London commuter town Brentwood is a buzzing commuter hotspot
The town centre is having a makeover to include new shops and a cinema complex and the range of popular restaurants and cafés is set go even more gastronomique with the rumoured arrival of Michael Roux Junior’s Roux a la Poste opening in the old post office.
The latest Knight Frank research suggests that on average, residential properties within a 15 minute walk of Crossrail stations have already outperformed prices in the surrounding local areas by an average of 5% so savvy buyers are heading to Brentwood to track down good property with an eye on future price increases.
The town centre is largely Victorian and Edwardian properties from two up, two down cottages to detached houses and modern luxury apartments. It’s a prime spot for new developments within a short distance of the town which prove popular and sell quickly to families and commuters. Brentwood is also surrounded by pretty villages such as Herongate, Great Warley, South Weald and Blackmore which are a short drive away for commuters.
The town has a wide range of shops including Marks & Spencer and Sainsburys. There are plenty of places to enjoy a coffee and there’s a good choice of eateries including Zizzi, Prezzo and Pizza Express. There’s a wide range of leisure opportunities in and around the town ranging from fitness centres to golf courses. The Brentwood Centre has a concert hall attracting national and international acts, a large state of the art gym and a swimming pool. Brentwood Theatre is the cultural hotspot and nearby Calcott Hall Farm is a renowned cheese, home-grown vegetables and fruit. Brentwood has over 1,200 hectares of woodland and three country parks including Thorndon Park. And Brentwood has its own real ale Brentwood Brewery.
Independent co-ed Brentwood School has a long list of well-known alumni including Jack Straw and Frank Lampard. Several local primary schools are judged by Ofsted to be outstanding. Co-ed secondary schools St Martin’s and Brentwood County High and Brentwood Ursuline (girls) are very popular and huge draw for families looking for a change of lifestyle, a choice of brand new and period properties, excellent schools and all still a very commutable distance from London.
A monthly season ticket to London costs £243.10 from Brentwood (£2,532 annually) with the fastest journey time between Brentwood and London Liverpool Street now 38 minutes. Trains to Stratford take 27 minutes (£218.50 monthly, £2,276 annually); Chelmsford takes 25 minutes via Shenfield (£218.50 monthly, £2,276 annually).
Located just outside the M25, Brentwood is equidistant from central London, Stansted (37 mins) and Southend Airport (34mins). The M11 is one junction down the M25, and the A12 and A127 are close by.
Here’s a round-up of great new homes to buy in Brentwood: