East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in the southeast of England with a coastline that has many beautiful cliffs and salt marshes which are a haven for birdlife. There are also plenty of coastal towns with stunning beaches such as Bexhill or Hastings that offer great family days out too. If you’re looking for somewhere green then there’s no shortage – East Sussex has over 400 square kilometres of woodland including Rother Valley Country Park near Brighton which is home to deer, wild boar and foxes!

4.57
Average Location Score

Excellent

67%

Very Good

25%

Average

7%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in East Sussex

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

Seven sisters East Sussex

Where is East Sussex?

Located in the southeast of England, East Sussex borders Kent, Surrey and West Sussex to its west, Hampshire to its north and Channel Islands to its east.

The county’s coastline faces France across the English Channel – it has been called “the traditional dividing line between Britain and Europe” because of this long association with continental Europe.

East Sussex has rolling chalk hills which reach up towards the South Downs National Park in the south. Inland from these are fertile farmlands where cereals have been grown since Roman times, as well as more modern enterprises such as fruit farming.

Areas in East Sussex include

There are many towns and villages throughout East Sussex, each with their own different character The coastal towns of Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove are known for their beaches while the market towns of Lewes, Uckfield and Royal Tunbridge Wells offer a more traditional English feel.

Brighton – The largest town in East Sussex, Brighton is popular with students due to its University of Brighton as well as its lively nightlife and array of shops.

Eastbourne – Situated on the coast, Eastbourne is a popular destination for holidaymakers. It has two miles of seafront promenade as well as a pier that was rebuilt in 2002 and is now home to a theatre and numerous attractions

Brighton Pier East Sussex

 

Lewes – Considered the county’s most attractive market town, Lewes is surrounded by countryside offering walking trails through its cobbled streets. The historic Cliffe High Street has been designated as an area of architectural interest while the wide selection of shops makes it popular with visitors from all over the UK.

Hove – Just to the north of Brighton, Hove is smaller but just as vibrant. It has a wide range of independent shops as well as a lively nightlife and is popular with young people.

The Downs – The area of rolling chalk hills that run from east to west across the county, providing some stunning views and plenty of opportunity for outdoor pursuits such as walking, cycling and horse riding.

Uckfield – The main centre for Uckfield and Crowborough districts, Uckfield has schools, colleges and a lively high street including restaurants, pubs and independent shops.

Universities in East Sussex

East Sussex is home to two universities – the University of Brighton and the University for the Creative Arts.

The University of Brighton – A large, multi-campus university with a strong focus on employability and a wide range of courses, The University of Brighton has a clear commitment to encouraging students from under-represented groups.

Hove Beach, East Sussex

University for the Creative Arts – A specialist arts institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in creative disciplines such as advertising, architecture, fashion and media.

Top Schools in East Sussex

There are a number of excellent schools in East Sussex, both state and private. Some of the most highly-rated state schools include:

Bexhill Academy – A secondary school with academy status, judged to be ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in all categories.

The Burgess Hill School for Girls – A single-sex grammar school that achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted in 2012.

The Vine School – A large multi-academy trust secondary school, based in the Eastbourne area, the Vine School was rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2020.

The Downs School – A highly-regarded independent school, located just outside of Brighton and Hove city centre, with a strong reputation across the board – both academic and sporting – The Downs is one of the best schools for boys in England

Population of East Sussex

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, the estimated population in East Sussex is over 800,000 people, concentrated around the main towns and cities such as Brighton and Hove.

 

Reviews in East Sussex

Write a Review

Central but really quiet and peaceful

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2024

In a very central location. 5 minute walk to the train station and 3-4 minute walk to the nearest bus station which has direct busses to the other side of the city. Has a large supermarket nearby. Has some local pubs and cafes nearby as well. Central but really quiet and peaceful.

Please review your development:

Recently moved in and the move in process was very easy with the help of the York and Elder team. From the vieving to the actual day we moved in Bea, Jodie, Anat, Jamie and Andreas all were extremely kond and helpful. The design of the building is amazing. Feels great to be inside it.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

How great it is to have a point of contact always available on site to address issues:)

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Did not have major problems yet but the team was very helpful in addressing our requests and providing solutions.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Expensive, unsafe and not worth it

Review Date Mar 2024

Centrally located in Brighton, and although the London Road area and The Level have been gentrified it’s still full of drug addicts and anti social behaviour. Very scary as a love woman out at night to walk the dog. Even my partner has been grabbed by a drug addict.

Please review your development:

Initially the building looks attractive. We are from Canada and used to spacious modern buildings and had difficultly finding this in the UK. This building is as close as you can get in Brighton. However as a pls e to reside for such a horrendously high price, it’s poorly planned.

Negatives:

1) The building materials are poor and the brand new counter tops already have chips, the floor boards (veneer) are chipped, bathroom ceiling leaks and stinks of mould. Neighbours across the hall had their roof cave in from a roof leak. Neighbours down stairs have a huge water leak down their wall and water pouring out the light socket. Trying to get any of these issues fixed takes a long time, and their answer to fixing the problem wasn’t to fix the roof mean, it was just to paint over it. Which you can see they’ve done previously also by the paint marks in the ceiling.

2) the noise is atrocious. And it is ALL day and ALL night. The student building Kaplan is adjacent to our balcony and you hear students coming and going and partying in the courtyard, breaking bottles, blasting speakers, kicking balls, generally yelling and screaming. I complained to their security and I was threatened as their security is very very rough and uncouth.

3) the outside entrance/exit doors of building C didn’t lock after exit meaning anyone could get in. This resulted in parcels being stolen from the lobby and needles being left in the stairwell. I also found a homeless man sitting in the stairwell by my apartment door! I was told to get a police report, I did. And Savills never followed up. I was ignored completely, no investigation, never compensated for my stolen parcels, the exit door never fixed and nothing ever done. It got to the point where I was scared to leave my apartment in case there was a drug addict sitting outside.

4) the dance studios next door, although a lovely bonus if you use them, they installed a new night club level sound system. This is mere metres away from building C and the bass rattles our windows/doors and balcony. It blasts from
The morning until 9pm at night. Additionally they’ve now started having rooftop parties that go until 5am.

5) the heating bills and electricity bills are insane. We have the 1 bedroom top floor and received bills for £500 a month! Upon investigation from meeting with other tenants we found out the apartments are miss-mapped and often one apartment can be paying the power for two apartments! In addition to this the heating bill is separate from other electricity which is another £230 on top! Additionally if you want a parking spot it’s another £200 per month. The costs are horrendous for such a loud, scary and potentially dangerous place to live.

6) the facilities – the gym and common room – the gym is fairly well equipped but need a proper cable machine. The tv in the gym is always set to a certain station so you can never play your own shows or music on it. The gym is often used by large groups of students just messing around rather than the professionals that live in the building. The common area (residents lounge) we never got to use as it’s always full of students having pre drinks in the evenings and laying across the sofas. The noise from them is unbearable. So much for a peaceful work space.

7) for the price you pay inclusive of bills it works out to close to £3000 per month. We used to pay this to live in zone 1 n central London in a lovely area. This price is horrendous for Brighton to live in an unsafe area where I’m scared to leave my apartment most days.

8) the green area took months to open and is just a mud bath in winter. It’s also not private. Anyone can access it and it’s filled with drunk students puking, drinking and harassing residents or homeless people.

9) there’s supposedly 24/7 security. There’s absolutely not. The amount of times I went to go report some anti social behaviour around the building and no one was there

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

We should’ve been told about the cost of utilities, how u safe the area is and how awfully loud the building is. Im pretty sure it’s illegal not to disclose that just metres away from the building to the left and the right there’s half-way houses for addicts all around the building and horrendous amounts of noise.

What is the best feature of your home:

Modern interior design, lovely view, huge windows which are amazing in Summer and let in so much light. Friendly on-site staff Kerri and Claudio

4
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
1
Value
2
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

A modern development proud to call home.

Review Date Mar 2024

Walking distance of all essential amenities.
Food options galore.
Quiet and peaceful living space yet moments from the hustle and bustle, cafes, restaurants etc.

Please review your development:

Immaculate in every way. Modern decor and building design.
Friendly and welcoming community.
FOH staff genuinely helpful and pleasure to interact with.
Facilities excellent
Excellent storage facilities for mail and post.
A pleasure to come home after a hard days work and unwind.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Back entrance is often the most convenient way to access the building when accessing deliveries m and taxi’s due to parking.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes, any issues or queries dealt with minimum fuss and friendly attitude.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report

Very friendly and helpful staff

Review Date Mar 2024

The construction of the building is very modern and comfortable. It is very close to the train station which makes commuting super easy. There are plenty of shops nearby yet it is in a quiet location. Downside is no parking.

Please review your development:

Very friendly and helpful staff make you feel at home and takes away the stress of moving. The design of the communal spaces are great and there are plenty of workspace areas. DOG FRIENDLY …… is such a good thing (The staff love dogs and that’s super important to us) Very responsive property maintenance keeps everything just as it should be. So far – so good 🙂

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

There is a nice community feel and the staff promote that which makes living here much nicer

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

We had an issue with water on the patio and it was resolved very quickly

5
Facilities
5
Design
4
Location
4
Value
5
Management
User submitted image of  York & Elder, BN1
Read all Read less

Was this review helpful?

Report

Report