To move to Norfolk from West Sussex

[Bigchangesafoot]

Would you move to Norfolk from West Sussex? We absolutely love Norfolk, lived in Norwich for years as students / young adults and are thinking of a move to somewhere within 10 miles of Norwich. We both work remotely and have primary aged children. The main reason for the move would be to buy a big property with land (we are very outdoorsy and have dogs, chickens etc etc). We have a large budget and there are some amazing properties available. But something is stopping us making the leap from West Sussex where we've lived for the last 15 Years! Anyone think of cons?! Thank you!

West Sussex is densely populated and traffic around certain areas particularly on the coast is horrific. Lots of large housing developments going up or in planning everywhere. We're moving somewhere less crowded having lived here all our lives.

I don’t know West Sussex but moved to Norwich (ish) a few years ago, having lived here when I was younger and it’s been the best thing I’ve/my family has ever done. Schools are better, location is better, city is great; couldn’t ask for more.

Argh I read your OP backwards- how have I managed that! Bad nights sleep, sorry. I guess I'm preaching to the converted!

Have you been up to Norfolk and investigated any actual places?

Perhaps it's friends / family keeping you rooted?

Do you and DP get on very, very well? As you'll be friendless for a while I expect (unless you have friends up there?)

Oh I would, norfolk is beautiful! Forests, beaches, broads it has it all for families

I live in Norfolk and love it here. Things to consider would be quality of schools in your chosen area (especially secondary as some are dire) and transport if you're looking at rural areas. Also if you make the move, you would likely then be priced out of the market if you wanted to return to the south/southeast in the future (unless significantly downsizing) as property prices tend not to keep pace with the most expensive areas of the country.

Norwich is fab and so is the surrounding area and the trains to London are good as are the schools. North Norfok (Brancaster, Burnham Market) is great too and not too far to drive. I'd say it's a great idea. West Norfolk can feel pretty dire - Thetford is very rough, Kings Lynn is a bit meh (for all its history) and Downham Market is a bit miserable (though it does have a train) and the villages can feel very insular, especially in winter.

My only real caveat is that there's very little diversity in Norfolk - rural areas can feel very white and Brexity and the landscape away from the coast isn't particularly beautiful. There's a lot of rural poverty and drugs.

I’m in W Sussex too with family in Suffolk and have seriously considered moving back after 20+ years here. I am so, so fed up of the claustrophobic feeling, the traffic, the house prices… but love the Downs and the sea which is what’s keeping me here!

Thanks so much everyone! I suppose a niggling fear is what one person said about lack of diversity and those subtle differences. More space would be the driving factor and we do love all the areas outside Norwich and of course Norwich itself. Just feels such a huge leap I suppose.

Norwich is definitely more diverse than it used to be (grew up here, moved away, moved back) but it's certainly still not comparable with other areas of the UK.

The big issue for you would probably be transport as your kids get older. A lot of my friends who live out in the sticks are on permanent taxi duty for their teenagers, whereas being in Norwich mine just walk everywhere. Somewhere like Cringleford or Taverham might be an idea for you? You'd have the space and more rural living without being too far from Norwich, schools, & bus routes. Rural transport is absolutely dire - for one example, there is no bus between Norwich & Fakenham on a Sunday (I genuinely checked that three times because I couldn't believe it).

But yes! Come up & join us! Moving back here was the best thing I ever did.

Tell us more about the lifestyle you want, work you would be doing, salaries you want, house purchase budget, school requirements. Do you care if your neighbours are all related to each other & know each other's business closely? They will gossip about you. They probably think Tony Martin is a good guy. Is that what it's like in West Sussex?

As for Burnham Market being "not too far to drive" -- FFS. Why move to Norfolk to escape the London lifestyle and then bring the London lifestyle with you (long hours spent commuting)?

Look very carefully at the schools in Norfolk.

Thanks everyone.

Jobs - not relevant, we are both in jobs that are very stable that we work remotely for (not a covid thing). So we can live anywhere we want. We both grew up in villages and hated it. So I suppose we would want to have no near neighbours but not be totally isolated. School requirement - just friendly inclusive primary, as long as its a nice environment not worried, will look at private for secondary. We have a 1.2 million budget so know we can get a really nice house and land. Lifestyle: we love the outdoors and are homely hence wanting space. We would happily spend all day at home and in the garden. As diverse / inclusive as possible re area would be a priority. 1.2 million where we live currently is a small 4 bed detached with small garden, which is lovely but ideally we would like 4000 sq foot plus and 1-2 acres. Thanks again everyone for the input so far!

I already mentioned it upthread, but Cringleford/Intwood/Hethersett sounds like it might be a good fit? Lots of UEA & NNUH people live there so it's slightly more diverse than being really out in the rural areas, it's not too far from Norwich itself, but you do have properties that come with a decent sized plot and the countryside right on your doorstep (ignore the horror that is Roundhouse Way). Close to what passes for decent transport in Norfolk too

Considering your budget, you might want to look at Unthank & Newmarket Roads as well. Some of those houses would easily be within your budget, detached, and HUGE gardens, so no worries about neighbours. My old house (rented) had 2 acres of grounds, but was only ten minutes walk from the city centre.

Do you need good broadband to do either of your jobs?
Do you mind woodburners or oil fired boilers, what about sugar beet mud 2" thick on the lane?
Do you have a boat?
Do you want to keep a horse on your land?

Mobile signals in parts of Norfolk can be absent. Filby and Worstead I'm looking at you. But maybe you don't care about cellphone coverage.

What's the furthest you want to drive to reach a place big enough to have a supermarket?
How far would you want to drive to take your kids indoor swimming?

What does "inclusive" mean?

95% of the adult population in rural Norfolk is White British -- is that "diverse"?
What is your minimum acceptable description for the local secondary school (or maybe you don't care coz you'll send them to Greshams/NHS4G/Langley anyway).

To get inclusivity/diversity you'll need to stick close to Norwich tbh but your budget will give you a great lifestyle (btw, I didn't mean commute to and fro from Burnham Market on a daily basis, just that it's a nice drive for a day at the seaside.)

Schools may be your biggest issue but I'd also echo others saying how little public transport there can be and how hard this makes life for teenagers (and their parents!). And villages tend not to be that welcoming to incomers though places around Norwich are likely to be an exception.

In general food is very pub-grub orientated with really limited veggie options - nor is it always easy to get ingredients that aren't bog standard in rural parts but Norwich is a lovely exception plus all the things that makes it so gorgeous to live in.

With 1.2million you could buy Norfolk 😂 only kidding. That’s a decent budget, we’ve just offered on a house for a holiday home. You certainly get more for your money there.
Definitely look at the schools. You do have Gresham school (private) in Holt.