Three Cardiff property experts have revealed the best place for people in their 30s to live in the capital. The city can offer facilities and amenities to its residents of all ages, but if you are about to embark on a family or are keen to locate your nest in one of the leafy suburbs, are there particular areas that attract more buyer demand than others?
School catchment areas are a significant driving force for families, creating house moves around the city. But these popular areas can also offer a lifestyle that certainly appeals to thirtysomethings with no children looking for the best suburban spot for a busy social life and thriving community.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the 2021 census shows that the population of Cardiff has increased by 4.7% from around 346,100 in 2011 to 362,400 in 2021. This is higher than the overall increase for Wales (1.4%), where the population grew by 44,000 to 3,107,500. According to Stats Wales data compiled in June 2021, Cardiff at that time had 61,111 people age 16-24 living in the city and 108,155 within the 25-45 age bracket, although a smaller breakdown of this group is not available.
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For Bradley David, director of Chambers estate agents, there is one area that stands out as a hotspot for people in their 30s, and that's the northern suburb of Whitchurch with many residents stating that the suburb still has a strong community spirit. Bradley says: "I have lived and worked in Whitchurch for most of my life and there is a genuine community feel to the village. You'll be sure to be greeted with a smile and a hello more often than not and a lot of effort goes into the activities within the village like the Reindeer Run, for example, which brings the village together and creates a great atmosphere."
For Bradley the area has just about everything a family, couple or individual could need, from outdoor space such as Whitchurch Library Gardens, a suburban park that includes a children's playground and, of course, the library, a beautiful building that dates back to 1904 according to website Cardiff Parks.
Memories can be made along the Taff Trail offering a walking and cycling route along the bank of the Taff river into the city centre, or head to Whitchurch Common, Court Field, and Caedelyn Park, especially good for dog walking. The area has a rugby club, football club and cricket club plus a tennis club - read more about the future of Whitchurch Tennis Club here.
Local socialising within walking distance of the whole suburb is easy with a range of coffee shops including Gathering Ground, Coffi Lab and Coffee No 1, plus family-owned restaurants are in abundance that cover a whole range of tastes, including Brook Bistro, Villaggio and La Cucina da Mara.
There are a number of gastro pubs including The Plough, and the Fino Lounge is a favourite location with locals too. Choice of takeaways include fish and chips, Indian and Chinese food and a Dominos pizza on the village high street. Bradley also says you can bar crawl your way through the village all within stumbling distance of a front door, wherever you live in the suburb.
He says: "But if you do want to leave the village and head into town you can take one of the five different buses that run every seven minutes, or the train from Llandaff North, or Coryton - you'll be in the city centre within 10 to 12 minutes."
For residents in their 30s with a family, the area has a Welsh medium primary school and high school nearby in Gabalfa. English medium education is provided by Whitchurch primary and Whitchurch High School, who can boast past pupils that include world famous footballer Gareth Bale, Welsh rugby captain Sam Warburton and world champion and Olympic gold medal cyclist Geraint Thomas.
Bradley says for a budget between £150,000 to £200,000 you'd be able to purchase a two bedroom flat or maisonette in the village, including within some purpose built, low maintenance apartment blocks, within a short walk of the village.
For buyers with a budget between £250,000 and £300,000, the village can offer a two to three bedroom mid-terrace dwelling on roads such as Violet Place and Wauntreoda Road, for example.
Bradley says: "Between £300,000 to £400,000 and above would enable you to purchase a three to four bedroom family home, typically semi-detached and notable roads would include Heol-y-Gors, Court Road and Heol Gabriel, which are close to Whitchurch Common and the likes of Erw Las, Maes Glas, Felin Fach, Ty-Newydd and St. David’s Rd, which are essentially in the heart of the village and a stone’s throw from Whitchurch Primary School."
For a budget of over £500,000 the area called 'the saints' is a popular destination for families that includes streets such as St Mary's Road, St Margaret's Road and St Francis Road, close to Library Gardens, accessible to both the English and Welsh medium primary schools, plus the micro shopping area around it that includes a mini supermarket and three coffee shops.
If the budget goes up a level then a few streets can claim to be some of the most expensive in the capital, including Bishop's Road and Church Road. Bradley says: "If those budgets are unaffordable, you can look in neighbouring Gabalfa, which is up and coming, and Llandaff North, which has a great community feel and is similar to Whitchurch in many ways."
Although rental properties for families are seldom available Bradley states that when they are will cost approximately £1,500 per calendar month in rent.
Another north Cardiff suburb that gets a recommendation from a Cardiff estate agent is Rhiwbina, which can also boast as a selling point a thriving community that radiates out from its centre, where two streets meet at a crossroads.
Anthony Poole is associate director at estate agents Edwards & Co and he is definitely Team Rhiwbina, with the combination of shops, restaurants and cafes, facilities, schools, open spaces and a village feel combining to make a perfect place for thirtysomethings to head to, whether they have children or not.
He says: "Rhiwbina boasts a great community spirit with plenty of events, coffee shops, and parks. I thoroughly enjoy an evening at the Rhiwbina Tap, excellent drinks and beautiful décor. It’s also great to see cafés like Coffi Lab providing amazing, affordable food with a friendly face!
"There is plenty to do no matter your situation or circumstance. We’ve recently celebrated the Christmas holidays in Rhiwbina with their Christmas lights switch on, a fantastic event with food stalls, homemade gifts, and a wonderful overall family community atmosphere."
Events through the calendar in the past include a summer festival and a Christmas parade and plenty of places to warm up or cool down before and afterwards with a hot or cold drink, such as Snails, Parsons Bakery or Caffe Fach, further out of the centre on Heol Llanishen Fach.
For a full meal out Snails can help again, or there's a range of pubs in the suburb to tempt you including Deri Inn, The Nine Giants and The Butchers Arms, or book a table at Juboraj on the village high street.
If you want to update your home, Nest and Haus are both interior design hot spots to help, plus there's a mini supermarket and every day facilities such as a dentist, pharmacy and optician.
There's a choice of primary schools too, depending on catchment areas, with Rhiwbina Primary for English medium and Ysgol-Y-Wern for Welsh medium pupils. The state high school is Whitchurch High for English medium and Glantaf in Gabalfa for Welsh medium. Anthony says: "We see plenty of parents walking their children to school in Rhiwbina as it’s better for the environment, plus it keeps the community spirit going.
"The majority of properties for sale are houses built between the wars and around the 1950s and 1960s which are much sturdier, selling upwards of £300,000 for a three bedroom semi-detached. You can find leasehold flats and maisonettes that range from £90,000 upwards, so there really is a range of properties, and prices, for everyone."
One area of suburb that stands out is Rhiwbina Garden Village, designated a conservation area in 1976, and a hot spot for pretty period houses built mainly between 1919 to 1923. In this special area the average price of a property is £445,000 compared to the average of £365,250 for the area as a whole.
Anthony says: "In terms of rental properties, we see anything from flats to detached houses both furnished and unfurnished. We typically see prices around £600 - £1,000 per calendar month. There is potential to be in the area on a smaller budget and still be in the school catchment area of your choice.
"There are a vast majority of properties that could be available from flats and maisonettes to various style houses. In Rhiwbina, roads like Heol Briwnant, Clos Hendre, and Heol Llanishen Fach tend to be favourites – and a short walk to and from school." Find out more about a day in the life of the suburb of Rhiwbina here, when we visited in 2014.
For people in their 30s looking for a thriving community with or without children, Graham Hawkins, senior sales manager at estate agent Moginie James, is flying the flag for Roath and Penylan.
The Roath area covers a vast number of streets, which can probably be divided by Albany Road - to the south and closer to the city centre and university has, in the past, been the main area that has attracted vast numbers of students. Graham says more of the terrace houses in this pocket of Roath are now being bought more by first-time buyers and small families.
On the other side of Albany Road is where more families gravitate towards, depending on their buying budget. Graham says: "I've lived both sides of Albany Road and there's always been lots of community interaction, such as the farmers market which is great, street parties too - it's actually got a really great community feel to it, it's good for everyone really.
"You don't need to drive anywhere when you are here, everything is within walking distance, shops, places to eat, lots of parks around here and a really good commute into the city centre as well. When I lived in Roath I absolutely loved it, lots of activities, plenty of community things going on which is nice in this day and age - you don't get that everywhere."
The area is clustered around a few key locations, with Albany Road and adjacent Wellfield Road packed with an abundant choice of places to eat, including cafes, takeaways, restaurants and bars. On Albany Road eateries include establishments to suit all kinds of tastes, from Little Kochi and Empire Indian Dining to Anna Loka vegan cafe and Ichiban Japanese restaurants, as well as a variety of coffee shops.
Turn the corner into Wellfield Road and The Globe andJuno Lounge are places well liked with locals, with La Dolce Vita a popular Italian based location and Cafe Du Chat Noir in the cute Wellfield Court offering a slice of France, but the road is packed with cafes, bars and restaurants to cater for most preferences. Read more about the changing times of Wellfield Road here.
There's an abundance of outside space to enjoy in the area too. Many families head for Roath Park lake and flower gardens, lured by the promise of children's delight as they enjoy feeding the ducks and the playground. But there are quieter walks through Roath Pleasure Gardens, wandering next to Roath Brook, and where you can also play tennis and bowls.
Groups of young people, families, dog walkers and joggers enjoy the more open space that the adjacent Roath Recreation Ground offers which is also home to a children's playground and Penylan Library and Community Centre.
But for a more peaceful stroll head to Waterloo Gardens and Roath Mill Gardens, one of the prime spots in the area, not just for charming period properties but also for its own coffee shop and local amenities.
One of the drivers of increasing house prices in the area is the rush by families to try and get their children into Cardiff High School, but even being in the catchment area does not guarantee entry. Graham says: "Cardiff High School is very oversubscribed so it's subject to their admission procedure, some parts of Roath are in catchment but it's still really difficult to get into the school, your address does not guarantee entry."
But the lure of Roath and Penylan is enduring for so many house buyers and renters in their 30s. Graham says: "People in their 30s love the lifestyle when you move to Penylan and Roath; you can meet up with friends, you can take the kids to school, you can meet in coffee shops afterwards - the lifestyle that the area offers to many buyers means so many stay in the area.
"A lot of first-time buyers will purchase a little terrace off City Road and Albany Road and progress up to Penylan because they want to stay in this area, but they are thinking about what school to send their children to, and you have the Welsh language schools as well which are really popular."
Graham says the area around Marlborough Road and Sandringham Road are popular with buyers in their 30s with children because of the local primary school and then hoping that they might get into Cardiff High School but he is keen to point out again that there's absolutely no guarantee that this will happen.
The area is full of characterful houses, large Victorian and Edwardian homes that are always sought-after. Graham says: "Three and four bedroom houses to buy are going to be at least £400,000. Rentals don't come up very often, but when they do it would be about £1,500 per calendar month at the moment - there's currently a real shortage of both sales and rentals."
For buyers with higher budgets Graham says the larger houses on Ty-Draw Road in Roath overlooking the park are very popular but rare to find on sale. Waterloo Gardens is a gem of a spot with adjacent Westville Road offering views over Roath Mill Gardens, and Sandringham Road on the opposite side of this pretty outdoor area is also popular with families.
Graham says: "There are areas that are more affordable if you want to move into the area, such as off Colchester Avenue around the Sainsbury's area and Scholars Drive, within those new-build developments. Here you get parking but you lose character and the size of the rooms."
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