Dear All,
I have been reading the threads for a few weeks trying to find out info re. Sheffield neighborhoods but the comments on the area we are interested in (Netheredge/ Sharrow) are a bit fifty/fifty and seem to depend on which road is under scrutiny. We are family of four (two small children) who are moving to Sheffield this summer and have fallen (in a big way) for a house on Steade Road. We have been told that the school catchment is not the greatest but we are a catholic family and would probably aim for one of the catholic or other very good primaries thereabouts and then one of the catholic secondaries. We seek any local and informed opinion concerning Steade Road and round-abouts. We have been given some basically negative views by our only two Sheffield contacts regarding crime/safety/mum and kids walking to shops etc, but neither actually live in the neighborhood (one in Millhouses the other in Endcliff Rise) and I am wondering what the local view would be. Neither of us are stangers to city life (have lived in various London boroughs and in Brooklyn, NYC) and we are eager to join a vibrant, multicultural community -- just not one with any aggressive/anti-social tendencies. Is it possible the Steade Road and surrounding area represents such a place? Thanks in advance for comments/help.

Welcome to the forum :)

See here...

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32196&highlight=nether+edge

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18233&highlight=nether+edge

and possibly here

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3125&highlight=nether+edge

for previous discussion.

Aaah, good old Steade Road. I remember the halcyon days when my bloke lived in a bedsit there which made Rigby's lodging house appear luxurious in comparison.
The landlord was ok (for ok, read mad), but one or two of the people laddo shared the house with were a trifle odd, shall we say.
And I'll never forget waking up one morning to the sound of the former smackhead in the next room being beaten senseless by someone he owed money to. Happy Days......
I believe the house was flogged a year or so ago and done up - could be the one you have your eye on?
If so, under the spanking new paint there will be at least one fly-blown Tupac poster - nothing to do with us, I hasten to add.

Actually, that came across as hideously negative so I should just add, regarding the actual area we never had any bother at all, the neighbours were sound and the local pubs (esp the Bottle and Barrel) were very nice indeed.
There - redressed the balance a bit now!

I work in Sharrow which is close to Nether Edge, and the majority of people are lovely. There are a lot of students in the area which is why theres quite a high burglery rate, but as long as your house looks secure and well kept they shouldnt target it, as they know that student houses are easy targets. The community spirit around Sharrow is really good. Theres the Sharrow festival every year which is really vibrant with food and music from lots of different cultures. Also you'll be able to get your kids into the closest catholic school, which is probably St Wilfrids, and Holt House school is also good. thats further along Abbeydale Road.

Thanks Greybeard. I had looked at those threads but wanted to ask once more because of balanc eof negative/positive comments and sense that it was a street by street thing.

Thanks also, I think, Sheffette; hopefully the heroin and violent debt collection problem is no longer what it once was. And also thanks to NicolaE for upbeat message.

Simonsimon

I live in the sharrow. nether edge area myself, and I love it.

If you are looking for a Catholic chuch for your worship, etc, there is Mother of God church, just round the corner from Steade Road, on Abbeydale Road, (just go down toward the bottom of Steade, where it levels out, and take a left onto Saint Ronan's Road, toward Abbeydale Road).

There's the very well supplied bus routes, on Abbeydale road, direct to the city centre (the 2, 74, 75, 76, 97 and 97a for a start) if it's the abbeydale road end you wil be at. Alternatively if you are at the top end, then there's the number 22 which runs along Wostenholme Road, which has a 10 minute service in the day.

Lots of "ethnic" grocers, where you can buy spices, and other ingredients/ supplies for your cooking at a very reasonable price. (there's even a 24 hour spar next to the abbeydale picture palace, should you need grocery supplies in the wee hours)

If you like antiques, there are swarms of antique shops along the main road.

pubs are not as thick on the ground, there's the stag, up on psalter lane (historic links, see elsewhere on the forum!), and the broadfield, on abbeydale road. or, at the Nether edge terminus, there's the Union..

it's a nice, reasonably quiet area. it's great. there is a nice family feel round here.

As someone has already mentioned, the area has lots of student housing. So long as you have adequate security, and deterrents like alarms, you chould be ok. (I think the secret is to ensure your house looks like a family home and not multiple occupation/ bedsits ...)

it's got a lot of ethnic diversity, and you are on the border, of the two areas, sharrow & N.E. the multiculturalism is one of the things I love about this area. there is a good sense of community, as exampled by the festivals (we just had a lantern carnival) there's Nether Edge neighbourhood group who are very active, wanting the best for the area.

There are quite a few of the forummers who live (and/or work) in this area, or who are planning to live in this area (I can think of at least one other member who is finalising the purchase of a property round here as we speak)

I am sure you will love it, round here.

PT

Me and my wife have lived at one of the lower numbers on Steade Road for many years (We paid £60K for the house which gives you some idea of how long ago it was). Since then we have had 2 kids who (because my wife is Catholic) were able to go to St. Wilfrid's rather than Sharrow which neither of us wanted. Some of my neighbours kids go to Sharrow or Hunters Bar (although Hunters Bar requires some sort of special application I believe). The road has changed massively over the last 20 years and more and more of the multiple occupancy houses are getting converted back to family homes There also seems to be an increase in the number of proffessions like medics, owner managers of reasonably successful companies etc. etc. There was a spate of burglaries recently (including an attempted break-in at our house). Interestingly, all the houses that have been broken into did not have an alarm - they obviously missed mine! If you decide to buy and it doesn't have an alarm - get one!
Hope you make the right decision - We love our place.

Thanks to Plain Talker and mhinchcliffe for your thoughts. As it turned out, we were outbid on the Steade Road house but we will continue looking and hopefully find something else in the same neighborhood. On the basis of my limited experience in the last couple of months the price of property and the way it seems to fly of the shelf way above the asking price certainly indicates that this area is attracting buyers with deep pockets or a cavalier attitude towards mounting mortage debt (we fall into the latter category)

Simonsimon

Your right about the prices in the area. Something that was going got 40,000 3 years is now going for about 120,000.