Moving to St Leonards

[Sophia]

Hi Dan + Lesley

So did you make the move? Any feedback? Are you happy in Pevensey Road?

My partner and I are hoping to make the move to St Leonard's too but like yourself reviews online are mixed.

I've always dreamed of living near the sea. I'm currently working in London and living in greater London (1hr 15min commute - 3 trains).

I'm used to good neighbourhoods alongside the bad, I lived in Hackney for 4 years and absolutely loved it there but it wasn't without it's negative elements.

Most neighbourhoods have it's good and bad parts but with schools on the rise in Hastings and St Leonard's and the benefits of the seaside and quirky shops and arty vibe I hope your feedback is positive.

I've fallen in love with a character house in St Leonard's and would like to make the move before Christmas.

I look forward to hearing from you_ _ _ or anyone else that has made the move and is commuting to London or is contemplating it_ _ _

It's a big move but is it worth it?

Best wishes

Sophia x

[quoted]
Brightonians wrote:
Wondered if anybody on here could give us some insight in to living in St Leonards?

My wife and I are both 32 and currently live in Brighton, we've been accepted in principal on a first time buyer scheme in Hastings and have found an amazing place on Pevensey Road in St Leonards.

We love old Victorian architecture and the sort of thing we could get in Brighton for the same money isn't even worth thinking about.

We'll be commuting so being close to a train station is a big bonus.

We really want to go for it, but have read so many conflicting reports on what the area is like. We're used to inner-city grit but Brighton is a very multi-cultural / easy going / accepting place and we're a bit worried about committing to an area we don't know.

So, can anybody give us some words of assurance? Anybody on here moved from Brighton? Is Norman Road really 'on the up'?

Thanks!

Dan + Lesley
[/quoted]

[lisa_newman]

Hi, we're also thinking of buying in St Leonards. We have found a great place on the front in West St Leonards, however the Rd behind looks a little bleak! Is the end by TK Max. We don't mind a little liveliness, we are coming from South London however we don't want to buy in a rough part of town as I will be in the place on my own a fair bit.
Any advise greatly appreciated.

[natalie_taylor]

Hi me and husband 2 kids just moved here 31 st August. I gave up a 3 bed with garden fir 2 bed no garden but beach and st leonards warrior square train station on our doorstep. I was nit sure at first but family here loving it already and so are kids 7 and 4 years old.I love the buildings the art ships,antique shops,charity shops,endless restaurant s,cafes. Wherever you want to go to its all compact with walking is the furthest of 30 mins anywhere good BUS service train stations all-around to travel to London surrounding and these areas surrounding to also explore very excited so much to do also have alot of free things for the children to do.want to explore alexandra park. Husband is travelling to Horsham still alot if care work or taxi driving but train stations nearby fir work 10 or 20 miles radius trains go to charting cross,Armenians,to bridge south Kent then other side back to west sussex. A bus even goes to Eastbourne,battle Churchill are beautiful, people are laid back eccentric but more laid back than Brighton and crawley a few homeless,alcohokic types but friendly and talkative enough but once you shut your door who cares sadly society and the government have not helped them but I would say st leonards is more older and vibrant than hastings. Not much nightlife than Brighton but the old town in Hastings is lovely in the summer you can sit outside have a cold glass of beer/wine children went on beach the other day loved it when we was in Crawley we found on a Sunday there was nothing to do but even here if just walked and had a look at antique shops,have a Bute to eat or walk along the beach it's lovely.there is the azur where you can have carvers overlooking the sea.But everyone has different tastes but I would recommend.

[Chris in 1066]

I moved to Hastings and St Leonards some thirty years ago from Nottingamshire where everyone dreams of retiring to a bungalow at 'Skeggy' or Mablethorpe. I moved here whilst still working first in a rented flat in St Leonards then I purchased a flat in a house with all 'period features' on the seafront in St Leonards and have never regretted it (Marble Fireplace, Ceiling Coving stc) It is fantastic to sit on my balcony and watch the thunder storms .out in the channel and see how the lightening bounces back up from the sea. Since my wife became disabled and now requires a wheelchair, we have had to move to a ground floor further inland, but have still got a sea view, but instead of a balcony, we have a small garden to potter around in.
Would not move back - I love it here and have brought up 3 children as well



Chris in 1066
www.rootschat.com/history/hastings

[Mymblesdaughter]

I'm sorry to hear you are not enjoying Hastings, Mary. It's funny how people can have such opposite views. I find the people of Hastings/ St Leonards very friendly. There are always some unfriendly people where ever you live. I do live in St Leonards so I think it might be a smaller community. Maybe you need to change the people you are mixing with?

I love living on hills it means you get great views. I lived in Cambridgeshire for 6 months and I hated the flatness. The Promenade is much nicer than Brighton yes it could be improved but hopefully the new pier will help with that.

I'm not someone that is interested in shopping much and usually head to old town in Hastings for walks and coffee. Only go into main shops occasionally.

Lovely countryside as well.

[anne]

HELP! Am thinking of moving down to SL and have been looking at flats for a while.. Saw a lovely flat with garden Victorian, high ceilings you get the picture_ _ _. but then was told that Stockleigh Road was really really bad, social problems etc_ _ _.. don't know what to think????
I am confused_ _ _

[Herring_Gull]

Hello Anne me duck.

Cannot say personally on the road but I had a look see here:

http://www.police.uk/crime/?q=Saint%20L ... es/2013-07

The website displays incidents reported to the police, in this case July 2013 for Stockleigh Road. If you scan through the months you will notice there are consistent complaints on that street. I think the pointer is ambiguous so it might be for the whole street and not for one property in particular.

Good luck.

Good luck.

[Richard]

Avoid such bad areas of course - everywhere has them and no point concentrating on them.
Not all but many social problems are caused by younger families on low incomes/DSS money and living in slum landlord accommodation.
This will change as these properties are sold off as the Market rises and renting to private tenants will occur at some stage.
The whole area is slowly improving which is a positive and as long as you don't have awful neighbours then it seems miles better than Brighton with its over-the-top frenetic pace of life and crowded streets and beach areas.
In HSL people acknowledge the wayward characters, with a wink and a smile, as part of the "urban mix" and there are plenty of decent genial people to fall back on.
I have lived in Crouch End London, which to me seemed shabby and dirty, but lots of people thought it was fantastic for some reason, there were lots of thieves and odd sods there and the place didn't suit me at all - never mind the crazy mad house prices and Mafia Council.
So it is a matter of "horses for courses" and what you are prepared to ignore for the sake of a relatively safe and stress-free part of the world.
People living by the sea are also known to enjoy better health - so find somewhere you like and let the world go by.



Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

[Gerry Glyde]

Those type of police stats are just that; they are numbers. The numbers may mean that there are one, two or many reasons for complaint about a particular property or properties or it may mean that there are one or two people who complain regularly about anything that do not warrant a complaint in the first instance.

No one can give you a definitive and accurate opinion as it wil be based their own interpretation of events. A suggestion that I advise to potential residents in any place is to visit it at various times of the day, evening and night and weekends to make your own mind. You can assess whether MaryBru's view of it being always 'dirty' concurs with your view. I drove around Stockleigh Road a while ago as I had not seen it for 30 odd years since I lived in a bedsit. It looked reasonable but that is my view that may not be average or even objective. Go and see for yourself.

[Richard]

If you don't feel really positive about an area on seeing it first hand then you are probably not going to be happy anyway.
As GG says you certainly can't build up a feeling for an area without at least looking at it first.



Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.