Source: Evening Standard (London) {Homes and
Property}Edition:Country: UKDate: Wednesday 9, August 2017Page:
10Area: 655 sq. cmCirculation: ABC 907269 DailyAd data: page rate
£57,120.00, scc rate £240.00Phone: 020 7938 7161
Keyword: Leaders
Essex: coast and countryEast Londoners love the swift City
commute, great schools and good-value family homes. Ruth Bloomfield
tours the county’s hotspots
THE capital continues its love affair with Essex — for years the
county of choice for City workers seeking a move from east London
to a larger
family home with countryside on the doorstep. But which towns
are the hot favourites? Here’s our lowdown.
BASILDON
Fantastic transport links to the Square Mile and Canary Wharf
put Basildon — birthplace of Russell Brand and a favourite location
for Towie stars on a big night out — at the top of a league table
of destinations favoured by com-muters moving from east London.
A third of the homes sold here in the last year went to former
east London-ers, who paid an average £349,000, Hamptons
International research shows. Prices in the area have risen six per
cent in a year and an impressive 45 per cent since 2007.
Outperforming it may be, but a move to this modern town involves
compro-mises. The ugly, worn-out Sixties cen-tre suffers from its
proximity to Intu Lakeside shopping centre, and not much property
is older than Joey Essex, so if you want to leave London for a
quaint old cottage, Basildon won’t be for you. If, however, you
want a large, detached executive home in a private road, you are in
luck.
On the plus side, the commuter links are excellent. Trains to
Fenchurch Street take from 37 minutes and an annual season ticket
costs £3,948.
ild l h i f hi h li
Basildon also has a mix of high-quality schools. Great Berry
Primary Academy, in Langdon Hills, gets an “outstanding”
Ofsted report, and the majority of local schools are considered
at least “good” by the education watchdog.
Obvious areas to start house hunting include Kingswood, near the
station, where a three-bedroom terrace house would be about
£270,000. A posher option is Langdon Hills, leafy and quiet, and
with rather grand contemporary houses. Expect to pay about £650,000
for a substantial family house.
BRENTWOOD
About a quarter of Brentwood’s buyers are from the capital,
drawn in part by the town’s proximity to the M25 and the new
Shenfield Crossrail station.
However, Brentwood, with an aver-age house price of £554,735, is
one of the most expensive locations included in today’s research,
though its prices have flatlined in the last year.
ROCHFORD
Closer to the Essex coast, about one in four Rochford buyers
hails from east London. With average house prices of £373,500,
there has been a 10 per cent rise over the same period — the
strong-est annual price growth in the survey.
COLCHESTER
This is one of the cheapest options, with average house prices
of £293,000,
up a hefty 14 per cent year on year.Colchester’s market has been
bol-
stered by its thriving buy-to-let scene. Despite tax changes and
higher stamp duty, investors are still keen to buy near the
University of Essex campus or around Colchester North station.
For owner-occupiers, west Colchester is the smartest location,
including sub-urbs such as West Bergholt with its village feel and
proximity to the town centre and station. A four-bedroom detached
house here would cost about £430,000, while a three-bedroom semi
would be £300,000 to £350,000.
Colchester has good schools and a good commute. Hamilton Primary
is particularly sought after, as are Col-chester County High and
Colchester Royal Grammar School. Commuters can be at Liverpool
Street in 54 min-utes, with an annual season ticket priced from
£6,016. Most people know
Colchester for its Army barracks, but its reputation as a
slightly rough squad-die town is gradually dissipating. It has a
new arts centre designed by Rafael Viñoly, a couple of cinemas, the
beau-tiful Stour Valley is near and the coast is only 12 miles
away.
The town centre has too many chain stores to be interesting, but
Kris Dixon, sales manager at Leaders estate agents, says it’s
“bright and vibrant”, adding: “There are lots of restaurants in the
town centre, and nightclubs, and good country pubs in the villages
around.”
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
Reproduced by Gorkana under licence from the NLA (newspapers),
CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright
owner. No furthercopying (including printing of digital cuttings),
digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except
under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright
The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 1 of 3
398380101 - MIKSOT - A23123-1 - 128413548
Source: Evening Standard (London) {Homes and
Property}Edition:Country: UKDate: Wednesday 9, August 2017Page:
10Area: 655 sq. cmCirculation: ABC 907269 DailyAd data: page rate
£57,120.00, scc rate £240.00Phone: 020 7938 7161
Keyword: Leaders
The alpha choice on the Essex coast, about one in eight Southend
buyers moves from London. The average house price is just under
£362,000, up 11 per cent year on year.
With a 40-minute commute to Fen-church Street and an annual
season ticket at £4,736, this old-fashioned sea-side town is coming
into its own. Its airport is handy for European weekend breaks, the
two high schools have “out-standing” Ofsted ratings, and there are
plans to revamp the dowdy seafront.
The most upscale part is Thorpe Bay, where a post-war family
semi would cost about £500,000. A sea view, wher-ever you are in
Southend, will come at a premium, with large modern houses costing
£2.5 million-plus.
The town centre conservation area has pretty Victorian terraces
for £650,000 to £700,000. But a couple of miles out you can find
similar homes in Leigh-on-Sea for about £350,000. Leigh also has
more of a London vibe, with gastropubs, independent cafés,
boutiques and vintage shops.
£600,000: below, a very attractive four-bedroom, three-bathroom,
fully renovated Victorian house with a garden and balcony, in
Cambridge Road, Southend-on-Sea. Call Peter Howard (01702
744134)
£400,000: a three-bedroom luxury duplex at The Mill Apartments,
East St, Colchester. Boydens (01206 916226)
Reproduced by Gorkana under licence from the NLA (newspapers),
CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright
owner. No furthercopying (including printing of digital cuttings),
digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except
under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright
The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 2 of 3
398380101 - MIKSOT - A23123-1 - 128413548
