Living in Ealing: transport links, parking, schools, best streets — and the average cost of monthly rent

Despite its well-documented delays, the promised arrival of Crossrail has brought change to this Victorian suburb on a scale not seen since the 19th century.

New homes are springing up in clusters and bringing new shops, bars and leisure and culture with them.

For locals though, Ealing’s main charm has always been its leafiness, with plentiful parks keeping the air clean and contributing to its ranking as London’s most eco-friendly borough, something the council is keen to invest in via wildlife projects and the Greenford-Gurnell Greenway scheme.

Ealing attracts a wide mix of people from young professionals to families and even students at the University of West London, according to Oli Pym, lettings manager at the local branch of Foxtons.

“There are a lot of blue chip companies based locally, too, so people like to live here and be close to work,” he says.

A residents parking permit costs between £50 and £125 depending on the emissions of the vehicle.

Crime in the area is below the London average with seven crimes per 1,000 residents.

The most commonly reported crimes are theft from a vehicle, residential burglary and harassment.

Triyoga Ealing is at Dickens Yard, Eden Fitness is a luxury health club on the Broadway, while Digme Fitness offers spin, stretch and circuit classes.

For a cheaper, no-frills experience there’s The Gym on Uxbridge Road.

Source: Rightmove

“The new Dickens Yard redevelopment is a real highlight of the area, with homes above and mostly independent retail below,” says Oli Pym, lettings manager at Foxtons.

For period properties he says the area around Hanger Lane is popular: “It has a lovely village feel. Montpelier Avenue has a really great school and nice houses.”

Fielding Primary School, Lionel Primary School and Christ the Saviour Church of England Primary School are all rated “outstanding” by Ofsted.

There’s a Marks & Spencer, a Tesco Metro and a Sainsbury’s Local next to Ealing Broadway station.

Head west along the Broadway for Iceland, Lidl and a larger branch of Sainsbury’s.

“There’s a lot of development going on and Ealing residents are going to have to be patient. The good news is that, give it five years and it should all be looking wonderful,” says Pym.

Television presenter Ria Hebden proves that renting doesn’t mean you can’t put down roots in an area and play a valuable role in your local community.

The 34-year-old, who presents Sunday Morning Live on BBC One has been renting in Ealing with her family for 10 years and recently moved to her “dream street” in the area.

“When we had the children we made the conscious decision to move west because Ealing is the greenest suburb in London and really family friendly with excellent parks,” she says. “Buying in London initially wasn’t an option for us so we chose to rent privately in an area where we knew we wanted to settle in the long term, with a view to buying eventually.”

In November she moved with her producer/director husband and their two children, aged 10 and two, to a house three streets away from where they had been living previously.

“My son calls this our ‘dream street’, because we used to trick or treat around here on Halloween and I’d say ‘one day we’ll move here’.”

The family’s four-bedroom house with front and back gardens and a garage costs £2,500 per month: “I’m a good negotiator,” says Ria. To buy a similar house would cost around £1 million.

“We didn’t want to leave the area because we’ve lived here for such a long time,” she adds. “We’re part of the community, we’ve made great friends, my son goes to an excellent school and my daughter goes to an excellent nursery. We even had our neighbours over for Christmas dinner when we found out they were going to be alone on Christmas Day.

“We’ve been through phases where we thought about maybe moving to Brighton or even Australia but in Ealing we’ve found a really beautiful part of London that feels like home.”

“We’re five minutes away from the Central line and the Piccadilly line so we can be in central London in 20 minutes,” says Ria. “When I present Sunday Morning Live, the show finishes at 11.30 and I’m often home by 12 having my Sunday lunch.”

“There’s a lovely little shop in Ealing Green called All Original. If you want to get a thoughtful gift for family friends, it supports local businesses. I like popping in there for a little mooch,” says Ria.

She also makes the short Tube ride to Westfield at White City for a full range of high street outlets.

Ria recommends 11 Coffee & Co, a Persian-run café that serves brunches, wraps and homemade cakes.

For a Sunday pub lunch she’ll head to the Greystoke or to the pretty beer garden at The Grange in summer.

Another favourite is long-standing wine bar Crispins.

“When you speak to people who’ve lived in Ealing for their entire lives they’ve got so many memories of drinking in Crispins,” she says.

Pitzhanger Manor in Walpole Park is the former home of renowned Georgian architect Sir John Soane and holds regular art exhibitions.

The Questors Theatre is one of Europe’s largest amateur theatres and puts on about 20 plays a year.

“Ealing is fantastic for parks,” says Ria. “We can walk to Walpole Park, Gunnersbury Park, Ealing Common, North Acton Playing Fields. It’s just fantastic for families or people with dogs.”