Is Worthing (and surrounding areas) a nice place to live?

[IndependentTravelAgent]

I am considering buying a 2 bed house in the Worthing Area. I only have a budget of approximately £280,000, possibly a bit more. I would love to know the opinion on the following areas. Worthing, Peacehaven, Littlehampton, Arundel and Bognor Regis, or any other towns you'd recommend I avoid or consider. I would love to be near to the sea and also a train station but not a deal breaker. I like Shoreham, but think I'd struggle to find a house for this price - I'd also consider towns like Burgess Hill, I would ideally like to be closer to Gatwick, but think I'd get more for my money down on this coast. Any opinions or suggestions much appreciated. Thank you. Eva x

Littlehampton and Bognor not as nice as the other areas you've mentioned but probably get more for your money there ... Arundel is expensive!

Quite a lot of nice new builds around burgess hill that may be in budget

Southsea, which is Portsmouth, would probably get you something in your budget. Not the best area, but IMO far preferable to Shoreham! Littlehampton / Bognor / Worthing all classic seaside towns, with the upsides and downsides that brings. I would probably rank them Worthing / Bognor / Litllehampton in descending order of desirability. Arundel much much nice but (a) not coastal and (b) a lot more expensive!

Ignoring the post above about Shoreham - I live there and love it - but ho hum...

Have you looked at Lancing of budget won't stretch to Shoreham?

I have lived in Worthing for 17 years and raised two children here. I don't see myself moving anywhere else now- I love it.

Depends what you like though- it is not a particularly exciting place but I prefer peace and quiet to excitement. The high street shopping scene is pretty dire but sadly I think that's the case in a lot of towns now. The town centre often has a few winos and crackheads knocking about - most of them harmless but I can imagine might put people off moving here if they intend to spend time in the town centre (I hardly ever go there).

We do however have a lovely art deco cinema, two theatres and of course the lovely beach, and the food and drink scene is pretty good. Short train ride to Brighton or Chichester for better shopping if that's your thing, and London is about an hour and twenty minutes on the train so easy for day trips. We're also not far from Gatwick and only two hours from Folkestone for easy travel options.

Oh, and the schools are pretty good.

Also agree that Shoreham is lovely!

And want to add: my favourite thing about living in Worthing is the summer evenings on the beach- swimming, BBQs and paddle boarding. We often spend the whole evening there and wander home at 10pm or so. Absolutely magical.

Oh sorry, I didn't mean to cause offence. I still think if one is considering Shorheham then Southsea is also worth a look though! Lancing also a good shout :)

Surprised to hear people recommending Shoreham... It doesn't look "lovely" at all. It's quite industrial-looking and did they finish the monstrosity flat development there already? I don't know if this would have improved things, certainly not traffic through the area.
Worthing is lovely but it very much depends on where in Worthing you are. The bit between Lancing and the pier is pretty good with close proximity to the beach but anywhere around Worthing College looses it's seaside appeal (you have to drive to the beach which is not something I would consider when living in a seaside town). Goring is nice but, I think, it is quite a bit spendy.
I move out 5 years ago and I do miss it. Being able to walk on the beach for miles at low tide saved my sanity in lockdown. Our house was right on the beach, 8 min walk from East Worthing station. A lot of young families were moving into the area as they were pushed out of Brighton. There is no shortage of nice places to eat. The Old Bike Store is a firm favourite for drinks and the Crabshack is the best place for lunch. There is an amazing Thai restaurant too.
Brighton is only 20 min on a train for a fiver or 45 min cycle along the coastal path. And the Chesswood farm allotments is one of the best-managed sites, if that's your jam.
Our quality of life was extraordinary when we lived there.

Rustington - right on the sea front. I went to boarding school in the area and often return for holidays with my children. It's a beautiful area, ideally I'd move to Arundel but could never afford it :(

I think Shoreham is gorgeous! I have family there and visit often. I agree there are industrial parts but a lot of that is changing now. And the beach is so lovely. The town centre is great with mostly independent shops and cafes, especially the pedestrian area. It’s much nicer than worthing town centre (although I do love worthing too!).
I agree with the pp about looking at lancing, I’ve had friends move there and would say it’s up and coming. Love the beach there too.
I also agree with pp that the best thing about all these areas are spending long summer evenings on the beach. You get lots of sand when the tide is low and it’s great for paddle boarding.

Worthing has been great to us with raising two children. We lived there for about fifteen years but have moved a short distance away now but spend a lot of time in Worthing still. Shops are rubbish but nice cafes and restaurants and the cinemas are nice, we've been lucky with schools and teen DD is at a Worthing secondary.

(initially we lived in Shoreham and I didn't like it beyond it being quite quaint, I found it boring and either drove to Brighton or Worthing so we moved to Worthing. Bognor is awful, some of Lancing is grim but some is rather nice)

A lot of people think shoreham is the industrial bit - but really that's the port only between southwick and shoreham.
Shoreham itself has a lovely pedestrianised quaint centre around St Mary De Haura church with nice cafes and independent Shops. It has a nature reserve beach, a river, access to the Downs and an interesting houseboat community / art deco airport to boot.

I would acknowledge that there is significant ( over) development happening - but it is not the view that people see when they pass through on the A259 between Brighton and Worthing

@Tryingtokeepgoing I like Southsea very much 👍

A two bed house for £280,000? I think all of those places might be out of budget. We looked at Shoreham 12 years ago with a max budget of £250,000 and it was slim pickings. A quick look on Rightmove shows approx 5 in Littlehampton/Rustington - but all need work. There is one in Burgess Hill and a couple in Hassocks but are shared ownership - and not on the market yet. House prices are ridiculous!

Bognor is a bit more realistic.

I used to travel to Worthing for work and it was ok but not much to do, I found it a bit boring.

Bognor Regis town centre isn't great. I used to live there but have now moved out to one of the surrounding villages, which is absolutely lovely. Look at Middleton on Sea, Aldwick and Felpham and you'll find something in budget that would work for you. Littlehampton is much the same, in there are areas to avoid. Happy to answer any questions if you want to DM me.

Love Goring 🙌

Worthing - a lot of people who are priced out of Brighton / Hove are settling in Worthing so there are a lot more independent / Brightony type shops these days. It's a big area though and a big mix of people, I think in general it's a great place for a family because it's got a lot there.

Ferring is a lovely village outside of Worthing, not near a train station though.

I'd argue Bognor has an underrated beach, because it has a lovely warm micro-climate, and it's peaceful, not overrun. Aldwick is beautiful but unfortunately the town is not good and getting rougher. You could live in Aldwick - go to Chichester town instead.

Arundel is very expensive.

Littlehampton has always had a bit of a rough reputation in the past but I'm not an expert, there are attractions and things for families.

Sorry to hijack this thread but I posted on the home thread and didn’t get many answers. We are moving in the summer, we ideally want Hove but are considering further out to get more for our money. Shoreham is a top choice but what is the bar and restaurant scene like? We are a social couple and like going out for dinner/drinks. Are there nice pubs? Would like to be close to Brighton and also on the train to London - max budget 750k for a min 3 bed with garden. Thanks!

There are nice pubs in Shoreham The Welly for live music, The Bridge inn for cocktails by the river, The Tap House for food / drinks, The Ferry Inn for tapas and cocktails. The Red Lion for a pub roast / beer garden.
Into the Blue on shoreham Beach doesn't look much from the outside - but is a fab fab seafood restaurant

I'm in the same situation here, are there any parts of Worthing should be avoid? what about near Durrington by Sea station? is safe?.... any comments? I would be very grateful for comments about Goring by Sea..

Rustington is lovely, with a good range of shops. Lots of villages in the area, like Goring, East Preston, Barnham, Yapton.

Have friends who live in Bexhill, that seems nice but possibly out of budget.

@ELizCar I would say avoid Durrington and the high school there. Goring is fine, nice by the sea.

I would say that some of the estates near Durrington station might not be the nicest places to live- but perhaps I'm being snobby! There are plenty of lovely people living in that area but also a few feral kids who muck about on bikes in the middle of the road while traffic is trying to get by, and a group of kids who caused persistent problems in local shops and the leisure centre. I don't know if it is actually a high crime area but there is definitely a bit of low-level slightly anti social stuff.

However, my kids went to The Orchards (Primary school in that area) and then on to Durrington High School and they both had a great experience in both schools. Durrington High in particular was an excellent school for quite a while when Sue Marooney was the Head there. She has moved on now and I don't know if the school is as good now as it was 5 years ago- it may well be but my kids are no longer there so I don't know.