Overview of W11 3BY, Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill

The upside to living in Kensington is convenient public transportation, nearby parks and diverse amenities. There are also good dining spots and many shops in my street. The area is now geared toward catering to tourists. Overall personally I don't see myself living here in High Street Kensington for a long period of time as it can be very loud at night and might be looking into other alternatives within west London.   

Transport

The area is very convenient to all tube lines (yellow and green line) and several bus stations all over the neighborhood. It can get very crowded sometimes, especially during weekdays at peak hour. The service is excellent: clean, reliable, frequent. The traffic can be annoying at times.

Community

If I could rate W8 as a whole, I would and at 5 stars. However, this is asking about my specific street, which is High Street Kensington, and I cannot rate it 5 stars for several reasons. Being located at the centre of the commercial area, it is a fight to get home driving along any adjacent street is nearly impossible. Often times I find myself walking in the street. The housing availability is also abysmal. I do not often see rentals available because the neighborhood is more business-oriented. On the plus side, commuting is easy because it is a stone's throw from nearly all the main bus lines. You have several restaurants around. Shopping is made easy because you are near all of the shops. Also, despite the convenience of the area, there is a lot of tourist and local traffic which makes it difficult to have a serene, relaxing place to reside in this area.

Amenities

This area is filled with lots of pubs and restaurants, primarily British and Irish, fast-food, coffee shops, pharmacy/drug stores which most are opened 24 hours and delis. I feel like there is not much variety of restaurants. There plenty of clothing stores for men, women, and children, catering to all types of styles. Besides the restaurants and a few delis which are locally owned, all other food and retail establishments are corporations and franchises. There are gyms to work out in and one can run/ bike outside. The gyms are nice and have a lot of equipment to use. Most people do a lot of walking in the area. I personally do a lot of walking and enjoy running.

I like the local amenities - it is near the market and supermarket, it is easy to travel to work and to the West End for an evening out. The transport links are fairly good, particularly in off-peak times, and I do like the diversity of the area and its history of music and arts. It is quirky and eclectic, and for the 30+ years I have been here, I can't imagine living anywhere else. However, it is marketed by Kensington and Chelsea council as upmarket and the prices of the properties and housing reflect this, but in reality it feels as though residents are overlooked in favour of the tourists because of the amount of money they bring into the area. There is little residents on low to mid-incomes can afford, because once the bills, rent and council tax is paid, there is not much left. The area is reasonably safe for children and pets, but perhaps some times of the week such as evenings during a Saturday and Sunday, things may not be child-appropriate due to antisocial behaviour especially during the summer. There are many smaller parks and areas to walk dogs etc, so I would say it is pet-friendly, but many dog owners are irresponsible with dog mess which is a problem in the area. Crime is fairly low in some of the areas, but quite high around the council estates and some council housing blocks.

Transport

The area is served by three main tube stations - Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park and Notting Hill Gate. All within at least a 1 mile radius. The buses are also fairly regular (7, 23, 70), but since the 23 was re-routed from Liverpool Street to Hammersmith, the bus is quite often empty because the Hammersmith and City and Circle lines to Hammersmith is a much quicker journey. The buses and trains are fairly fast during off-peak hours, but can be slow and interrupted during peak times. The night tubes and buses are also fairly fast, regular and smooth because they are during off-peak hours. I cannot comment on the cycle routes, but I have seen many routes which appear to be safe and away from traffic, especially in areas off the beaten track rather than the main roads.

Community

There is a mix of council, housing association and privately owned properties. Although it is an expensive area and is considered "posh" by outsiders due to the number of VIP people who live in W11, there is a significant number of people on low and middle incomes, and needing financial assistance. There is a deep divide between rich and poor. To see this divide, start walking from the end of Lancaster Road known for the multi-coloured Victorian houses, and keep walking in a straight line - you will reach the area where Grenfell Tower burnt down in 2017. You would not believe it is the same road. Same if you walk down one end of Portland Road to the other. There is a mix of families, single people, elderly people, students, new migrants and refugees, and descendants of the original Caribbean immigrants from the 1950s and 1960s. All live reasonably well together, but in some areas there is also a great deal of social problems, crime, drugs, fraud and anti-social behaviour which is not always evident to outsiders.

Amenities

Generally good range of amenities, particularly the pubs and fruit and vegetable stalls in Portobello Road and street food in Acklam Road. I love the bric a brac stalls in Golborne Road too. I feel the amenities missing are a good bicycle shop since the Bicycle Workshop on All Saints Road closed down in 2017, a newsagent on All Saints Road, and more affordable restaurants and pubs for locals and those on a lower budget. For example, the Chipping Forecast on All Saints Road sells fish and chips at approximately £19 per portion, which is well outside of many people's price bracket. The only affordable pub in the area for locals is the Earl of Lonsdale in Portobello Road, which sells a pint of beer on average £3.50-4, or Jay Dee's Caribbean restaurant on All Saints Road, which sells lunch for £5. There are many places for tourists to enjoy, but very little that locals and those on a budget can enjoy in an already expensive area.

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