Moving from London to South Ockendon / Chafford / Grays

[hopefully2021]

So I've so far heard of all the negatives of the above areas, can anyone who lives in any of these areas tell me of some positives please? (I'm sure there must be some??)

Lakeside is nearby. Although who knows if there will be any shops open in it by the time all this ends. Otherwise.... the c2c trains are beautifully air conditioned in the summer so if you go into London for work you’ll have a lovely, air conditioned commute.

@AllTheWayFromLondonDAMN Thank you! Positive no 1, now to wait for the rest lol...

Are you hoping for a whole different group of posters to your earlier identical thread in the same place?

@AllTheWayFromLondonDAMN l thought Lakeside had gone bankrupt?

C2C trains are cheaper and more efficient than Greater Anglia, who cover others parts of Essex

@EL8888

All good except Trenitalia who run the c2c are trying to/may already have handed the franchise back. Air conditioned trains aside, it could become ‘the misery line’ again 😩 and you can’t use oyster past Upminster.

OP, I've never lived in Grays, so bear that in mind. I've seen the negative comments you received on your last thread, so obviously you've had some forthright opinions from people who are better acquainted with the place.

However, about ten years ago my husband and I seriously considered moving to Grays for much the same reasons you are - the opportunity to buy a house for the price of a flat. We visited there a few times. The things that appealed to us:

• the c2c line to London, which seemed to be quick and reliable
• the Chafford Gorges Nature Park was quite nice, as was the Grays Thurrock Chalk Pit. We felt that there was ease of access to the rest of Essex and the countryside.
• St Peter and Paul's Church in Grays seemed to be quite interesting. We chatted to the vicar there at the time who told us a bit about the history of the place and showed us some of the artefacts
• more recently I think the Royal Opera House has been putting on cultural events in Thurrock and the surrounding area (Pre-covid, obviously). The ROH offers an apprenticeship to students in Grays, so it looks as though there might be a small artistic/cultural community in the area
• I've read (on Mumsnet, probably) that there is a growing Nigerian community in Grays, and the children come from families who have keen interest in education and academic success. I expect that will bode well for schools in future.

I'm not trying to say that Grays/Thurrock is the best place in Essex. I also don't know how Covid will affect anything, e.g. the ROH apprenticeship. However, I do think that there are probably areas of potential if you look closely enough. But again, I emphasise that I've never actually lived there.

Apart from anything, if you only intend to stay for a few years, what's the problem? If you don't like it, you can just move.