Relocating to East Sussex - advice needed pls

[Catsandfelix]

Hello

We are relocating from the North and need help figuring out where we should live.
Looking for somewhere no further than 1 hrs drive to Hailsham
Top budget is 800k, 3 beds
Need options for sixth form, independent or state
A town or city where a non driving family member won’t feel lost without a car, so near a town centre (15 min walk is fine)
Good for teenagers
Safe but with some atmosphere, cafes shops etc
Would like off road parking and or a garage
So far considering Eastbourne, Worthing but not sure. Like the look of Lewes and Tunbridge Wells, very expensive but look great for non driver and teenager.

Don’t know the area at all and is a huge move for us. Any advice or areas to look at or avoid would be gratefully received.

Shoreham is lovely, but it is very quiet, there are some restaurants and cafes but I would find myself going out of Shoreham for the cinema/food/theatre. In comparison Worthing has a lot more going on.

Also, I'm not sure where people live to say Eastbourne has a crime problem 😂. The crime is around average for the UK, for comparison I live in the midlands and the crime rate is over 40% higher than the average...

Worthing is also around average, for a seaside town to have an average crime rate is really good.

Check out- https://crimerate.co.uk

I agree with this. I think anyone saying that Worthing is sleepy isn’t local/ hasn’t been there in a long time. It’s really changed in recent years with lots of young families moving there as they get priced out of Brighton.

Hi everyone so I found a new built in Hailisham I was looking to buy for our family of 3 ,daughter 8 year old but reading the comments below I am not so sure anymore. The house is near phoenix academy. Please give me advice

@Katiez24 you might be better starting a new post as this is a few months old now. Best of luck

Hi @Katiez24 I live in Hailsham and am quite happy living here. In a dream world I'd be elsewhere, but you get a lot more house for your money than most other parts of sussex and I prioritised getting a slightly bigger home over the more desirable addresses. It's a really 'ordinary' town, not very attractive in the most part, but it's got enough of a population to keep quite a few amenities.

Tbh, that area of Hailsham is one of the bits with a poorer reputation but as with anywhere you'll have people who say they wouldn't go near it with a barge pole, but obviously, there's plenty of people who actually live there perfectly happily or they'd all be empty houses! Personally i did avoid looking at that area when looking for my home but that was more my snobbery than any real worry about anything. I'd just take a good nosey at your neighbours front gardens etc, it's obviously not a foolproof barometer, but if any are in disarray I'd be cautious about people living dysfunctionally, and if its all prim and proper you've got someone who will notice if you don't put your bin back after being collected within the hour!

I think it just depends on your priorities, and let's be honest, financial options- to me Hailsham was the best option - a compromise certainly, but then isn't everything?