This suburban neighbourhood is located in the southwest borough of Kingston upon Thames. It is not as well-known as its neighbours Wimbledon and Kingston, but it has a range of relatively affordable Edwardian family houses, good schools, tree lined streets, and ample green space. It also has a regular South Western Railway service into London from New Malden station. It offers three golf courses, including Jurassic Encounter Adventure Golf for children and families. The high street has an abundance of local stores, like Tudor Williams, a family run department store, and local restaurants, many of which are Korean, including Korean Palace Restaurant a local favourite. The neighbourhood is also a great place to look for family homes as there are nearly five times more houses for sale than flats.

The neighbourhood of New Malden was established entirely as a result of the arrival of the railway in December 1846. It received the name ‘New’ Malden because 3 kilometres to the south is the former village of Old Malden, whose origins go back to Anglo-Saxon times, the name being Old English for ‘Mael’, and ‘duna’ which translates to “the cross on the hill”. Building and development started slowly in the area just to the north of the station, gathering pace in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with two- and three-bedroom terraced houses. Following the opening of the Kingston bypass in 1927, the farms to its south progressively gave way to suburban development, creating the neighbourhood we see today.

It may come as a surprise that the unassuming area of New Malden has the largest Korean community in all of Europe. The 20,000 strong population emerged as a result of the home of the Korean ambassador being located in the neighbourhood, and the opening of the Samsung UK offices nearby. Malden Wanderers, a cricket club on Cambridge Avenue, was also voted one of the 12 most beautiful grounds in England by The Wisden Cricketer magazine.

Transportation into central London can be a little challenging from New Malden, despite its regular services into town. South Western Railways are prone to delays and can prove pricey, because of its Zone 4 location. The cost is substantially reduced, however, if residents buy season tickets for the train.

In the long term the biggest change to New Malden is likely to be the introduction of Crossrail 2, which will reduce journey times into central London and alleviate congestion on the busy South Western Main Line. However, the project has been on hold since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and is not expected to be completed until well after 2030. In the more immediate future, a major regeneration scheme on the Cocks Crescent site in the centre of New Malden has been approved by the council. It is hoped that the project - which will comprise a new leisure centre, community hub, and 400 new homes - will help fund the wider regeneration of the town centre. Slightly north of this site the development is also underway on a prominent mixed use development adjacent to New Malden Station which will provide over 80 residential units, in addition to retail and office units on the ground floor.