Where to live on the south coast

[LucyMember]

I want to move out of London and am thinking of the south coast – probably Hampshire or West Sussex. (Dorset is getting a bit further from London, and I’d like to be not too far from family and friends in London.) My number one priority is to be out of a flight path (right now I’m in central London, under the Heathrow flight path), and not within earshot of a major road. I’d rather be in a small town than a big city, but would like to be somewhere with cultural stuff going on – art galleries would be great, and concerts and theatre would be a bonus. Also, I’m 38, and would like to be somewhere where there are other people my kind of age. Ideally I’d like to be a few minutes’ walk from the sea, though I realize that might be hard to find! My research so far has brought up Lymington, Milford-on-Sea and Barton-on-Sea as possible locations, along with the Chichester area (I’m going to post about that in the West Sussex forum). If anyone has any suggestions of places that meet some or all of these criteria, I’d be super grateful!!

[LucyMember]

Just to add, as my post maybe wasn’t clear – I’m not sure whether those places I’ve listed do actually meet my criteria, so if anyone could let me know, or suggest other places that do, that would be brilliant! Thanks!

[BridgetMember]

Hi Lucy

There are lots of lovely places to choose from but of course the nearer you get to Gatwick the more flights go over. I was 38 when I moved to West Sussex as well – it took me a while to get used to the ‘less aggressive’ lifestyle and now I wouldn’t leave!!
Chichester seems to tick all your wish list – fantastic theatre (cft.org.uk), lots of independent shops and restaurants and Pallant House art gallery. There is also the waterfront so lots for outdoor life, either sailing or out on the South Downs National Park, and trains direct to London take about an hour and a half. Depending on budget some of the villages south of Chichester are just lovely, think Bosham or Itchenor.

Alternatively you could look around Horsham which also has a modern theatre but is smaller than Chichester, there are also some lovely villages around it. For less flight noise I would keep to the town or south of it (I.e. not north or west) although flight paths do change when they try out new patterns. We are in Bilingshurst and rarely notice any. I often write about property in this area so take a look at http://www.propertynotes.co.uk for more of a flavour of what’s available in the area.

Good luck and if you’d like to know anything more, give me a shout and I’ll try to help,
Bridget

[goosechaseMember]

I agree Lucy, Chichester would seem to tick pretty much all of your boxes – if you were happy to live within 45 mins drive of the coast then there is always Winchester, Petersfield or Alresford that are worth considering. The only thing with the New Forest is it is a bit more of a trek to get back to London and elsewhere if that is a consideration for you. We have recently found clients a lovely property in West Wittering which is close to Chichester and they are loving life there! If I can help any further, please get in touch.

Kate, Goosechase Property Search

[LucyMember]

Hi Bridget and Kate,

Thank you so much for your replies. Chichester and the surrounding area do sound lovely. Do you happen to know whether it is definitely free from aircraft noise from Gatwick, Brighton and Southampton airports? I’ve been really surprised to discover the distance from aiports that aeroplane noise can be a problem – when researching this online, I read a comment from someone who had flown back from the south of France to Stansted, and flew so low over Kennington that he could see his flat – and Kennington is 40 miles from Stansted!!

Thanks again for your help!!

Lucy

[goosechaseMember]

I have double checked with the local agents but am assured the only noise you might get is from light aircraft from Goodwood occasionally. Hope that helps!

[LucyMember]

Thank you so much – very kind of you to take the trouble to check. Sorry to bother you with another question, but do you by any chance know whether aircraft from Goodwood is banned from flying at night? At present, in central London, I’m woken by aeroplanes at about 4 / 4.30 am every night – that’s why this is a real issue for me!

[goosechaseMember]

I don’t believe light aircraft fly at night full stop…I would imagine it would be too dangerous? I used to live in Fulham and Barnes so I completely understand your concerns about flight paths…after living with Concorde flying over at 5am every morning for many years, I still woke up automatically at that time long after it stopped!

[LucyMember]

Thanks so much for your reply and understanding! 🙂

[Belinda AspinallKeymaster]

One website you might find handy is this one – shows flights going over an area https://www.flightradar24.com/

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