What is Westcliffe like?

[HappySat]

Hi everyone,

I would really appreciate your help - first post!

My partner and I are hoping to move to Leigh on Sea. We are looking to buy but we notice that you can get more for your money in Westcliffe. We don’t know this area too well but have read that it isn’t as nice/a bit rough round the edges. Does anyone know the area well? In particular, the roads between Fairfax Drive and London Rd like Hilldaville Drive, Ronald Park Avenue, Electric Avenue, Fleetwood Avenue… What is it like there in your view please? We have visited but a quick trip might not reveal everything! Is it okay or is there some truth to what people have said about it being a little rough/a bit unsafe?

Really appreciate any help!

Hmmm- to be honest there is a reason why the houses are cheaper there... that particular part of Westcliff has a reputation of being quite rough with a high crime rate. A real mix of nicely kept properties and then quite the opposite- oh and parking is an absolute nightmare!

My sister lives in Ronald Park Ave & loves it , yes parking is a nightmare when visiting though.

Would totally agree with this. I grew up in Southend and I wouldn't choose this area personally.

Thank you so much for your reply. So would you say this just applies to certain areas or Westcliff as a whole? Are any parts okay, e.g. the part directly above Chalkwell Park like Westboune or Southborne Rd? Thanks so much again.

Thank you so much for your reply. So would you say this just applies to certain areas or Westcliff as a whole? Are any parts okay, e.g. the part directly above Chalkwell Park like Westboune or Southborne Rd? Thanks so much again.

I work in Westcliff and yes I agree that it is not great in some areas. I think south of the London Rd is nicer, the roads don't seem quite a narrow and there is more options for parking. If Leigh is a bit too expensive for you why don't you consider going slightly further east to Hadleigh, some parts of Thundersley or South Benfleet (near the station).

Sorry I meant slight further West than Leigh

I grew up on Brightwell Avenue. The houses are nice, but parking is a nightmare. I now live in Central Southend and love it. But others look down on it.

Westcliff is far more expensive than it used to be as people who can't afford Leigh opt for Westcliff.

Leigh is its own little bubble. People I know who live in Leigh rarely if ever venture towards Southend way.

There’s Westcliffe and there’s Westcliffe.

I lived on the seafront (on the private road above the Arches for locals) and it was delightful. The areas you asked about, not so delightful. A bit more than “rough round the edges” if ykwim.

The area @whineybing mentions are nice enough but nothing like the Leigh experience you’re looking for.

I moved to westcliff a few months ago. Love it here. We live on one of the ladder streets coming off Fairfax. Fairfax is pretty grotty tbh and so are parts of London Road, but our street is fine, and the fact we've got a lovely big house (which we would never have afforded where we were before) makes up for that. Easily drivable or walkable to nice parts of the city and loads of stuff to do. Our neighbors are friendly and we feel much safer here than we did before. Parking is mildly annoying but I've never had any major problems, I've never had to park on another street or anything like that.

There’s Westcliffe and there’s Westcliffe

And there's Westcliff, which is actually its name😉

We lived near the station for several years. It improved in those years and was very handy for us (we worked in London at the time, so would fall off the train, grab something to eat from Hamlet Court Road and be home in minutes) but I didn't feel safe walking around alone in the dark. Other than that, I found the area had a lot to offer. I think you need to look a bit more in depth at the area and pick your streets wisely. It is not Leigh on Sea but prices really do reflect that.

What’s your budget OP? The best parts of Westcliff (other than Chalkwell which I assume is out as it is as expensive, if not more so than Leigh) are the parts furthest west, e.g. around Clatterfield Gdns, and the area north of Prittlewell Chase (Somerset estate) is v nice but kess

Posted too soon…

less popular because of distance to station.

Thank you so much for everyone’s replies. It has been such a great help.

In response to the budget question, to be honest we are probably able to get some of the properties in Leigh itself, it was just the age old thing of weighing up the love of Leigh as an area vs the size of house in Westcliff. We’ve seen some beautiful ones so we were just seeing what people/locals might think. The suggestion of other areas in Westcliff was really helpful too - we’ll take a look!

Thank you again.

Oh god I’m mortified. I lived there 5 years and I never ever got to grips with that. Complete mental block. I am equally vague about loose and lose. Apologies 😬

😂 Perhaps they should add the e on the naicer parts 😂

Hi Happy Sat,

Did you find a suitable location in the area mentioned? I am now looking into this same thing?

I have family by Chalkwell park who love it. But the parking is a bit rubbish! Safe though, their kids go to school themselves etc.

Hey! I would say I agree with all the posts above really. Some lovely houses in that particular area and they can be quite large, but some of the streets/area in general can appear a bit run down for some people. I know people who love it there though, with much more for your money. Just depends what your priorities are. Parking can be an issue too, as it is in some parts of Leigh.

For us personally, I’d say west of Westbourne Grove is a ‘sweet spot’ closer to Leigh where generally the area is a bit nicer looking and prices not as high as Leigh. But of course it’s opinion.

Safety wise - always felt very safe personally.

A different note: something to consider in the general Leigh area if you’re not familiar with it is the flight path for the airport. It’s not something that we’ve been bothered by personally, but some people directly under it have had issues in the past when there were more flights. I don’t think there are as many now and again it’s not something that bothers us - just wanted to mention in case it’s something you would want to look into.

Love the area so all the best for finding something!

Just to add to this, there are 6 new flight routes planned for next year, so definitely getting busier!

Oh I didn’t know this! Thank you for the heads up! I’ll have to look into it!