Buying in Westcliff/Leigh/Chalkwell

[Catnipdelight]

I’m looking to buy a 3-bed home somewhere around this area in Essex. A lot of helpful MN threads suggest that the nearer you are to Chalkwell and Leigh, the better, as well as aiming to be south of the London road.

Sadly, both of those criteria are so expensive and I’m buying the property in my name only so my budget won’t get me much in Leigh, unless I take 10 years to do it up.

I’ve found a property that I’ve fallen head over heels for but I’m worried it’s further away towards the dodgy end — area seemed okay to me when I viewed but I’d appreciate any thoughts anyone has on Westborough Road in Westcliff?

This won’t be a forever home, but it will be where we have our first baby so i do want to feel that I love it. Any advice gratefully welcomed!

I used to live in Southend for a few years and during my time there I lived in Thorpe Bay, Central Southend and Leigh-on-Sea. All of the places were nice and all were on the south side some easy walk to the seafront. My favourite part was Leigh-On-Sea, I was lucky in that I was close to Old Leigh but it had a feel that was missing in the other parts.

The one thing that I found whilst living in area was the fixation everyone seemed to have with areas to live in and even which side of the road was better. I recall telling a colleague about a gorgeous house I'd viewed only to be advised to forget it because the road it was on was the boundary between Thorpe Bay and Shoebury and the house I liked was on the Shoebury side and therefore not worth considering.

@Lavendersquare Interesting! Yes it does seem that people are very particular about the precise location down to the inch, I think sadly the one I’ve fallen in love with wouldn’t pass the test 😭

I was born in westborough road! Not in Essex any longer but have friends who are and they wouldn’t touch westcliff with a 10 foot barge pole.

What about Eastwood? It’s cheaper than leigh and chalkwell but nothing like westcliff.

@Lavendersquare haha maplin way? Yea my Thorpe bay friend always mentions that!

Ahh no way @TeamBlondie! Well, there are some really gorgeous properties on that road. It’s such a shame that Westcliff now seems to have a bad rep because I love roads like that with Victorian terraces, lovely high ceilings and fireplaces.

Eastwood — I will check it out. It seems to have good schools as far as I can tell!

It’s not a great road, busy & frankly is a bit rough. The catchment school is quite poor too.

If it is the house I think it is (£400-425k?) it is in beautiful condition so there must be a compromise. this isn’t in such good nick but similar price and decent road and area. Tbh, this seems too cheap so am wondering what’s wrong!

Have just walked in from an Italian restaurant in west cliff ! Fab food , but very dodgy area . Wouldn’t have been happy to walk back to my car on my own . Leigh is lovely, but you will never be able to park your car … ever . Do not be tempted by gt Wakering.. lovely village… but for the love of god , it’s a long way out !

this is also a cheaper part of town but perfectly respectable. Needs a freshen up.

But I would snap up the Grange Road house very quickly as long as it isn’t subsiding or something!

I live in Leigh, north of the London road but the 'right' side of the A127 so not quite Eastwood (near to Belfairs woods). I can walk to the station in 30 minutes and into Broadway in 25. I like the distance between old Leigh, especially in the summer when it's so busy. Wouldn't move south of the London road if you like parking near your house! DC go to local primary (one of two local outstanding) and local grammar school though secondary options are good.

I would avoid the area of Westcliff you refer to based on schools- the catchment schools there are not great for either primary or secondary and lots of social issues still evident as you head toward Southend along London road/fairfax drive.

I've lived in SS9 for 25 years- love it!

What is your budget @Catnipdelight? North of London Road but still in Leigh would be fine. Highlands estate is nice.

@TeamBlondie

I was born in westborough road! Not in Essex any longer but have friends who are and they wouldn’t touch westcliff with a 10 foot barge pole.

What about Eastwood? It’s cheaper than leigh and chalkwell but nothing like westcliff.

I used to sit piano exams in Weatborough Road in the 80's!

@Chewbecca

this is also a cheaper part of town but perfectly respectable. Needs a freshen up.

But I would snap up the Grange Road house very quickly as long as it isn’t subsiding or something!

That's a friend of mine's house!

The Grange Road one is right on a busy junction I think- pretty sure I walk past it to get on the train!

@Chewbecca

It’s not a great road, busy & frankly is a bit rough. The catchment school is quite poor too.

If it is the house I think it is (£400-425k?) it is in beautiful condition so there must be a compromise. this isn’t in such good nick but similar price and decent road and area. Tbh, this seems too cheap so am wondering what’s wrong!

@Chewbecca yup, that’s the one! It’s gorgeously done. I wish I could just pick it up and implant it in Leigh! 😖 also think they are being slightly cheeky with the guide range given what I’ve learned of the area / sold prices around there.

I guess this is the classic situation for every home buyer, isn’t it… compromise. Always a compromise!

And yes I’m intrigued by Grange Road — I haven’t seen it but I’m going to see whether it’s been snapped up over the weekend. I wonder if they advertised it low knowing it’ll go for much more?

@LemonCake79

What is your budget *@Catnipdelight*? North of London Road but still in Leigh would be fine. Highlands estate is nice.

Thank you for the tip! My very top end is £450k. I’ll have a look around Highlands Estate 👀

@ss94life thanks so much for your reply! (Username checks out, haha). It looks like I need to wave goodbye to Westborough Road. And it’s good to know that there are some good things about being north of London road — more chance of a parking space.

What about being further west towards Leigh but more north nearer the A127? I don’t really know the areas v well and this is obviously further from the sea but perhaps more family friendly.

Where are your currently and what is your criteria?

Remember you can always drive to the sea.

Southend is turning into an absolute dump, I intend to leave ASAP.

For a 3 bed up to 450k (dependant on other criteria), you have lots of options (but not Leigh! You might snap one up near Belfairs but immaculate ones don’t come up often, you’ll need to do some work). Leigh is a nightmare for parking though, actually so is Westborough Road.

I went to The Palace theatre recently and thankfully it was in the day because I wouldn’t want to walk back to my car alone at night. Definitely not somewhere to raise your children if you can help it.

The area around Fairways school is achievable and a nice, quiet area. Compromise there will be house design - mostly 60s built, not the Victorian you're looking for. Highlands doesn't come in under £500k any more for a 3 bed house, maybe a doer-upper around the Edinburgh Avenue area which is a good group of roads.

Are you looking to enjoy the shops, bars, galleries etc.? Or more focussed on quiet, the woods and schools? And are you willing to compromise on house condition and era?

@DumDumLikeGumGum

Where are your currently and what is your criteria?

Remember you can always drive to the sea.

Southend is turning into an absolute dump, I intend to leave ASAP.

For a 3 bed up to 450k (dependant on other criteria), you have lots of options (but not Leigh! You might snap one up near Belfairs but immaculate ones don’t come up often, you’ll need to do some work). Leigh is a nightmare for parking though, actually so is Westborough Road.

I went to The Palace theatre recently and thankfully it was in the day because I wouldn’t want to walk back to my car alone at night. Definitely not somewhere to raise your children if you can help it.

Thanks for the info about Westcliff. Am definitely thinking to avoid it now -- the theatre was right near that house and I know what you mean about it feeling unsafe.

I moved from North London to Brentwood last year, renting currently to assess options but I can't afford to buy a decent 3-bed in Brentwood/Billericay which is where I had thought I might live.

Criteria is: Min 3 beds (we both wfh and baby coming), decent garden, spacious...that's it really. I can handle somewhere that needs a bit of work for an extension later down the line but would prefer to avoid a proper fixer-upper. I love period properties but I think the parking situation/pricing on those has steered me more towards the wider roads/converted bungalow types...

@Chewbecca

The area around Fairways school is achievable and a nice, quiet area. Compromise there will be house design - mostly 60s built, not the Victorian you're looking for. Highlands doesn't come in under £500k any more for a 3 bed house, maybe a doer-upper around the Edinburgh Avenue area which is a good group of roads.

Are you looking to enjoy the shops, bars, galleries etc.? Or more focussed on quiet, the woods and schools? And are you willing to compromise on house condition and era?

I'd definitely prefer quiet woodland and schools rather than buzzy bars/shops/pubs. Sadly those days are behind me now!

And I would always prioritise my home environment (space, how it 'feels', and day-to-day living) over being closer to a town/city centre.

My partner is a bit more conscious of proximity to London/a station but he works from home as well so it's not a big priority for us when in comparison to space and area/safety etc.

Yea Brentwood and Billericay are lovely!

Given your update then I would consider:

Eastwood
Belfairs area of Leigh
Rochford
Hawkwell

Anywhere like Rayleigh, Hockley etc will mean you have to get a doer-upper and/or be further out from the main amenities.

Not many period properties around rochford and hawkwell though (I’m on rightmove every day! And share your love of period homes).

I wouldn’t consider wakering or shoebury. Despite being cheaper, shoebury has a bad rep although not anything like westcliff and wakering is so busy now, it’s like leigh for parking. Also the catchment secondary school in wakering is actually in rochford. Shoebury high is massively over subscribed so despite being closer, you’d never get in.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118649465#/?channel=RES_BUY

Stambridge is rural area of Rochford so comes with a higher price tag but really lovely.

Surprised to hear about Westcliff being a bit ropey...we always thought it was quite posh....in the 80's / 90's....we often had holidays there....stayed in a friends holiday house..what has changed..??

@DumDumLikeGumGum

Yea Brentwood and Billericay are lovely!

Given your update then I would consider:

Eastwood
Belfairs area of Leigh
Rochford
Hawkwell

Anywhere like Rayleigh, Hockley etc will mean you have to get a doer-upper and/or be further out from the main amenities.

Not many period properties around rochford and hawkwell though (I’m on rightmove every day! And share your love of period homes).

I wouldn’t consider wakering or shoebury. Despite being cheaper, shoebury has a bad rep although not anything like westcliff and wakering is so busy now, it’s like leigh for parking. Also the catchment secondary school in wakering is actually in rochford. Shoebury high is massively over subscribed so despite being closer, you’d never get in.

@DumDumLikeGumGum I can’t thank you enough for your advice, it’s so helpful to get your insights!

Setting up Zoopla alerts for these areas as we speak…

@earsup a lot of migrants which makes me sound racist but i am not at all, it’s just the truth. So bars and restaurants changed to a lot of polish mini marts for example. Less homeowner occupiers, more rentals, where people don’t care about maintenance so they area starts to look rough, which forces more people to leave and more landlords to take over.

I worked in westcliff at a bank there for a couple of years, half our customers literally couldn’t speak English, so it pushed those born and bred there away, and so it went on.

Westcliff also has a lot of issues with drugs now as well. It’s a huge shame, my husbands family lived there their entire lives but left about 10 years ago now because of the way it has turned out. Think graffiti, rundown houses and smashed bottles everywhere, fly tipping.

Southend high street is awful now, all the shops are leaving. It had so much potential.

Chelmsford is the place to go now for shopping!

[quote DumDumLikeGumGum]@earsup a lot of migrants which makes me sound racist but i am not at all, it’s just the truth. So bars and restaurants changed to a lot of polish mini marts for example. Less homeowner occupiers, more rentals, where people don’t care about maintenance so they area starts to look rough, which forces more people to leave and more landlords to take over.

I worked in westcliff at a bank there for a couple of years, half our customers literally couldn’t speak English, so it pushed those born and bred there away, and so it went on.

Westcliff also has a lot of issues with drugs now as well. It’s a huge shame, my husbands family lived there their entire lives but left about 10 years ago now because of the way it has turned out. Think graffiti, rundown houses and smashed bottles everywhere, fly tipping.

Southend high street is awful now, all the shops are leaving. It had so much potential.

Chelmsford is the place to go now for shopping![/quote]
oh...sounds like it has changed so much....is it same for Shoebury ness....we used to go to beach there a lot....i think it was there....a lot of our jewish neighbours moved to Westcliff to retire there in the 80's / 90's...i havent been there for years....never liked southend...the women had more tattoos than the men and i thought all scrap dealers retired there....!!!