Regional Focus: Brighton
Wednesday, 11 March 2009 4:14 PM
By Sarah Garrod
Millions of tourists flock to the south coast city of Brighton every year to soak up the sun and enjoy the delights of the traditional British seaside resort.
With its promenade, palace and pier, Brighton is well known as a holiday hot spot, especially attractive to the day-tripper.
But how does the city fare as a place to live?
Last month aboutproperty reported on the findings of the Halifax, who discovered the greatest internal migration in the UK was towards coastal areas. Of the 20 local authorities which saw the biggest increase in net internal migration in the last ten years, some 80 per cent were in coastal areas.
And with its commutable proximity to The City, Brighton has certainly not been forgotten by the hoards of us looking to live by the sea. With a wealth of celebrity faces, including Zoe Ball, Nick Cave and Paul McCartney, heading to the area to get their own piece of the seaside, the attraction of living in Brighton has remained strong.
Hugh Tucknott, is associate partner of residential sales at Parsons Son & Basley. As one of the oldest established practises in Sussex, the company has over 175 years experience in the Brighton area; providing sales, lettings and auction services.
Hugh says: "In Brighton you're never much more than 20 minutes from the sea or the countryside and traditionally spring/Easter is the time to move, especially when you're moving to the seaside.
"The cheapest flat on our books is priced at £129,000 for a one-bedroom place. It goes from there right up to the most expensive selling for £700,000 on the sea front for a three-bed. But we also recently sold a place in Hove for £85,000.
"The Lewis Road area is where the students live. As we get towards the end of the spring time there are a lot of parents looking to buy a property for their children going to university; it's a good investment and means they're the landlord.
"There have certainly been falls in prices of 15-20 per cent, but I think we are beginning to level out and if it continues on the way it is at the moment, we will see prices bottom out by the end of the year. We've certainly seen first-time buyers starting to look again."
To exemplify what is available to buy in Brighton, on Parsons Son & Basley's books at the moment is a one-bedroom flat close to the station, and therefore within commutable distance of London, selling for £129,950. At the other end of the market, a three-bedroom penthouse flat on the sea will cost you around £700,000.
Unlike many areas, Hugh says Brighton has not seen many repossessions; with his company dealing with a mere handful.
While this may be due to the wealth of the area, another reason could be the number of people who choose to rent before they commit to buying in the city.
David Thorne, is the lettings manager of the Western Road branch of Leaders, the oldest lettings agent in the city, established over 25 years ago.
David says: "Brighton is a very big rental town, especially as there are a lot of students. There is a very broad mix of people and a lot of people will choose to rent here first before they buy. I myself moved down here from London eight years ago, and every year I see the amount of commuters from Brighton to London increasing. There are some good schools down here which is a draw for many.
"I've never looked back. People come to visit and they fall in love with it, Brighton's got everything going for it. It feels like a city but it's by the sea."
Like most areas at the moment, the amount of rental stock in Brighton is on the up as many choose to rent out properties rather than sell. However, as new tenants will tell you, this gives a certain amount of bargaining power on rental prices, and the increased supply means many landlords are renovating properties or adding extras to entice tenants.
David says: "Every agent will tell you that they have more property on their books, and more stock means people are taking their time to choose the right property. Before they were viewing three properties on average, but now they're seeing six.
"But when we hit May the rental market goes nuts, because people want to be here for the summer and students are looking towards the next academic year.
"Gardens can be quite important because central Brighton is quite urban, so gardens are quite sought after, making them a really big selling point."
With many landlords offering more to attract tenants, Leaders have a number of properties on their books which include some rather tempting incentives. One such property is a two-bed apartment within walking distance of the station for £1,295 pcm. Included is a plasma TV and brand new appliances, and the property has recently been fully refurbished throughout.
Offers on other properties include designer kitchens and bathrooms, and a car pool scheme, first piloted in Brighton to give residents the use of a car without having to own one.
One new development which may prove to attract buyers to the Brighton area is the One Brighton site. The 172 studio, one and two bedroom apartments within the One Brighton development will be following the ten guiding principles of One Planet Living.
These principles include zero carbon emissions, a zero waste plan, use of sustainable materials, implementation of sustainable transport solutions and the application of measures to support local and sustainable food and wildlife.
The development has been created by Crest Nicholson, who have joined forces with Bioregional Quintain to create One Brighton.
Pete Halsall is managing director of BioRegional Quintain Ltd. Pete says: "There is no other development like One Brighton being built in the UK at the moment and it is truly at the cutting edge of sustainability and design.
"While there are many key eco features the central ethos of this development is about creating happier, healthier communities."
The scheme will be powered by energy from guaranteed renewable sources. Hot water and space heating will be provided by an on-site biomass boiler which will burn locally sourced woodchip from tree surgery waste, discarded wood pallets and saw mill cut-offs.
All of the electricity will be provided by hypothecated wind energy, a renewable source, and supplemented with photovoltaic (solar) panels located on the roof.
In the home, kitchens will be fitted with segregated rubbish bins to help residents divide their waste, as well as organic bins for compost. One Brighton is linked to local cycle routes leading into the city and also to Brighton train station, and for travelling further afield, the on-site Car Club means residents will be able to hire a car as and when they require.
Pippa Bugby, sales and marketing director, Crest Nicholson South East Ltd., added: "One Brighton is an iconic development that not only embraces sustainable living but is providing stunning homes, in a fantastic location in the very heart of Brighton. The key benefits to purchasers are that energy bills will be greatly improved - good news with the current price rises."
Prices start from £125,000 for a studio apartment, £180,000 for a one bedroom apartment and £250,000 for a two bedroom apartment.
While many people no doubt use Brighton as a commutable home to work in London, the area itself attracts many families, particularly because of its good schools. Industry in central Brighton is strongly based on tourism, but there is a wide spectrum of employment around the city.
Scott Davidson, marketing manager for Brighton Local Jobs, said: "Brighton Local Jobs is a new jobsite dedicated to the local region.
"The site is completely free for jobseekers to use and currently has over 100 job opportunities in Brighton and over 500 across Sussex. The site has already attracted interest from some of the region's leading employment agencies and commercial organisations, who are actively posting new vacancies on a regular basis"
Last week Brighton & Hove City Council gained a top four-star rating from the government's Audit Commission for the first time in its history.
The rating is the highest given by the commission to any council, and means all areas assessed are performing well, with the housing and council tax benefits services gaining the highest achievable score for the first time.
The commission praised the council's work improving recycling and waste disposal services, and meeting housing need, accommodating homeless people and supporting improvement of private sector housing.
Council leader Mary Mears said: "I'm delighted that the Audit Commission has recognised the excellent work being undertaken. They have seen that we have successfully targeted high cost services and provide value for money in the majority of our services.
"We have more to do, however, to continue to provide high quality and lower cost services that the city needs."
There is certainly a lot going on in Brighton, with this month alone marking the start of Winter Pride, the Sussex Beer and Cider Festival, as well as the start of the cricket season.
With the Met office saying we've just suffered the coldest winter for a decade, perhaps more of us will consider a move to the seaside this year.
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