Wanting to move to Leigh on the sea

[Villla0]

Me and my husband are living in London at the moment and we have been trying to buy a property for almost a year with 3 unsuccesful goes. That made us reconsider our options and we started looking at Leigh on the sea. We absolutely fell in love with it, we are willing to commute in order to have a different life. However we came accross some articles regarding the aircraft noise and that it has been unbearable with night flights recently. We would be very grateful if the locals could really share their views. We are looking at Marine estate, but are quite concern now because we can see that the flight path actually goes just above it. With me being 4 months pregnant we would really like to find something and move before the baby comes.

[Alargeoneplease]

I live in Leigh...
I’m right under the flight path too and whilst I can occasionally hear planes they do not disturb me and is more back ground noise.
I’m sure you’ll have other people with differing opinions but we all have different levels of sleepiness and tolerance etc...

[Villla0]

@Alargeoneplease thank you so much. We are looking at Marine estate, are you anywhere close to that? Also I saw that some people complain about the smell and residue on the windows? Have you noticed anything like this?

In general we like that the airport is so close, we just want to make sure that it does not become a problem.

[Alargeoneplease]

I’m just the other side of the London Road to the Marine Estate.
I’ve never had any problems with smell or residue on my windows and haven’t heard about it either!!
I’m
Not going to lie, I think they want to expand the airport but I’m not sure to what extent: they are only allowed 4 flights a night to land and I don’t think they even use “their quota” although I could be wrong.
It’s so handy having the airport on the doorstep and Leigh is a lovely
Place to live xx

[ErickBroch]

I live very close. Leigh is a lovely place and if you can be near Leigh Broadway there are tons of great cafes, restaurants, activities etc. Good train station too for commuting.

[Fedup21]

It’s Leigh on sea.

It’s lovely, though parking in some areas can be tricky.

[grannyhorse]

We're in Leigh on Sea. Two night flights a night. Can't sleep with the windows open anymore

[TopBitchoftheWitches]

Leign on sea, my dad lives there. It's just Southend still.

[Neron]

Another resident here. Yes you can hear them, ones around 10pm (Amazon flights I believe) are quite noisey but I actually like the sound. Also like all the different ones that land at the airport every now and then (spitfires the other day). Have never smelt the planes.

[Villla0]

Thank you so much everyone for all your comments. We have visited Leigh on the sea on several occasions, but never heard the planes. I can appreciate that the schedule is really reduced because of Covid.

We really like the place and want to make a long term commitment. We do not mind being a bit further from the broadway if we can get the place with parking. We have a pretty big car and parallel parking is not my strong point 😂🙈

Any other things we need to be aware about?

[Neron]

The closer to the Broadway and station, the tighter the roads, the more expensive the houses and the more trouble with parking. It gets very busy during warm weather also.
I love living here though

[Villla0]

@Alargeoneplease thank you that is the exact location we are looking as well. We fell in love with the area just got a bit concern after we saw the plane path.

[Villla0]

@Neron can you hear the ones which are flying during the night? Which road are you on?

[ErickBroch]

Btw it is 'Leigh on Sea' - just in case you do move there - it's lovely

[Tadghthepup]

I live close to the Marine Estate and can confirm that the aircraft noise isn’t bad and there is no smell.
Leigh on Sea is just the best place to live in England!

[JMKid]

Move to Chalkwell which is next to Leigh. Far nicer, bigger houses, better value for money, less issues with parking, less pretentious.

[Villla0]

@ErickBroch yes exactly that is the place I meant 😂

[Villla0]

@Tadghthepup that is so great, we are so in love with that area and I like that it is a bit of a walk from broadway and the beach. We assume that the area does not get very busy during the summer, because it feels more residential?

[Villla0]

@JMKid we love Chalkwell as well. However at the moment there are not many options for our budget. I would agree that the more expensive houses do look very nice.

[JMKid]

The area in the summer gets very busy, especially with people going to Old Leigh, which is rammed as soon as the sun is out. But some great pubs and restaurants there.

[Jjop]

Leigh on Sea is a wonderful place to live. We made the move 4 years ago from London. Not a day goes by when I don’t think ‘god, so glad we moved, love living here. There is so much to do and such community atmosphere. Lots of cafes, restaurants, bars etc. We commute into London daily, very easy and fast.

We love weekend strolls down to the front. You won’t regret it.

Flights, we are just behind the broadway and I can’t say I have ever really noticed flight noise. Parking can be a real issue in Leigh, however, weigh it up with how often you use your car etc.

There are loads of Leigh on sea pages on Facebook.

You will not regret moving here to raise a family.

[Jjop]

Should add in the summer months Leigh On Sea is very busy. Have you ever been the Peterboat in Leigh on a sunny bank holidays? It’s crazy. We have lots of festivals looks up - the leigh art trail, the Leigh regatta, the Leigh folk festival. Almost have been cancelled for this year, because of covid but they are great events

[Villla0]

@Jjop thank you for sharing this. It makes us very happy to hear that because we are so excited to make this move. We looked at few properties around the broadway, however the parking was an issue. Marine estate looks really nice, but it is directly on the flight path and can be much more expensive. I think we just need to come few more times and truly spend more time.

Is there anything you miss about London? We personally been moving further and further from central London and ended up spending almost all the weekends in the countryside that’s why making this move just feel right.

Do the amount of people during summer months bother you?

[Jjop]

I miss nothing about London, but then spend every day up there anyway at work and it’s so easy to go in for the evening or day if you need.

We have two sons aged 10 and 7. They love the freedom of living here, going swimming in the sea, paddle boarding, a walk with the dog or just to go grab an ice cream.

Our particular favourite time of the year is late September. The day trippers are gone, the sun is still up but fading and it’s relaxes for autumn/winter.

Will u be commuting into London by train, consider the walk to the train station. This was a deal breaker for us, it had to be a 10-15 mins walk. Some parts of leigh are quite a way from transport links.

There is so much more than just old Leigh, venture to two tree island, chalkwell Park, Belfairs woods, there is so much. Walk along the complete length of the broadway, past the Grand and along Leigh Road: there are some amazing restaurants on Leigh Road. Some very highly acclaimed.

[Lincslady53]

I have fond memories of The Peter Boat back in the 70s.

[Villla0]

@Jjop that sounds great. I have a stepson who will be staying with us two weekends per month (we brought him on one weekend and he loved it) and I am also expecting a baby, that’s why can definitely see myself walking with the pram around Leigh. I can see how different the lifestyle for children would be here then London.

Regarding the work, me and my husband are quite blessed because we can work a lot from home, especially me - I am only planning to go few times per month that’s why do not mind being slightly more away from the station.

Regarding the things you can do, I can absolutely agree - we were amazed how many activities are there and also the cost of them comparing to London.

We cannot wait to visit some of the restaurants when they will open again, I hope that all the business will be able to survive this pandemic. 🙏🏻

Regarding the schools, which ones do your boys attend?