The peaceful Essex estate people are desperate to live in and never want to leave

Finding a place to settle down, with a highly sought after school, local amenities, and green space can be tricky. One place in Essex has all of that, say locals.

Great Berry, a housing estate, “bolted” onto older parts of Basildon is not just a cluster of places to live. Residents share that here, people look out for each other, and they even have a view of the capital, with a reserve which overlooks the London Skyline.

Lewis Evans, 29, moved into the area with his partner looking for an ideal spot that has connections into other areas of Essex as well as a trainline to travel into London for work. Lewis said that he first became interested in moving to the area during lockdown when looking for long walks, and coming across what he calls ‘the Peter Rabbit’ trail in the area.

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Lewis shared that the walks in the area were a real plus for moving into the area. One favourite path overlooks the capital, giving a view over the London skyline.”You wouldn’t have thought it was here, unless you stumbled across them. Especially on a clear day in the morning, it’s really nice.” He said: “You can see Canary Wharf, the Shard, and the Dartford Crossing.”

One drawback for the area, Lewis says, is that there are fewer people of a younger generation living in the area. “It’s off the beaten track here. People don’t really know it, unless you live around here. [People] just don’t know it exists.”

In spite of the area being quiet, Lewis says that he’s glad that amenities are nearby. “It’s great to have a Post Office on your doorstep. You don’t have to go far.”

A local solicitor said: “We’re quite lucky in that respect. A lot of areas have changed in the last couple of decades. People stay. They might come initially for the school, but they don’t want to leave because it’s friendly.”

“The shops aren’t amazing but it’s all we need” Adding that the area is bolted onto an older part of Basildon, not far from a wider selection of shops, while maintaining a quieter feel.

Lee Boylan, 48, says that in the decade of living in the housing area, Great Berry has undergone a lot of change. “It’s changed beyond all recognition, I think,” he said. For Lee, the area is “cramped” and “too built up.” He added: ”They need to invest in the roads. There’s a lot of potholes in the road.” In spite of that, Lee said that he is likely to stay in Great Berry for life.

Chaise Connolly, 29, from East London, said that the area is very different from her hometown. “I feel safe walking here. People on the school run say hello.” She added that the primary school in the area, which has a glowing reputation in the area, is patient with her son, who has additional needs.

Hazel Chinchilla, 46, from Costa Rica, moved into the area with her British husband after living in Kent. “In Costa Rica everyone is in everyone’s business. Here we’re more reserved.” Hazel shared that there is a community group in the housing estate where people look out for each other and the area. There are things for people to do, if they look for it., and I feel safe here.”

After seeing positive reviews on social media about the area, Chaise said that she was sold on moving to the area. Although the community is friendly, she said that transport is lacking. “Where I’m from you walk out the front door and there’s a bus stop.” In comparison, she claims that the busses run once an hour, with some times in the day with no service; a change from London.

At EssexLive we’re on a mission to highlight every corner of Essex. We will be visiting a new neighbourhood every week to talk to the people who live there and capture what life is like across our county. For some places that will highlight the hidden gems there or the reason people are flocking to live there, for others it might allow us to shine a light on an issue that’s troubling residents.

Our aim is to get everyone #ExploringEssex more, and venturing further across the county to discover different areas to visit and live in. If you have a suggestion for where we should visit next let us know below or in the comments.