Please tell me about Brighton

[lamii]

Hi parents,

I am not a parent (but planning on becoming one). My partner and I relocated in Stockholm after spending 8 years in London. We are thinking of moving back to England because we miss network and friends from London.

I looked at houses zone 3-4 in London but I am also interested in Brighton as it seems like a good compromise between London and Stockholm.

Please tell me all you know about Brighton: housing, safety, atmosphere, air quality, access to London, nurseries price, schools, etc. Is it possible to get a house for 350k?

Thanks a lot!

Avoid Woodingdean like the plague it's awful to drive to and property prices are stagnant, been selling a flat there for the last six months it's worth same as it was ten years ago.

How far from the city centre do you want to live ?

@Sooverthis how come do I find houses in Hove for 325-350k? I'll look at Peacehaven, Mileoak and all these suggestions. We are both creatives and I have the feeling that we should stay connected to Brighton somehow. We aren't British. That's why I would stick with areas as close as possible to Brighton, that might be a wrong idea..?..

@MsRinky same feeling for Hove? I know what you mean, we are less tolerant with filth with age. I am in Sweden now, it's very clean here.

@thirstyperson what means 'free council'? People pay their council tax isn't it?

I sold my tiny three bed terrace with no garden in a great school catchment in Hove for £400k last year that's what I'm basing my opinion on. If you can find a three bed house for £325 that's brilliant.

I think thirstyperson meant green council
Brighton and Hove sort of merge into one Bton tends to be more studenty transient childfree whereas Hove and East Brighton are more family areas

@Dakin1 thanks for your opinion. It sounds like you are happy! Air quality is def a criteria.

@thirstyperson I believe that it'd be better to stay fairly close to the center to not feel isolated...but I haven't seen Hove, I must visit!

@Sooverthis I can not believe rubbish aren't picked up, the council tax is so high. Oh boy.
I guess a 2 bed house is more reasonable for a budget of 300-350k

I would say go for the suburbs they are within ten mins walk. The suburbs is really big if you know the areas.

One thing you have to think about when buying in the centre is bedsits. A Lot of the flats near the seafront have bedsits because there sizes are unrentable so they have been broken up.

The areas mentioned above for you to avoid, definitely do avoid them.

I would not go for portslade. It's known for high suicide rates especially near the station.

I agree that when you walk around Brighton when your from London, the pavements looks dirty. However, it has similar vibe to London when your walking around compared to the other sea side town.

Lots of village fetes too.

I went for a weekend to visit a friend living there. I must say Its a very scruffy, tired looking place these days. My friend sold her flat In London 6 years ago and moved down there. She liked it at first, but regrets it now. She had dreams of working there, but has to commute to London for work, which is OK if you live in walking distance from Brighton station and work within walking distance from Victoria - she doesn't, at either end and therefore spends over 4 hours a day travelling to and fro. It costs a fortune in fares too.

She's selling up and moving back to London. According to her, there's very little in the way of meaningful employment there or in the surrounding areas. Plus it's where all the white - dreadlocked, middle class, Bohemian types go there to 'doss around and play their bongo drums on the beach'!!! She doesn't want her dd leaving school down there. Job prospects aren't very good at all. Apart from some low paid, seasonal, service industry work.

I must say - busses are flipping expensive too for a town that's got all these Green credentials I would have thought they'd be cheap?

Sorry to be negative OP (and people of Brighton).

Oh I'd forgotten the busses they are pricy as are cabs but you can walk everywhere it's only three miles from edge of West Hove to central Brighton and East Brighton Marina end is even closer. I miss the range of coffee shops, restaurants, bars but I love living further along the coast and we get the train into Brighton if we want to go out now.

@supersoftcuddlytoys
That's interesting, I need both point of views. My partner and I are freelancer/self-employed, this is why I think it could work. Not having to travel too much but being near London. I also teach language, not sure it would work in Brighton/Hove...? It def worked in London.
Commuting every day sounds like a nightmare. I would use my bike as much as possible and I am a walker, so maybe I can avoid buses. Maybe your friend move to the heart of Brighton where it's all cliché?

@Sooverthis exactly walking is the best!

I am going to London in one week, do you think one day is enough to get a good idea of Brighton/Hove?
Could you recommend me areas to prospect so I see where we could potentially buy a house?
Or I just go to Hove train station and walk around...
Of course, I would need to come back several times but one day will give me some clues. ;)

Woodingdean is nice, good community here, nice primary schools and a 20 min bus ride to town. You'd definitely be able to get a house here with a garden for £350k.

I used to live in central Brighton, prior to having children (we moved to a different town). Central Brighton is definitely a student/young people's place rather than being particularly family orientated. Brighton has two universities so there are a lot of students and student rental housing. Some areas are known for being very studenty and so wouldn't be very family friendly as a result. People that we know with young children live on the Hove side of town, which is a nice place to live imo. There are nice parks like St Anns Well Gardens, and the primary schools are generally good. There are private schools too if that's a consideration for you.

I think £350k would be tricky to find a decent property in Hove, but would get you a decent house further out of the town centre in the areas that previous posters have mentioned.

It is true that there aren't that many employment opportunities in Brighton itself. Many people commute to London, but if you're freelance and could work from home then I guess that doesn't matter so much.

Brighton has its flaws but I still love it there, and if I could afford a lovely big house, I'd live there again quite happily!

I've been 2 or 3 times this last year and I've absolutely loved it....apart from what I assume is the smell of seagull poo 😖

I live in Brighton with my 3 DC and we love it!

It's very family friendly, alternative and full of green spaces.

We have lived here for 3 years and I wish I'd lived here even longer.

Definitely come and visit for a day - I'll happily give you some pointers

Are you in a position to modernise a property?

Here is an example of one:

doer upper

I'm sitting in Hove right now, in my Dad's flat. I grew up here and love the place - I don't find it dirty at all, and really appreciate the quirkiness of the place - great social scene for all ages and interests, loads of cultural stuff. There are several really lovely parks in Hove - Hove Park (with outdoor gym equipment, strange woodcarvings, tennis courts, a café, playing fields etc., also Hove Recreation ground more or less next to it - home of the local rugby club and with a lovely little café (The Old Rec) which opened earlier this year. Then there's Dyke Road park, with the Brighton Open Air Theatre in it, and another café (we like cafés here!). The beach in Hove is less crowded (but with fewer facilities) than it is in Brighton.

Portslade is at the west end of Hove - cheaper housing, but with good (train, bus) transport links to the eastern (Brighton) side of the city. Can't really advise on anything to do with children, as I don;t have any, but I know there are plenty of child-orientated events, playgrounds (one in Hove Park) and so on.

The trains are buggered up at the moment due to industrial disputes and general mismanagement, but that's temporary (I hope!) - the links to London are usually good - I used to commute, and you can get a fast train up to Victoria that takes 55 mins (when running on time). There's so much to do in the area though, I rarely bother going up to London :)

I looked at prices to communte Hove-London and going to Eurostar station or aiports. It doesn't look so convenient apart from Gatwick. It's more pricey than from Brighton. I am wondering if people end up having to jump on bus+train+tube just to go to Kings Cross...

I wonder if Sutton or Bromley would be a better solution.

CobOnTheCorn Def interested in modernising a home yes!

FurryDogMother Thanks for your tips! It's interesting to get details such as outdoor gym loads of cafés...I like that.

Hello
Shame to hear that Stockholm isn't quite working out for you. It is my home city and I often dream of moving back, it is just so beautiful and a fantastic place to raise children. Are you from Sweden?

I've lived in London on and off since my teens so obviously love it but Brighton is the only other place in England I've always said that I could consider living, but only if the house was perfect. Especially as you are creative, I would say Brighton over Sutton or Bromley any day.

If you plan to regularly commute into London I do think it is one of the most expensive commuter routes at around 4k a year.

Hove and Brighton station to London tickets should be the same price - I've never had an issue buying a ticket from one or the other and using them interchangeably. Trains go from Hove to Brighton roughly every ten minutes or so, and it's only a 5 minute journey. That way you have the option of travelling to both Victoria and London Bridge, depending on which is most convenient, and if you're commuting on a regular basis and buy a season ticket, if you get one with tube included, that means you're covered for travel throughout Zones 1 and 2 in London, too (I think, from memory!).

Brighton/Hove were recommended to us as we wanted to move from Surrey. Went for a couple of visits and we both thought the town looked tired/scruffy/dirty. Can't see the attraction personally.

@frenchielala Hi! Stockholm is beautiful! Really enjoyable to have a walk around, to chill. But when it comes to meeting interesting people or do something inspiring, it falls flat for me and even for my fiance who is Swedish. I don't want to offend you! It might be our problem to not be able to deal with a certain type of lifestyle. I miss chit chats and culture, and unexpected events.
I'm not Swedish neither than British but I feel more connected to Brits and the melting pot in London.

@FurryDogMother Good to know!! Rail.uk gives me different prices. Thanks for your tips!

@Flippertygib So, do you live in Surrey? I will do the same and visit Brighton/Hove. Mostly want to I want is fresh air, big house, space, cafes, nice community and be able to go to London.

Positives - Very open/relaxed community, good schools, good buses, sea, south downs, stanmer park etc. proximity to London/Gatwick, good choice of independent shops, great choice of private schools too although very pricey, good leisure facilities and loads of clubs and choices for kids. Great choice of bars and restaurants too.

Negatives -
House prices . Min £500k for reasonably central 3bed semi with garden. lots more for proximity to sea. As others said look toward Portslade or Bevendene for cheaper or alternatively you may get an ex council. £350k will barely get you a 2 bed flat in central hove but will get you a 3 bed house a couple of miles away.
Nurserys - Not as expensive as London but certainly south east prices. We've paid between 950-1400 a month per child for 5 days. They don't tend to have extended hours so commuting to London can be difficult. Most people I know with kids work part time from home.
Train - currently undergoing major issues with Southern Rail meaning the service is horrendously unpredictable. Ignoring that, the commuting services are busy and delayed frequently.
Jobs - there is limited industry here so depending on your industry you may have to commute or work from home. London commuting is big but there is also a lot of driving commutes to places like Crawley, Croydon, Horsham etc. (AMEX, Universities and Hospitals are probably the biggest employers in the city) There does seem to be a pretty thriving market for good tradesmen too though!
Summer - Brighton in the summer can be hell with sunburned drunk Londoners filling the train station, bars, streets and beaches. For this reason alone I'd recommend Hove as the tourist don't seem to stray too far from Brighton Pier and the train station!