to think that actually living on a council estate is nicer in some respects?

[MummaEss]

I have lived on a council estate for 13 years, since just before my first daughter was born. Initially I HATED it. I come from a family where no one has ever had to rely on the local council for housing and was initially a bit horrified to find myself in a situation whereby I had to live on the very estate where i was not allowed to play as a child.

There are very many reasons that i now love where I live and the one I wish to highlight here may be petty but it has played on my mind recently with the hot weather and seeing many posts here regarding the same issue.... noise!

I have just come in after enjoying the summer evening in the garden. I have neighbours to the back of me that happen to be a particularly noisy family. They are a big family and spend a lot of time outside, all year round. It is not just the kids playing, trampoline on concrete, ball bouncing noises, the adults are also particularly loud voice wise and often wind up the children deliberately making quite a hullabaloo. They are reliably loud and noisy. Although myself and my immediate neighbour often share a little giggle or comment at how noisy they are there is actually no grumbling resentment or fury or nasty letters or ringing the police or noise abatement or noise diaries or any kind of problem at all.

I read on here about kids being out to play too early/late, people chatting in their gardens, trampolines, music etc keeping kids awake or ruining the tranquility of summer or some such. I think to myself that I am actually happier just listening to my neighbours noise without feeling obliged to get twisted out of shape at the liberty of it.

People make noise. I have another neighbour who likes to spend hours on the weekend cleaning his car whilst blasting his music out of the bass bins in his boot. No one complains. There are often people out in the street chatting, arguing, singing at all hours yet my kids have never been kept awake or emotionally disturbed by this.

I just feel that although I am secretly a horrendous snob, I am happier living in this state of live and let live than in a world where I have to worry about the volume of my television if the windows are open and what time my children want to go in the garden. Am I wrong or have I just gone over to the dark side?

[CylonNumber6]

No you're not wrong

Nice estates are lovely and very family friendly IMO, and often the housing is of higher quality if it is pre 1960's.

[Whothefuckfarted]

I liked the close knit feel of the housing estate I was brought up on. Everyone knew each other and most got along with each other.

It was like a big extended family.

It takes a village and all that ;)

[maja00]

Yep, I love it - kids playing out, people chatting in the street, feels safe and family-friendly. Well built houses, big gardens, all the kids go to the local school together. What's not to like?

[fatfingers]

I miss living on a Council estate actually. There was a sense of community and always some news, gossip or excitement going on. Otoh, I moved because the drug problem in the area was getting out of hand and crime was increasing so its swings and roundabouts.

[ThingummyBob]

YADNBU

I'm like you OP never lived on an estate until I had my dc. I absolutely prefer it now though and as I was buying my first house I got so much more house for my money too.

[Ipsissima]

Is it anything to do with being a council estate? ...or are you a "live & let live" person who would be fairly content wherever she lived?
Noisy (or difficult) neighbours can crop up anywhere.
We are a fairly tolerant bunch out here in the backwoods, too despite people waking us up walking their dogs through the fields at 6am & calling them back at full volume, when every house they pass currently has the windows wide open!!

[kilmuir]

Yuk no

[zoraqueenofzeep]

I hate other peoples unnecessary noise and don't appreciate it being inflicted on me. I'd prefer to see society divided into areas of those who want peace and those who insist on inflicting their irritating loudness on others along with anyone who likes listening to them. Nobody should have to endure noisy neighbours because they're poor and I don't care who's next to me or what they're doing as long as they don't bother me.

You may like your neighbours noise but I guarantee that many of your neighbours would love to get away. The low prices in these areas in because of the 'loud' people you describe.

[mikkii]

I grew up in a cup de sac, my parents wend our house, but most f our neighbours did not. There were loads of kids to play with, and in the holidays, while my mum and dad worked shifts ones was usually around, but if not, the neighbours minded us.

I don't Have to worry about upsetting the neighbours as I don't have any, the downside is that I don't have the camaraderie and my kids don't ave others to play with.

[usualsuspect]

I do think there is more of a community on council estates, most people send their children to the local schools so all the kids know each other.

I love where I live.

[usualsuspect]

Why yuk no? Kilmuir

[usualsuspect]

You don't have to be poor to live on a council estate

[ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm]

YADNBU. Kids playing out all day, huuuge garden, someone will always lend a hand. And if one of your hens escape, the whole street corrals it, and someone takes it to their allotment for safe keeping, before putting a "missing chicken" shout out on Facebook...........

I visit a lot of very high end private developments for work. They make my blood run cold.

[WorraLiberty]

I bought this house (on a council estate) when I was 25yrs old.

I intended it to be a stop gap and to move on after five years

That was 18yrs ago and I'm still here because I love it and I love most of my neighbours

It's quite telling actually that although I've been here 18yrs, at least 10 of my neighbours in my little road have lived here longer than me.

[Breezy1985]

I live on a council estate, same street I grew up.on, so most of my neighbours are still the same. The children all get along together and are in and out of each others gardens and all the adults look out for them. When I came home this afternoons the 2 boys from next door were bouncing away on our trampoline, I know not everyone would like this but I love it. I'm a single parent and get so much support from my neighbours it really is like one big happy family
There's no late night parties/drugs/drinking like council estates have a rep for but it is quite a small village so maybe that helps.

[Lj8893]

I have grown up in council houses and although not in a council property currently, we are on the register for one as we will struggle to find somewhere privately when little one comes along.

I loved every council property i lived in and the surrounding areas. Ok, there are some council estate areas around that I wouldn't fancy living in, but then again some of the new build type estates where I live can be pretty horrid too.

To the pp who said yuk, no. Get a grip.

[WandaDoff]

I live in a council house, on a council estate.

I'm probably, one of the only council tenants in the street though.

Thatcher sold most of them off in the 80s.

[WorraLiberty]

My Dad lives in the next Borough on a private estate

For the last 8 or 9 years, there's been nothing but trouble and anti social behaviour.

The problems started when lots of landlords bought up houses to let out. It seems a lot of them couldn't give a shit about the properties or what their tenants get up to, as long as they get their rent.

So noise and anti social behaviour certainly isn't exclusive to council estates.

[LimitedEditionLady]

Yuk?are you an idiot?Noone would want you there anyway.Yuk at you.Ew.

Once noise is familiar i guess it just feels homely.I lived on one as a kid but dont now since buying but I remember it being close knit and felt part of a nice community where people grew up together and cared about each other.Now i dont live on an estate i barely know my neighbours and its not as nice a feeling but i still love my area.

[conorsrockers]

I grew up next to a council estate, but lived on the 'posh' side of town with my snobby DM. As I grew up I started to make friends with the local children (I was at boarding school term time) which drove my mother batty. I loved nothing more than going to my friends house for Sunday lunch. They had a 2 bed flat with 5 kids and 2 adults. Dinner was eaten on the floor - everyone was grateful for whatever was on their plate - food was sparse -and meat was often substituted. I was at my happiest sitting on that floor listening to their Mum singing away in the kitchen. It was the first time I wasn't being judged, or lectured. I didn't feel uncomfortable or in the way. There was more love in that tiny flat than I had ever experienced, and it has made a huge impact on the rest of my life. They had nothing, but ultimately they had everything. My family spent so long worrying about who had the biggest extension, fastest car, brightest kids that they had forgotten what being truly 'rich' was all about. I moved from a housing estate to the country to bring my kids up and I really miss the banter and camaraderie of estate life. Good on you OP

[manicinsomniac]

welll, YANBU but I could have written your post almost word for word in reference to the very affulent home counties village that I live in.

The qualities that you love about your estate are not confined to council estates. Nor, I suspect, are all estates the same as yours. Nor will all villages be the same as mine.

[MummaEss]

I am so glad so many of you agree. The noise thing really is just the tip of the iceburg. I love the fact that the people who I found most intimidating when I moved in are now my fiercest protectors and the people I rely on in times of need. My kids have been able to play out from a young age because there are lots of others to play with who are also ALLOWED out. There is more general tolerance of peoples culture and ways.

One year we had a big influx of african and eastern european people and some guys got together and had a BBQ in the street. There was music and more and more people joined in as the day went on. I couldnt help feeling that so many people would have caused a fuss about an un licenced event or who would be responsible if potentially some child ran randomly into the BBQ, in a more 'respectable' area.

I know this actually has nothing to do with it being a council estate but I feel that in the naice area where I grew up, this kind of behavior would not be tolerated, and actually it is the kind of thing that builds a community.

[FormaLurka]

This is like one of those threads where fat people go on about how happy they are being fat and how they don't have to face the pressure that slim people have, having to watch what they ate all the time.

I use to live on a council estate and I hated it.

[Lj8893]

Umm just because you hated it forma doesn't mean everyone who has ever lived on a council estate hated/hates it too.

And can't fat people be happy too with thier size?!