Honest opinions of Grays, Essex

[hopefully2021]

Hi,
Just looking for some honest opinions please - me and my husband are currently buying our first home and will be moving from Hackney in East London - our chosen areas are Aveley, South Ockendon and Chafford Hundred (due to our budget - you seem to get the most for your money in those areas), however I've seen a few really nice houses in Grays. I was always under the impression that Grays was a bit rough but would value some advice from people who currently live there or have recently lived there (and why you decided to move)
Many thanks!

If that's what hackney is like you will be fine in grays.
It used to be white working class, most people employed at Ford in Dagenham. Obviously that's all changed in a relatively short space of time, plus lakeside built, which took the heart out if Grays.

The good points, train service is excellent into London. Aircon trains into fenchurch at.
Really good library and a local theatre group. If you are after culture you will have to go looking for it, but there is a bit. There's the ROH in purfleet.
There are allotments around, if that's your thing.

Do bear in mind the -going against the traffic flow -thing. Hackney to lakeside is a totally different journey from daily commute from Grays into London. It is bumper to bumper stop start the whole way from Grays every morning. If you have an automatic and prepared to be late for work and doing it for X many years then it's doable. Many do, that's why the traffic is bad.

Thanks everyone, I honestly do value your opinions it's just frustrating because our budget is not the most - I have been discussing with my husband and I think we would definately favour space over location at this point in our lives - we've lived the London life for so long and we will still be in London frequently for friends and family & for meals etc, will always have a base to stay overnight at my mums or his mums but we do want a home outside of London where we can also shut ourselves off when we need some downtime (pre-covid our current place is a bit of an open house always visitors popping in & out which is nice at times but not always especially when you have the MIL around every weekend lol)
To be honest we probably wouldn't be venturing out loads in grays if we did decide to move there, just shopping & walking the dog (a few nice parks locally would be great)
In terms of traffic, I doubt I will be returning to the office 5 days a week when the office reopens so when I'm at home, the dog can be left with me and my husband will just take the train (or buy a motorbike to use) it will just be the days that I do go into the office that he will have to drive the car as we don't leave the dog home alone all day - he normally goes to work with my other half everyday lol
From what I can read, it looks like it's mainly around the town centre where people are most cautious...

Your restricting your search to Grays because of the dog? There must be alternatives, a lunchtime dog walker on days you're in the office?

Op, for comparison, try putting a 10mile radius around grays for your budget of £350k to see if you really can get more bang for your buck. There is a property for sale with great potential in horndon on the hill. Such a great village, pub, school, allotments, parks etc and the option to go into london from Laindon station (fast service from there). It is also very close to the A13. There are no areas of Grays I can think of that would offer as good a return on capital nor similar property size. Good luck!

I’d also consider the impact of the new lower Thames crossing project on the area. The traffic will be worsened and some area house prices will be seriously affected. I’d avoid south and south ockenden. West and East tilbury, chadwell st Mary and orsett as a result. Definitely do some careful research on the route.

I have recently moved (October 2020) from South ockendon i was there for 36 years its not like it use to be but I would not go but its like all area's you have your rough parts but ockendon is becoming more and more like London thats one of the reasons we moved out plus with 4 kids needed bigger house grays wouldn't recommend or Chafford hundred.

@Toorapid no of course not, I'm just saying my husband wouldn't have to drive every day
Dog walker - probably a no as my dog is 10 stone and not very friendly to strangers or other big dogs on his walks so I personally wouldn't risk it...

@Netaporter Thanks I'll have a look!

This probably sounds patronising but I'd honestly think more about the location Vs space decision.

We almost bought a flat that we were bowled over by because of the space and the fact it had a garden that we overlooked the location and tried to justify it to ourselves by finding tiny redeemable things about it like oh look it's got a place nearby that has pizza, that's fine for us! I'm so grateful it fell through which allowed us to refocus on what we wanted, which was location. I couldn't imagine being in the first flat during the past year, where we are now has 5 parks within a 20 minute walk, a wonderful community spirit and very good pizza

[quote hopefully2021]@Toorapid no of course not, I'm just saying my husband wouldn't have to drive every day
Dog walker - probably a no as my dog is 10 stone and not very friendly to strangers or other big dogs on his walks so I personally wouldn't risk it...[/quote]
It just seems that the only reason you need to be within sensible driving distance of Bethnal Green is the dog. Basildon or Laindon is an easy commute by train and whilst it has it's issues, nowhere near as many or as bad as Grays.

Utterly dreadful place and I have lived there. It feels very unsafe and in an entirely different way to London. Lots and lots of poverty and drugs. When I visit family I literally can't wait to leave. Every friend I know bar 1 has moved away.

Why not go further out? Chelmsford or Colchester?

Sorry just saw that you eventually want to be in Chelmsford.

Will your OH not budge on driving time.

DH has had to drive into the city pretty often over lockdown and has done it in less than an hour. Can your OH not commute part of the way.

We moved away from Bromley/Sidcup. (Saw that was suggested) Got fed up with hooligans threatening me for not buying fags and booze on the way home from the station for them. DH grew up in Bromley and it saddens him when he has to go back that it's changed so much. Even his parents moved away from there and they were born there.

@Twinkie01 are you referring to grays as a whole is very unsafe or just by the town centre? I have family who live in North Stifford which is under Grays but it's a lovely little village with a good community spirit
Do you have any experience of Stanford Le Hope, is it nicer?

@Toorapid It really isn't, my husband likes the option of preferably being able to drive and doesn't want this to take up too much of his time in the day, he doesn't mind the train as an option when he needs to but wouldn't want to commute via train every day
You say Basildon is okay where others put it in the same boat as Grays so it's all very confusing!

I'd say it as a whole (I wouldn't put North Stifford under Grays and it's not in your budget). Stifford Clays isn't as bad as the other bits of Grats as far as I'm aware.

I wouldn't want to walk out of the train stations in Grays or Chafford.

Bas Vegas as DH insists on calling it has good bits and bad bits but I wouldn't want to live there.

Sorry to sound so negative but I have family in Stanford and even they call it Stanford No Hope!

@Twinkie01 do you have any suggestions on areas in our budget? North stifford is out of our budget but they are still classed as grays which is why I'm trying to determine what actual parts of grays people are so passionate about being very rough as North Stifford obviously isnt rough at all, out of curiosity do you live in essex or London?

Sorry OP for going off subject here, @Twinkie01, I wonder if renaming the less lovely bits of the area is a local thing to Essex but it makes me laugh. A friend of mine (from Upminster, lives in Buckhurst Hill) calls Aveley Daveley (which kind of suits it) and Dagenham is Nam (natch!).

@SJaneS49

Sorry OP for going off subject here, *@Twinkie01*, I wonder if renaming the less lovely bits of the area is a local thing to Essex but it makes me laugh. A friend of mine (from Upminster, lives in Buckhurst Hill) calls Aveley Daveley (which kind of suits it) and Dagenham is Nam (natch!).

We also have The 'ill (Harold Hill) So yes, there's definitely some truth in that

[quote hopefully2021]@Twinkie01 do you have any suggestions on areas in our budget? North stifford is out of our budget but they are still classed as grays which is why I'm trying to determine what actual parts of grays people are so passionate about being very rough as North Stifford obviously isnt rough at all, out of curiosity do you live in essex or London?[/quote]
OP I'm sorry to say that I think the majority of Grays is the same. This is why it's so close to London but affordable. I think you probably knew the answer to your original question before you posted. If 1 poster had said it wasn't too bad then that would have been enough for you. The fact we're unanimous really should set off alarm bells. I do hope you remove your blinkers and really look at the area when you visit, rather than just the house which will probably be perfectly nice. Honestly not meaning to sound rude, but I'd hate you to make a very expensive mistake.

Highly recommend renting around there first to see how you get on. I live in Hornchurch now but rented around here first to make sure I liked it before we bought and have been here ten years.
I actually rented in Chafford hundred and it was ok in terms of nice and newish houses but the train line was rubbish as it’s one track between Grays and Upminster and one train every half hour. I was single at the time so didn’t really feel in the loop there but it seems ok for couples and families as people try and put roots down.
But I’m sorry to say the first thing that pops into my head with those areas is awful traffic.
I’ve heard the Brandon Groves part of south ockendon is ok.
Good luck!

@CellophaneFlower I'm just struggling to see what is so bad about all of the areas I have listed, is it anti social behaviour, am I going to stabbed or shot or is it just high levels of unemployment with a few drunks hanging around? I havent had many examples of actual experiences from people of what is so bad apart from some cultural issues and the areas being deemed a bit boring - I get the traffic issues completely too
If someone was to ask me about Hackney, I would be able to give personal experience to back up my claims thats all

SJaneS49 Vange to Flange 😂😂😂

OP have you lived in a very deprived area before?
I understand that Hackney has very deprived pockets as do some other areas of London but it also has high end pockets.
But it is very different to an area which is just deprived solidly.
It isn't a matter of just living safely in your own house and ignoring the surrounding area.
If you have previous experience then I don't need to say this but it seemed worth mentioning because I'm really not sure you understand what you are signing up for.

I live in North Essex.

To sum it up what people are saying is it's a bit of a shit hole.

Lots of deprivation, drugs, crime, traffic, air pollution.

I'd do an extra couple of hours in the car a week to live somewhere that isn't Grays.