About Crest Nicholson

We did have a few issues when we moved in. There was no hot water and the walls weren’t very clean, but the hot water issue was resolved the next day and the walls were fixed soon after. The building management were quick to respond to any issues we had, and I am happy with the management of the building. We also have a Facebook group where if we have any issues, we can report them on there. The building’s caretaker is also on there, who directly deals with any issues and is always eager to respond. Every few months, there are also meetings with the building’s management team where residents can raise any issues they have with residents being alerted to these meetings via notices in the entrance to the development.

I have a central flat with a lovely balcony, which has beautiful views over the gardens and a nice view of Shortlands. Although the balcony is small, it is protected by glass and we have a greenhouse on it where we keep our various herbs. We also have a small table and chairs on our balcony, and we eat lunch on it whenever we can. I would describe the interior of my flat as quite minimalist with white walls. I really like our large wardrobe, which is its own separate small room. The kitchen has lovely counters and the bathroom is a nice size. We are able to decorate the flat, but we need to get direct permission from our landlord. Our flat didn’t have any curtains when we first moved in, but our landlord was quite happy to sort this out.

I was already friends with a few of the residents living at Regents Place, but I don’t know all of my neighbours. There have been some occasional issues with noise, but not a lot.

The flat is prone to flooding and leaks, but nothing too serious. The lift is also occasionally out of order too. However, overall it is a nice place to live.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

I really like the location as it is really handy and convenient. It is easy for commuting into work with the nearby Bromley South and Shortland stations and it is an easy walk into town. We are regular customers at the Turkish restaurant nearby as well as Franco Manca, which we both enjoy. There is a real variety of restaurants in Bromley and it has everything you need. The new cinema at St Mark’s Square is also great and really cheap.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I would’ve liked to have known about how the heating system and payment work.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

At present Finberry stands alone as a development bar a new school. It has no shops etc at all at this time. Visitor parking good at weekends or evenings……….during weekdays you will more than likely find a contractor parked in these spaces. No transport links as yet, but it is close to the M20

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

We wish we had known everything that is in my previous answers earlier in this review

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Again please see comments on this in the bulk of the review

The management however has a lot of work to do to improve their image and services. It sometimes takes weeks before you get a reply from the estate manager. The property management tends to send letters that aren’t relevant to all property owners which causes a lot of confusion.

The service charges are ridiculously high and goes up every year. A recent increase is at over 30%. This is not sustainable. We would be paying more service charge than mortgage soon!

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

What shops/restaurants/bars? There are none on the estate when we were promised they would be built by 2019.

Parking seems to be an issue in phase 1 where there are too many apartments with too few allocated parking spaces. Parking in phase 2 and further is much better with 2 allocated spaces per house.

It’s really nice to have allotments and raised beds nicely designed and close to the houses but the fencing was recently stolen despite security bolts holding them down. Some cars have also been broken into in the previous years and walls vandalised so security could be improved.

There is a bus that goes through the estate with a very friendly driver. It might be better if people could pay with a card or something convenient instead of the only and very antiquated way of cash/coins to driver to purchase a physical ticket. That might encourage more people to take the bus.

Most drivers slow down in the estate but some drive recklessly past the school and where kids are playing. We need more road safety signage. There should be a priority for cyclists all along the roads in the estate and clear signs to let drivers know that this is an eco estate. We prefer bikes and walking to cars and speeding.

The 1st play park was beautifully designed but not with children in mind so it ended up being huge and great to look at but nearly useless for kids who are surely the most important park customers. The later parks had more sense and incorporated familiar elements such as slides and swings which are now the kids’ favourites’

One commendable element is the design of green spaces, wide walkways and wheelchair friendly accessible areas throughout the estate. Much more so than any other new build estates we have seen and we’ve seen a lot in many parts of the country. The challenge however is to stop drivers from parking their cars illegally on drop curbs, roadsides and pedestrian pathways, blocking the intended wheelchair access!

Despite being mis-sold on the savings we’ll make living on an eco estate, which is next to nothing (higher heating bills, ever increasing service charges), the best part of this estate is the incredible community. Everyone you meet here is very friendly, genuine and more than you can ask for in a neighbour.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The ever rising service charge and the fact that there isn’t really any savings on heating bills.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

They managed to resolve all snagging issues, some several times over until it was fully satisfactory so no complaints there.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Overall we are very impressed by the facilities and conveniences within Tadpole. The addition of a cafe and post box have been particularly useful recently and we are looking forward to the pub opening. The open spaces are great and we often enjoy walking around locally, especially into the wildlife reserve by the River Ray. Bin collections are usually very good – fortnightly is sufficient timing. Parking seems to be very good in some parts, but maybe not so good in others. We have lived in 2 houses in Tadpole and our previous home had plenty of visitor parking, but not so much around our new house although we manage ok. Annoyingly if you park in visitor parking in another street you often get notes from the street occupiers, which seems unnecessary – maybe an addition of signage to promote that anyone can park there would be helpful and stop people being territorial. There doesn’t seem to any anti-social behaviour around our street but I’m aware other areas have it from the local Facebook group – it looks to be lots of bored teenagers but I don’t see how the developers can be blamed for this. Overall the good points far outweigh any bad points.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Please remember that currently this is still a developing site. I’ve seen lots of people complain about building noise, mud on roads, etc. there’s problems are temporary and just part of living on a building site!

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

All issues have been resolved quickly and efficiently.