_Southend-on-Sea lures homebuyers moving from the capital in search of coastal living

Those lured by life by the sea and a 1-hour commute time to the City should set their sights on thriving Southend-on-Sea. The promise of lazy beach days and a heady mix of fantastic new homes, large-scale regeneration, bars, restaurants and big name retail all make Southend-on-Sea an attractive place to call home.

February 04, 2021

Moving to Southend-on-Sea

Just 42 miles to the east of central London, Southend-on-Sea is busy rewriting its profile. The coastal town offers day-trippers-turned-homebuyers who are keen to put down roots excellent schools, large family homes, high quality new developments, strong community spirit and a dynamic town centre. All this, framed by sweeping sea views and miles of diverse coastline fringing the Essex countryside is ready for you to explore.

According to Knight Frank’s analysis of ONS figures, property prices in Southend-on-Sea have increased by 67% over the last 10 years. Over this time, the area has outperformed both the wider East of England regional average and the UK as a whole, where prices increased by 57% and 44% respectively.

Incentivising homebuyers and supporting strong house price growth, the town centre is currently being buoyed by an extensive £2.5m government-backed regeneration programme to key civic areas, which include plans to remodel its public and green spaces, improving signage and cycling facilities.

Covid-era homeworking may become a longer-term fixture for many and is being tackled head on with Southend-on-Sea on track to become one of the first ‘Gigabit Cities’ outside of London where broadband speeds average 1gb per second. The scheme, a collaboration between CityFibre and Vodafone UK, is set to be complete by 2022.

Adding to this intense regeneration developer Weston Homes is providing a springboard to property ownership through the delivery of high quality, affordable new homes at Victoria Central as demand for a slice of the good life in this seaside town continues to drive investment in new housing stock.

Coming soon to Southend-on-Sea is the landmark prestige scheme Victoria Central, which is set to deliver 217 studio and 1-3 bedroom luxury new homes and retail units redeveloped by multi-award winning Weston Homes.

All of the apartments available at Victoria Central provide Weston Homes’ signature high, fully inclusive specification and state-of-the-art interior design.

Above: Homes at Victoria Central

Located just an eight-minute drive away from the town’s seafront and representing an excellent investment opportunity, the 15-storey Victoria Central will occupy a prime position at the southern end of Victoria Avenue, close to both the town centre and beachfront.

Southend Victoria Railway Station is located 0.1 miles to the southeast of Victoria Central, and offers direct rail access to London’s Liverpool Street in an hour and Fenchurch Street in just over an hour.

The area surrounding Victoria Central has significant transport links via the A127 and A13, with London Southend Airport located 2 miles away and offering direct flights throughout Europe.

According to ONS data, most notable momentum among those moving to the coastal town is the 20-34 age group (40%), lured by the open spaces, affordability, walkability, good rail and road links and the irresistible package of sand and sea moments from their front door.

Knight Frank’s Global Buyer Survey 2020 further supports this trend with many respondents saying that space and more active lifestyles will drive their next property move.

At time of writing, almost 22% of those relocating to the seaside town are from London as homebuyers weigh up lifestyles and value for money, with property prices standing at £200,000 less than the London average.

If you’d like to find out more about living in Southend-on-Sea or investing in Victoria Central, please get in touch.