FOCUS ON: BASILDON, ESSEX
COBURG LANE,
Price: £152,500
This smart two-bedroom maisonette would be ideal for first-time buyers. It comes with off-street parking and access to communal gardens. There’s no onward chain. Contact: Balgores on 01268 271110, www.balgoresproperty.co.uk
SAMUEL ROAD
Price: £280,000
A spacious four-bedroom house with plenty of storage and a well-sized back garden. It is within walking distance of the station. There is an en suite bathroom and a dining/play area.
Contact: Haart on 01268 284656, www.haart.co.uk
ASHBROOK, DUNTON ROAD,
Price: £675,000
A top-end property in Basildon with four bedrooms. The master bedroom has an en suite and a dressing room. Ample off-street parking and a back garden.
Contact: Bairstow Eves on 01268 282466, www.bairstoweves.co.uk
NEED TO KNOW | AREA INSIGHT
Commuting: Basildon is 35 minutes by train from Fenchurch Street and the town has two railway stations – one in the centre and one serving the western suburbs. It is also on the A13 and close to J29 of the M25.
Schools: Kingswood Junior School, Lee Chapel and Laindon Park all have strong Key Stage 2 results. Woodlands School has 95 per cent of pupils getting A*-C at GSCE.
Crime: Safer than the national average.
Restaurants and Pubs: The Bell End pub in Horndon-on-the-hill does good food. Rated pubs include The Plough & Tractor and The Quays.
Parks and Leisure: Festival Leisure Park on the outskirts has a bowling alley and a 12-screen cinema. Those craving a bit of Mother Nature should head across the A13 to the Wat Tyler country park and Vange Creek.
Famous residents: Depeche Mode and Denise van Outen hail from Basildon.