Flats to rent in Surrey Quays & SE16 and Houses to rent in Surrey Quays & SE16

The Easternmost of the Rotherhithe areas, Surrey Quays is an amorphous area, which is basically contiguous with the old boundaries of the Surrey Commercial Docks - for the very simple reason that until 1970, that's what it was. With most of the dock area filled in, the 80s and 90s saw a vast redevelopment of the area and 5000+ homes being built here.

Essentially, Surrey Quays is a modern development, but has become a lynchpin of South London in the brief time it's existed. It would be simplistic in the extreme to call it merely a mostly-recent development of course; it's more than this, having become a social and entertainment and shopping capital of the area in its short life.

Surrey Quays is all about housing, shopping and entertainment - the exact ratio depends what you're looking for. The main shopping centre has a huge range of stores, although there are on the little streets leading away from this some nice individual traders and shops to choose from. There's also excellent leisure, with bowling, cinema, sports facilities, swimming and watersports in easy access. This ignores though the many social and community activities which also go on in the area, with events and classes going on all the time. Surrey Docks still exists, and has a marina, as well as a wonderful little city farm which is a must-visit for anyone with children. Walks include many along the Thames - some of course to the excellent local pubs which line the river here! - and chief amongst them is the Thames Path.

Away and inland from the Surrey Quays development are plenty of purpose built blocks offering some ex-council accommodation. There are also some streets of good houses further inland. However, naturally enough for a dockside area that's less than a generation old, Surrey Quays focuses very much on apartments and flats - and there are a vast range available. Both on the river itself and in little areas inland are a collection of excellent gated developments offering a variety of sizes of apartment to young professionals and couples looking to get riverside living at a good price. There are also superb high-spec apartments in blocks overlooking the river and Canary Wharf across the water. Surrey Quays is an excellent solution, in fact, for those looking to get apartment living, right by the river and close to the burgeoning SE1 developments, Tower Bridge and Shad Thames, with fantastic access to the Southeast, with Greenwich and historic Deptford only a few minutes' away. For city workers and young people, Surrey Quays is a fabulous base.

Surrey Quays is in the Borough of Southwark which holds the responsibility for delivering services in your area.
For specific information on this borough, or to contact individual departments please click here to visit their website.

Borough of Southwark website: Borough of Southwark

In General:
The London boroughs are administrative centres responsible for collecting local taxes (Council Tax and Business Rates) and then spending the funds received on local services. They are run by Borough Councils who are elected by borough residents on a four year cycle. The totals that they spend will depend on the rates of tax that they levy plus funds allocated from central government and other sources.

While many of the services (schools, roads, planning, rubbish collection and social services) are standard, levels of provision will vary according to the overall political will as expressed by the voters.

Your tax liability (as a resident) will be based on the council tax band of your home. These bands are set by Valuation Officers and there is scope for appeal. The rate bands are then used to determine the amounts of tax levied. So, while the bands will remain largely constant the levels of tax can go up and, in theory, down.

You may claim discounts or exemptions based on your circumstances. For example, as the only adult in a property you can get a 25% reduction on your bill. Other reductions are available for qualifying second adults and Council Tax Benefit claimants.

There is more information available at the HM Customs & Excise website.

Borough of Southwark Council Tax