The Essex commuter village with affordable housing that's completely overlooked

Some Essex towns have accrued a bad name and reputation, whether it be due to crime rates or a state of disrepair. One Essex village has quite the poor reputation, and is said to be one of the poorest areas in the county - however, is it really as bad as everyone makes it out to be?

Vange is a village in Basildon, which consists of a mish-mash of densely packed together housing estates. This is due to the staggered and "copy-and-paste" mass buildings of homes during the Basildon New Town expansion.

Blocks of flats aren't uncommon, making this former village more and more of an urban dwelling. It is however located very close to Pitsea train station, which makes the village ideal for London commuters - and it has some affordable housing too.

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The village, located near the A13, has become engulfed by urban Basildon since it was built after the WWII. Its pubs and restaurants have mostly closed down - such as the Barge pub - and the area has seen high crime rates in recent times.

All of Vange's shops are along shopping parades built in the 1960s as part of the expansion of Basildon New Town. The nearest large shopping area is in Pitsea.

Most of the the places to eat in Vange are takeaways. If you want to eat at a restaurant, there's a Harvester and Beefeater at the Five Bells roundabout on the A13 - but otherwise, it's a trip to the Basildon Festival Leisure Park.

The village, despite its poor reputation, has been crucial for historians learning about the history of Essex. Bronze Age inhabitants left ample evidence of their settlement in the area, and some years ago a Bronze Age axe was found at Vange.

Vange is also 1000 years old, as the village was first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as having a population of 27. The London Road (B1464) is the main road through Vange, and it used to be part of the A13 until it was bypassed in the 1970s.

If you value a family-friendly environment, decent schools, and good transport links, Vange ticks those boxes. On the flip side, the limited secondary school options and occasional safety concerns might be drawbacks.

However, with affordable housing and plenty of amenities, it's worth considering. Properties in Vange had an overall average price of £274,370 over the last year, according to Rightmove - making it much cheaper than the Essex house price average.

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