Is it nice living in Chichester?

[NewLifeInTheSouth]

We are hoping to relocate to somewhere near the south coast and are going on a reccy around Chichester soon. It doesn't have to be West Sussex, we will look at East Sussex, parts of Kent and Hampshire as well, but for various reasons West Sussex looks like it will work best for us. Can anyone recommend any other areas to look please? And where to avoid? Budget will be about 750k for 3 or 4 beds, don't want a massive garden, a good location is key.

We don't want anywhere too sleepy or rural, we definitely don't want to live in Brighton but want suggestions of places to look that are lovely, with plenty going on. Schools not an issue, neither is commuting.

TIA

Yeah, it's fine. Quite a nice little town and the surrounding countryside, coast and villages are lovely. You would get a reasonable house for that budget. I lived there for 7 years and enjoyed it, but not as much as where I live now.

What do you want? Town, country, seaside? I know the area quite well.

Where do you live now Elizabeth?

Our ideal place would be a lively market town or small city, (or at least on the outskirts no more than about 5 or 6 miles max) with lots going on, nice independent shops and restaurants, theatre, decent shopping etc. Attractive architecture and near to nice countryside.

We love Norwich but we really do need to be further south. We would love to be within half an hour of the coast but it's not a deal breaker.

We thought Chichester or nearby because of easy access to airports, ferries and channel tunnel, London, the coast, the countryside, and Brighton or Southampton for the bigger stuff.

Chichester meets a lot of your wishes but is quite a 'normal' town. I live in Emsworth, which is a small town/large village with a harbour about 8 miles outside Chichester on the Hampshire border, and I passionately love it. Everyone loves it! But it is very dogs-wellies-boats-resturants rather than culture-shops-evening life, which Chichester does cover. The theatre really is great there. You might like Arundel, which is cultured and beautiful (castle-history-design-antiques-restaurants) .

This whole area is brilliant for everything being easy access, you are right about that.

If you’re thinking about Chichester, I’d also look at Horsham.

Hastings might also be worth considering, although I don’t think there’s a theatre (but very near Bexhill which has the De La Warr Pavilion) and it is a bit grittier than Chichester / Horsham.

Emsworth is on our list to visit, it sounds and looks lovely but we are not yaughtie types, so not sure if we'd fit in? And concerned about flooding.

I am a dogs and wellies person at heart but we have a second home in France which is pretty rural. For that reason we now need a 'first' home which is not. I am mindful that we should not end up with two houses where we can't get a takeaway delivered, it's five miles to the nearest pint of milk and no decent shopping or culture within an hour's drive.

We get enough peace and relaxation in France so we are looking for somewhere that is an antidote to that, with all the practical stuff being easily accessible. A decent hospital that's not an hour away, plenty of stuff to get involved with and see/do, a bit of culture, we like to eat etc. That said, we don't exactly want very 'urban' either.

Emsworth is ace for food. No Deliveroo yet but lots of local restaurants and takeaways do delivery. It doesn't feel exclusive and the boats are lovely decoration but I'm not yachty at all and I just like looking at them. You wouldn't feel like an outsider. I've never lived anywhere so friendly.

Oh, and the flood defenses have all been repaired in the last few years so have seen no trouble since 2013.

arundel is well posh
chichester is very well thought of

onn your budget tbh you can get a very nice house everywhere

brighton is most sought after

My autocorrect made the defences American, not me!

It's worth remembering that because of the natural boundary of the harbour and the newer boundary of the South Downs National Park, there's a pretty small ribbon between Chichester and Emsworth that is being built on pretty rapidly. That ribbon also holds the A27 and the railway line.
So if you want rural, try to buy in the National Park, but if you don't want rural, aim for Chichester 'centre' or Emsworth. Then at least you know you won't buy next to a field that becomes an estate.

That's a really good point. They are building everywhere along the A259.

thanks beachy

This is nice, north of Chichester, decent bus route down the hill to the town but close to walks, country pub etc

Lavant Road, Lavant, PO18
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/107539049

Ooh, there's a lovely pub there

I live in Emsworth and work in Chichester. We have good access to everything, countryside, city, sea. But yes there is a lot of new build housing going on.

Chichester itself I'm not that into. Roads are very busy and the shops and high street are pretty basic, standard high street crap.

Emsworth, Bosham, The Witterings, Lavant, loads of places.

We’re about five miles from Chichester and the town itself isn’t want it was when we came here seven years ago. But there is Portsmouth and Gunwharf Quays, fairly close, Southampton a bit further and Brighton in the other direction for shopping. The Festival Theatre is good, Goodwood, Singleton, where The Repair Shop is filmed, Arundel, Amberley, lots of places within reach.

Midhurst might be worth a look.

Okay great, some places to add to the list. Disappointed to hear Chichester isn't all that - I had high hopes!

Ive lived in Chichester for a long time and like many market towns / small cities it has had its ups and downs , but it has on its doorstep astonishing countryside and a glorious beach (wittering..if you can get there due to traffic), Goodwood with racing and the wonderful Revival . It has a good hospital in situ , schools are as good as any ..or as good as you make them ..lively youth theatre, arts stuff is there , a lovely little cinema..lots of good things here .
However ..without wishing to sound like a member of the tourist board ..massive house building everywhere , traffic nightmares set to get worse, infrastructure under strain . I worked in mental health nursing and there are pockets of real deprivation , a lively drug underground and all associated problems..homelessness quite visible despite a number of charities doing good work ...
Its ok here ..if I was young with family I'd be happy to live here ...

My children grew up in Chichester.

Plus
Pretty city
Good theatre
Good schools
Reasonable transport links
Beautiful beaches and countryside
Safe to give children independence- no nightclubs is a bonus
Very good healthcare
Good restaurants

Negatives
Quite elderly demographic
Not ‘exciting’.
No independent secondary schools but ready access to several.

If you want more of a buzz/‘cool’ feeling, consider Southsea. It has some lovely houses in conservation area and good seafront. Better train journey to London too, but less small city feel.

Think about Winchester if coast isn’t essential.

If you want market town try Petersfield. Fabulous for young families.

However ..massive house building everywhere , traffic nightmares set to get worse, infrastructure under strain . I worked in mental health nursing and there are pockets of real deprivation , a lively drug underground and all associated problems..homelessness quite visible despite a number of charities doing good work ...

Isn't that sadly the case for just about everywhere though? It is certainly true of most towns and small cities I know. Everywhere seems to have nosedived in the last 15 years, become more overcrowded, more underfunded, worse housing shortages and even the most gentile and respectable of places have developed a quite visible seedy underbelly. The The grim reality of homelessness and drugs in particular are hard to avoid.