Sun, sea and swift commutes: seaside towns with impressive house price growth within 75 minutes of London

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Ruth Bloomfield25 July 2018

A heady combination of sun, sea and a city train has helped a string of coastal locations around London enjoy impressive, outperforming and sustained price growth, according to a new study.

From bone fide cities to tiny villages to traditional Victorian resorts, their miles of sand, quality period properties — often at London starter home prices — and the promise of an outdoor lifestyle for families have propelled these commuter-friendly locations to the top of a national league table of best-performing coastal communities across Britain, produced by Halifax.

Burnham-on-Crouch, a yachting village in Essex, is the big winner of the last 10 years. Prices have risen by 57 per cent over the past year, compared to a national seaside average of 21 per cent. An average home in Burnham now costs 330,684, and rush-hour trains take 68 minutes to reach Liverpool Street.

Leigh-on-Sea, also in Essex, with its community of artists and creatives and quality period houses, has seen price growth of 55 per cent in 10 years, pushing average prices to £373,779.

And lovely Brighton with its Regency architecture, trains to Victoria in under an hour and thriving city centre takes third place in the study, with price growth of 51 per cent to an average £389,176.

BURNHAM-ON-CROUCH

Life in Burnham is centred on the water, says James Standen, director of Curtis O’Boyle estate agents. There are three yacht clubs with weekly competitions and the Burnham Week regatta, featuring racing and festivities.

Burnham’s town beach is a small shingle affair. However, the expansive sands of Southend-on-Sea are less than an hour’s drive away and Burnham’s location in the Dengie National Nature Reserve means there is great walking to be had.

The quayside is picturesque and the high street has plenty of pubs and restaurants, although the range of shops is a bit basic.

“Burnham is a good old-fashioned small town with lots going on,” says Standen. “There is a weekly street market, we’ve got an art trail going on at the moment, and in September there is a night-time carnival which brings a lot of people into the town.”

From £440k: a four-bedroom townhouse at Burnham Shores in Burnham-on-Crouch. Through Church & Hawes (01621 476100)

For £250,000 you could get a two-bedroom fisherman’s cottage in the town centre, rising to £450,000 for a water view. Modern detached family houses are to be found a bit further out. A four-bedroom home would be about £450,000.

For London commuters looking to minimise time spent on the train, the fastest commute of all these seaside towns is from Leigh-on-Sea. Services to Fenchurch Street take from 48 minutes.

DYMCHURCH

In neighbouring Kent, Dymchurch lacks a station of its own, but a 12-mile drive to Ashford is rewarded with a 38-minute hop to St Pancras International. It also has a flat, sandy beach which stretches around three miles along the Kent coast, with a sea walk all the way to St Mary’s Bay, another sandy, but quieter, option. And inland are the slightly eerie expanses of Romney Marsh, perfect for walking and cycling.

Average prices in this ancient smugglers’ town have risen by just over a third in the past 10 years to £270,657, which makes it the most affordable option in today’s study.

Dymchurch is a real tourist honeypot in the summer, and its small high street can become rammed on sunny days. Locals tend to avoid the arcades and funfair and head to the beach or out on to the marshes for a bit of peace and quiet.

“In winter it is a bit of a ghost town really,” says Jonathan Mapp, branch manager of CR Child & Partners, although the shops, cafés, bars and restaurants do stay open.

For better shopping, the beautiful town of Hythe is only five miles up the coast, while Ashford or Folkestone both offer a full range of high street chains.

£350,000: three-bedroom house for sale in Lower Sands, Dymchurch

Housing is a real mixed bag. There are ugly chalet bungalows only ever found by the sea, but there are also late Sixties family homes at extremely pocket-friendly prices.

Mapp estimates that a three-bedroom property would cost between £325,000 and £350,000. A five- to six-bedroom Edwardian pile in one of Dymchurch’s poshest streets, Sycamore Gardens or The Oval, could be yours for £500,000.

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA

Another budget-friendly option is Southend-on-Sea, three miles west of Leigh-on-Sea but with average prices more than £80,000 less.

Rapidly shrugging off its kiss-me-quick reputation and with plans for a £50 million upgrade of its seafront on the table, prices in Southend have risen 48 per cent in 10 years to an average of £292,663.

Mike Gray, managing director of Dedman Gray estate agents, believes the town’s recent success is thanks to a series of economic boosts, including the growth of London Southend airport, the arrival of major hotels, and the creation of the Essex University campus, all of which have increased demand for homes in the town.

“We are also finding that a lot of people buying in the local area can commute to work in London because we have got a greatly enhanced C2C railway line to Fenchurch Street,” he says.

Rush-hour trains from Southend to the City take 56 minutes, and an annual season ticket costs from £4,904.

Southend is particularly attractive to families thanks to its grammar schools. Southend High School for Girls is rated “outstanding” by the Ofsted education watchdog, as is Southend High School for Boys.

£595,000: a two-bedroom flat in Southend-on-Sea. Through Home (01702 744050)

Property ranges from Victorian townhouses in the conservation area close to the station, to sprawling, post-war homes in the affluent suburb of Thorpe Bay.

Prices also range dramatically. Mike Gray estimates that a three-bedroom Twenties terrace house would cost around £300,000, while for £450,000 you could buy a mid-century four-bedroom semi.

A four-bedroom period house in the town centre would cost from about £650,000. And if you aspire to life in Thorpe Bay, a four-bedroom detached property would cost from around £900,000.

FROM SEASIDE TO CITY

1. Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex: train to Liverpool Street, 68 minutes; annual season ticket costs from £5,100.

2. Leigh-on-Sea, Essex: 48 minutes to Fenchurch Street; season ticket from £4,772.

3. Brighton, East Sussex: 55-minute fast trains to Victoria; season ticket from £3,968.

4. Southend-on-Sea, Essex: trains take 56 minutes to Fenchurch Street; annual season ticket from £4,904.

5. Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex: one hour 15?minute trains to Victoria; season ticket from £4,752.

6. Dymchurch, Kent: (via Ashford, 38 minutes to St Pancras International; season ticket from £4,836.

7. West Mersea, Essex: 54 minutes to Liverpool Street (via Colchester, 10 miles away); season ticket £6,232.

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