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!

@Twinkie01

SJaneS49 Vange to Flange 😂😂😂

Oh yes... forgot that 1

Ok, from personal experience yes, lots of anti social behaviour. Lots. You won't get shot, and probably not stabbed but you might well get harassed and abused quite regularly. It's it not at all "enlightened" (for want of a better word). Sorry but it's racist and insular. In fact, coming in as an outsider rather than born and raised there might also make it a bit harder to fit in.

All the shops are cheapie crap and fast food.

A PP makes a good point about Thameside (the theatre and library). That's quite good. But even the green spaces are not really all that, unless you're prepared to drive.

If a 3 bed house with garden is worth that to you then that's great for you, you'll get a decent sized house. We're just saying so visit because your comparisons to Hackney are way off the Mark. That's all.

Caveat: obviously I'm not saying everyone who lives there fits above description, but that's the overwhelming feel.

[quote hopefully2021]@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[/quote]
But a lot have said they wouldn't want to walk from the station alone etc. I doubt that's due to the area being boring?! Personally I couldn't live anywhere where I didn't feel safe coming out the station... and I don't even use the train regularly. It seems to me you're only taking on board the bits from this thread that are less worrying and glossing over the rest.

What about Hutton (in shenfield/Brentwood) close to cross rail and a12. Nice area and could get a 3 bed in your budget

Or billericay- close to a12 or a127

Or Brentwood

@CellophaneFlower not at all, it's just I'm trying to work out where people are exaggerating that's all - one poster said she wouldn't feel safe coming out of Chafford Hundred station, I've done that journey plenty of times and have been picked up from the station from family members and I've struggled to see any threat each time I've been stood outside that station both on the weekends and weekday evenings from work
Sorry if I sound like I'm being defensive, the area of Thurrock as a whole isn't completely new to me (I used to work in lakeside as a teenager and I had an ex boyfriend who lived in South Ockendon at the time), all I remember was feeling relatively safe down there in comparison to Hackney but we are going back 10-15 years or so

@BentBastard Thank you, my no means am I saying I am set on moving there, just weighing up all options - we have two viewings on the weekend so we will drive around the areas and have a look especially Grays town centre - it's just a shame its not normal times as I'm not sure how much of an accurate picture we will get with everyone supposed to be in lockdown
Thank you for also giving a balanced argument and mentioning some positives

@Netaporter is it this one you are referring to in Horndon?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/98145701#/

It’s about 30 seconds from me! Good location, can be a busy road when they shut the a13 for roadworks but very near the school which is lovely, as is the nursery here.

@hopefully2021 if you are really set on the Grays area, might be worth checking out around Blackshots. There’s the parade just over the road with a few shops, but not near the main town centre (although walkable)

I did a small part of my training near to CH as a medical student. It may have changed now but depression rates were sky high. Particularly chafford hundred as there was no community just people isolated in houses often with young children.

I should say I'm also a Londoner but agree it's a different kind of rough feeling to London!

@JackieWeaverRules not at all, as I said previously just trying to pull out where people could possibly be exaggerating as like you said I'm about to drop a couple hundred thousand so I want to make sure I've got the correct views that's all
Like I said, I've got slight experience of CH and south Ockendon and both haven't seemed bad to me but my expectations are probably a lot lower than most peoples given my single parent / benefit upbringing and being bought up on council estates
I'm taking everyone's comments on board I really am, I've been trying to extend my search out for alternatives too but some suggestions are just way out of my budget range

When do you actually need to move by? Can you leave it a couple more months, past the stamp duty free window? The drive from Grays to East London will absolutely take over an hour of a morning, and that is just the A13 usual traffic, not even with an accident.

There are things wrong with Basildon and you wouldn't choose it with an unlimited budget, this is true, but it's not Grays.

I understand you wanting us to put some meat on the bones but at the end of the day, these are just our opinions and let’s face it are going to be based on our own personal likes and dislikes. Being frank, I like very solidly safe, picturesque old towns with great facilities and schools so I come from that viewpoint.

DH and I trooped up to Aveley and then South Ockendon every weekend for 10 years. Every second weekend we would only get a day with DSD and had to fill it in the area and to be honest, other than traipsing around Lakeside or picnics at Belhus in the summer, there just was very little to do! DSDs Mum moved frequently so we’ve driven most of the streets - they were all pretty identical in look, cheaply constructed houses without much love given to them. I’d agree with the PP who said that the area was a 1970’s throwback in terms of insularity and racist attitudes, I’ve heard them. DSD’s negative opinion of Grays are her own from her 6 months there but influenced I’m sure by having a flat above a drug dealers and the police being round more than once. Both she and DSIL work in local Primaries - you haven’t talked much about what you are looking for re DC but the Primaries are huge and increasingly under funded from what we hear creating staffing problems.

This is a big investment for you and you won’t be an island if you have DC. I’d really be looking at what is going to be a good investment for the future and looking at school performance and catchment areas. The property the PP has linked above looks a great suggestion, it’s a better area and somewhere you can do up and make money on.

Good luck!

@autumncountryleaves yep, that’s the one. So much potential.

@hopefully2021please give serious thought to the route of the lower Thames crossing and the serious impact on traffic. There are a ton of people who have been caught out by this and won’t volunteer the info to you if they think you might buy their homes. A number of people in orsett have been badly affected by the route. FYI, north Stafford is usually a rat run from everyone trying to get round the a13. It doesn’t have the same village vibe as horndon on the hill (check out The bell inn pub, it’s fab) and will be a nightmare when the works start (as will the whole area).

Op, try and look at Hutton, Brentwood, billericay or outer areas of Basildon.

@Clickncollect

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!

Waves at my Hornchurch neighbour

My in laws lived in Brandon Groves for years, it's actually a nicely laid out estate when you are in it with a lot of green space, I think it would still be over budget and you do still have to come out into the main part of South Ockendon but you are kind of right on the edge but for balance you are only a 10 minute drive into Upminster and although the schools are poor there plenty get into James Oglethorpe primary in Upminster which is a really lovely school you also have Thames Chase on the drive down which is a wonderful open space.

We live in Stifford Clays, which is between grays and orsett. You should get a 3 bed for your budget round here. Mainly ex council houses so well built, and they tend to be sold quite quickly.

There is a bus service but its patchy. If I need to go into London for work I drive to lakeside and get the train from chafford. The drive to bethnal green is around an hour in the rush hour, more if theres traffic.

When the dartford bridge is closed, or theres an accident on the a13, traffic locally can jam up, but Im hoping the new crossing (if it ever gets started) will ease that once its done.

Its better than grays here and does have a community feel to it. The primary is good and the two local secondary schools are good, although one is only a year old.

We are only a couple of miles from grays town centre, but it feels so different to grays. We've never felt unsafe round here.

We plan on moving in the next few years, but only because we want to downsize, but would happily stay in the area.

Feel free to PM if you want to know anything more specific, but I wouldn't dissuade you from moving here.

Hey, I grew up in Grays, a lot of my family still live there. It has gone down hill over the years but it depends what you are looking for.
There are some decent enough areas to live round there, as some have mentioned closer to Lodge Lane, away from the town centre. The town centre is run down but has a Morrison’s, wilkos and Farmfoods (these use to be the only shops I would head to the town centre for). I would personally be going to Lakeside if I wanted to mooch round the shops. I wouldn’t personally walk through the town late at night alone if I got the train home from London...not that anything happened when I did, more just that general uneasy feeling especially as you would get groups of men hanging round the 7/11 drinking. Always feel perfectly safe during the day time and I have family who work in the town centre who feel fine popping out on their lunch break etc.
Positives for me would be you could get nice houses within your budget. Good rail links, Lakeside is decent enough for shops and they are trying to improve it (really could go either way though).
Negatives.....there is definitely a lack of integration between the different communities and this has led to a lot of underlying tensions (for example it’s a prime place the BNP like to have politic televised launch for elections etc).
Leading up to Christmas and in bad weather (bridge getting closed) whole town can become grid locked.
Personally concerned that if and when they build the second Thames crossing Grays will be stuck in between two major roads and air pollution will go up (already poor in this area).

When we were looking to move from London we considered Grays and also Chafford Hundred. Our budget was slightly higher than yours OP but we had a similar criteria to you. We wanted a bigger house with a decent size garden. My partner drives into work whereas I rely on the C2C to get into London.

We don't go out much so pubs and local shops/cafes etc were not something we considered. Whenever we do go out, we head to London where there is a much better selection of restaurants/theatres.

In the end we settled for chafford hundred. Based on the fact that the commute into London is tolerable and you get a lot more for your money. So far, it's been ok living here and it is exactly as we expected. I suppose if you wanted to enjoy recreational activities in the local area you would struggle for options.

As mentioned by the previous poster about the attitude her DSD had. All my family who live there are extremely right wing. I've had to pull them up on numerous occasions because of the language they use. Lots of people moved to Grays from East London and weren't well received unless they were white British. There is a big BNP presence there too.

@Twinkie01, never heard anything racist from DSD, she’s not been brought up like that.. I have heard really nasty racist abuse in a shop in South Ockendon though from someone pretty young (20’s) using words I hadn’t heard since my childhood towards the shopkeeper. My DSIL’s local family have some interesting attitudes about immigration too! During Brexit and at election time, there was a lot of purple UKIP banners out - certainly a different vibe to where we live!

Stupid question, but have you put your budget into rightmove for the whole of London? I just found this by doing that.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77175144#/