Good luck with the OU degree mate, I've completed mine at the back end of last year and I loved the whole experience although it is bloody hard at times..
I lived in St Leonards street and the bottom end was rough. most housing estates are quite a long way from the town centre. If you can buy there are a lot of cottages right by the ground(there may be a few you could rent
Agreed - especially as a native from Silksworth who has a lot of family in Ryhope, lived in Doxford Park and went to school near Ashbrooke ! Mind you the last time I looked they were flattening Doxy with only little islands of houses still standing !
Some nice terraced houses and very affordable in the streets down Roker, just don' move adjacent to Roker Avenue, that said even thats street is on the up thanks to the landlords being a bit more responsible with the tenants