Uckfield is a very friendly place, with lots to do, clubs to join, places to go locally. There is very little vandalism, and I live really close to the town centre and know nothing of these ‘feral gangs’ talked about.
Yes, there are additional houses coming, the primary schools (all rated good) have places, but UCTC (secondary school) is oversubscribed so I’m not sure what will happen.
We have a wonderful privately owned cinema, good restaurants and pubs, the normal Costa, Pizza express. Food shopping is Tesco or Waitrose, we have a great deli, a cheese shop, flowers shops, two good furniture shops. We are lucky in that not being very close to a large town keeps our high street busy and the shop units, for the most part, full.
I think traditional Uckfield folk do not like change, and I think there will be changes to come, which is then moaned about in local media. The new homes will increase traffic issues, but if you are coming from London/Brighton/Worthing/Horsham you will wonder what everyone was moaning about! Having lived or worked in all those areas I do know what I am talking about. The new homes will keep our high street, schools, community groups alive and thriving, which is something that other small towns are increasingly struggling with.
I don’t think there are any bad areas of Uckfield, there is a council estate and some people will not move there, but I have several friends who live there and they love it. Other than that you just have to drive around and have a look to see what you think, and price differences will be your clue. There is very little period property, it is mostly well set out small, modern housing estates.
Good luck with your possible move.