one of London’s leading jazz venues and hosts a weekly comedy night. A brand-new Antic pub is planned for Norbury; The Norbonne and Stable. Work is underway, sadly due to COVID-19 this much longed-for pub for Norbury is yet to open.

If you want to catch the most recent blockbuster then head no further than The Odeon in Streatham, our local multiplex cinema. SW16 is fortunate to benefit from not one, bur two local libraries, Streatham and Norbury (currently closed for refurbishment).

The Great Outdoors

Residents in Streatham and Norbury are very lucky to have an abundance of green spaces and hidden gems to help them explore the great outdoors. Although not strictly in Streatham, Tooting Bec Common is a popular destination, featuring one of London’s oldest lidos – Tooting Bec Lido. Built in just 4-months in 1906 it was originally known as Tooting Bathing Lake and became a lido in the 1930s. Featuring stunning art deco architecture, the lido is the UK’s largest open-air swimming pool and it remains open all year round. If you are a keen runner then Tooting also hosts Park Run every Saturday morning, as well as Tooting Bec Athletics Track, the training ground for South London’s successful Herne Hill Harriers.

Other green spaces include Streatham Common which holds an annual kite-flying day in June and the nearby Rookery, a beautiful formal garden featuring some stunning Victorian Gardens including the White Garden. The Rookery is a wonderful calm green space, a secret a garden in the middle of SW16 with views to the Surrey Countryside and is the perfect place to find some peace and calm. The pathway behind the Rookery through some small woods you will pass Streatham’s very own Ink Spot Brewery, where they make a variety of lagers and ales. The path will lead you to Norwood Grove which features a mansion (now converted into beautiful apartments) set in ornamental garden and grounds. Norbury Park is a great local green space featuring a basketball court and a new BMX track, perfect for keeping children occupied.

Our favourite hidden gem in Norbury for getting away from it all is Biggin Wood. The last remaining part of the ancient Great North Wood, a large area of woodland which once covered part of South London, The Woodland Trust is working with the Friends of Biggin Wood to conserve this area for wildlife. A small woodland tucked away in Norbury; Biggin Wood is an enchanted place that is filled with beautiful bluebells in Springtime.

Sport, Fitness & Wellbeing

The fitness and wellbeing scene in Streatham and Norbury has seen an explosion in popularity over recent years and there is a plethora of choice for those who like to spend their time working up a sweat. The newly built Streatham Ice & Leisure Centre has a swimming pool and ice rink and a variety of group classes from spin to pilates to legs, bums and tums. Other gyms in the local area in The Gym, Virgin Active and the brand new Energie Fitness. If you’re looking for more one-to-one strength training the Norbury’s brand new Boxing Fitness is for you. A small, friendly gym that hires qualified personal coaches, here you can benefit from the undivided attention you would normally get from a Personal Trainer.

If yoga is more your thing then we are fortunate enough to have a choice of yoga studios in SW16. Yogarise on Streatham High Road features a light and bright café area and offers a range of socially distanced yoga and pilates classes available on a monthly membership or pay as you go basis either at the studio or streamed live online. If you prefer a heated class then The Yoga Edge offers heated dynamic vinyasa flow classes and yin in their boutique studio just off Streatham High Road; in Streatham Hill, the Wellbeing 95 studio holds small classes so all clients receive individual attention and care from their experienced Instructors.

Norbury Park Lawn Tennis Club ‘South London’s friendliest club’ can be found on Ederline Avenue. Established in 1889 this lovely club has four well-maintained tarmacadam tennis courts that members can use between 8 am and dusk, and floodlights that can be used up to 10 pm. Membership is available and courts are available on a pay and play basis costing £9.00 per hour. Hosting a range of competitive tennis tournaments for all abilities, as well as a clubhouse, Norbury Lawn Tennis Club is central to the local community and the best place to see the fireworks on 5 November!

Holistic, Spa & Beauty

Every now and then, we all need to implement self-care and some much needed ‘me-time.’ SW16 features many ways for you to get the all-important downtime, from acupuncture and to day-spas, to massage. Being based in South London you can expect 5* treatment without the price tag. A firm favourite in the Heaven Estate Agents office is Suwanna’s Thai Spa, where you can book a variety of different massages from Thai, Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy, Couples, Hot Stone and many more. Other day spas include Angel Nails, The Remedie Rooms and Little Jannah (female only). For more information on where else you can visit see Treatwell.

We hope our comprehensive guide to SW16 has piqued your interest in moving to what we think is one of South London’s most exciting postcodes. If you are a local, where are your favourite places to visit? Comment below and we can keep adding to our area guide together!

If you’re looking to buy, sell, rent or let in Streatham or Norbury, contact the Heaven Estate Agents’ team today.