Brighton, with its famous pier and fabulous Royal Pavilion, is certainly the most well-known of the towns on the Sussex Coast, but some of its more unassuming neighbours are starting to make a name for themselves in their own right. Here, we have a look at the 5 towns that are leading the pack in the race to become the next hot destination by the sea.
Worthing beach and pier
Portslade
Practically an extension of Hove, Portslade is the closest town to the Brighton and Hove metropolitan area. After years of neglect, it is now experiencing a boom as residents of Brighton look for a more affordable alternative to buying or renting in what has become the most expensive city to live in on the Sussex Coast. Portslade may not be to everyone’s fancy, it lacks the quaint charm of somewhere like Shoreham-by-Sea and the beach of Worthing or Peacehaven, but it makes up for these shortcomings in practicality - Portslade is just a few minutes’ drive from Brighton city centre and is on the main line to London Victoria station, and price - Rightmove has a 2 bedroom house in the stunning Old Brewery development listed at a reasonable £395,000.
Paul Womersley, a construction worker from Haywards Heath, moved out of his rented flat in Brighton in 2001, when his wife became pregnant, and bought a 3 bedroom house in Portslade for £175,000, and he has no regrets, not just because his house has doubled in value since then, but also for more personal reasons. “Brighton just became too expensive for us and we made a decision to move out of town a bit,” he explains. “We chose Portslade because it has more space than Brighton and Hove and there are some excellent schools here. I wouldn’t move back to Brighton after living here, I enjoy the peace and quiet too much.” Portslade certainly looks as if it is on the up. As Brighton and Hove expand, so the towns in their vicinity will be subsumed by the metropolis, but things are moving fast, so if you are thinking about moving to Portslade, you had better be quick about it!
Shoreham-by-Sea
The Sussex Coast has its fair share of picturesque seaside towns, and Shoreham is probably the pick of the bunch. With its scenic harbour, with sailing boats bobbing up and down on the tide, and its quaint local pubs with fishing memorabilia hanging from the walls and ceilings, it encapsulates the idea of an English seaside town. Shoreham is situated at the mouth of the River Adur and is a natural harbour, making it an ideal place for settlement. The Normans saw its potential back in the 11th Century and it has been inhabited ever since. Being just 7 miles west of Brighton and on the edge of the South Downs National Park, Shoreham has been attracting an increasing amount of attention from developers and homeseekers alike in the last decade or so. The Waterfront, a stunning collection of apartments and townhouses overlooking the River Adur estuary, is probably the most prominent new-build in the town, and with 2 bedroom apartments going for just £345,000, it is selling fast.
When asked why living in Shoreham is so special, residents have a surprising variety of answers - some cite the places of historical interest, such as the Victorian fort and the 11th Century St Nicolas’ Church; while others focus on the town’s pubs, seafood restaurants and boutique shops; and others talk about the fabulous nature to be found on the shore and in the surrounding countryside. With all that history, culture and natural beauty, coupled with the fact that it is just 15 minutes away from Brighton and 1 hour and 10 minutes from London by train, could Shoreham be the town that has everything? It certainly seems to be a contender.
Worthing
If you continue west along the coast road from Shoreham, you reach the larger town of Worthing. Deemed unfashionable by the trendy residents of Brighton due to its popularity with the elderly and families, this large town, it has a population of well over 100,000, has lately, however, been ‘discovered’, and even just a quick stroll along its impressive seafront will immediately tell you why. As the town experienced a development boom in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as an unfortunate incident at that time that resulted in the famous old pier being destroyed by fire, there is a plethora of Art Deco buildings dotted along the seafront and the pier itself is a model of that particular style. Sipping a gin and tonic or a cold beer at the end of the pier in summer, you would be forgiven for believing that you were in an episode of the TV series Poirot. The beach itself is also impressive, stretching, seemingly endlessly, for miles in either direction, it is not difficult to find a secluded spot in which to relax with your family in summer, while those back in Brighton clamber over other sun worshippers for space.
Worthing is also, due to the aforementioned unfashionable reputation it has garnered, the cheapest of the boomtowns on the Sussex Coast - a 2 bedroom apartment with sea views in the beautiful new Bayside development would set you back just £350,000. It may be a little too far from the action for some, it is nearly half an hour on the train to Brighton and nearly an hour more to get to London, but many see the advantages of moving to this sleeping giant far outweighing the disadvantages. Worthing combines the convenience of living in a large town, with major supermarkets, restaurant chains and large stores all present, with the peace and quiet you would normally associate with much smaller towns. How much longer it will remain so affordable, though, is the burning question.
Peacehaven
If you leave Brighton and head east rather than west along the coast road, your first port of call is the pretty seaside town of Peacehaven. Like Worthing, long considered unfashionable, it is now experiencing an upturn in fortunes. Purpose-built as a town where World War I veterans could recover rather than as a tourist resort, like Brighton and Worthing, it has retained its sleepy village atmosphere. Unlike Portslade, which has a more industrial look and feel with its smokestack and working harbour, Peacehaven, as its name would suggest, feels like it hasn’t really changed that much in the last 100 years. This is attracting those that want to combine the hustle and bustle of Brighton with the serenity of village life.
Considering its proximity to Brighton, it is only 8 miles along the coast, Peacehaven is surprisingly affordable - you can pick up a 4 bedroom house in the brand new Chalkers Rise development for under £400,000. As it has so much natural beauty - it combines stunning chalk cliffs with a pretty bay with a pebble beach, and practical convenience - the town has schools, doctors’ surgeries and even a shopping centre, it is not surprising that Peacehaven is losing its reputation as a sleepy seaside town and gaining one as an excellent place in which to plant one’s roots.
Newhaven
A few miles further east of Peacehaven is the town of Newhaven, which is known as one of the crossing points for those wishing to take the ferry across the English Channel to France. A natural harbour, Newhaven is at the mouth of the River Ouse and Newhaven Harbour was built as the final destination of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, meaning that the area has long been a transportation and shipping hub in the region. Newhaven itself remains a busy port, but just a mile further east is the lovely town of Seaford, which is also witnessing a boom in popularity these days.
Both Newhaven and Seaford remain affordable, with a 4 bedroom house in the magnificent The Grays development, which combines contemporary style with traditional living with its futuristic cuboid houses nestled in woodland glens, costing under £400,000. Like the other towns mentioned, Newhaven is experiencing a second wind, carried along by the still growing popularity of Brighton, and homes don’t seem to stay on agents’ books for long, so if you’re looking for a more family-orientated or affordable alternative to Brighton and Hove, why not consider one of the 5 destinations on this list?
