Sunday Times Best Place to Live: Areas of Sussex and Surrey named among the best places to live in South East England

Published by The Sunday Times, the guide includes 72 locations across the UK and is released online today (Friday, March 21).

An abridged version will be published as a magazine supplement on Sunday (March 23).

Hove, in East Sussex, has been named among the best places to live in South East England.

The judging panel said: “As you cross from the intense bustle of Brighton into Hove, the crowds thin and there’s a palpable feeling of calm in the salty air.

“Living in this former fishing village turned upmarket urban haven offers the best of both worlds: all the culture and bright lights of its big brother Brighton, but with fewer tourists, a better selection of homes and much more Zen.”

The Surrey market town of Farnham also features in the prestigious guide.

The judging panel said: “Farnham is charming, it has excellent schools and it’s just an hour from London by train.

“Tucked into the Surrey Hills, bordered by woods, well-heeled Farnham has the buzzy, thriving feel of a town but the community of a village.”

Petersfield, Hampshire, has been named as the best place to live in South East England in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

The Sunday Times judges were most impressed with Petersfield’s family-friendly credentials.

It offers excellent schools – several of which are working together to support the Smartphone Free Childhood movement – plenty of sporty and artistic pursuits and a caring community that looks out for all ages.

From am-dram to events at the excellent museum and art gallery and the busy weekly markets, there’s always something happening in Petersfield’s historic streets, set against the backdrop of the glorious South Downs countryside.

Saffron Walden in Essex has been named the best place to live in the UK.

The Sunday Times judges chose the genteel market town for its knockout historic looks with excellent state schools, rich cultural offering and an exploding foodie scene as well as its convenient commuter links to both London and Cambridge.

It used to have a reputation for being stuffy, old-fashioned and expensive.

Once seen as stuffy, old-fashioned and expensive, Saffron Walden is enjoying a swish new lease of life.

While the property prices remain high, newcomers are bringing fresh ideas, opening cool new independent shops and launching tasty places to eat.

If the traditional high street is dying, Saffron Walden is reinventing it for the 21st century.

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look much closer to home.

“From small gestures that lift the everyday - like verges blooming with daffodils to volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.”

The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.

The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the Scottish Island of Tiree and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to vibrant market towns, and suburbs of big, lively cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.

There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and no place for many previous winners including York, Winchester, in Hampshire, and Altrincham, in Cheshire.

As always, the judges looked for thriving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices.

“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there,” Davies said.

“That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That could be anything from exceptional schools and fast trains to beautiful houses and countryside.

“The health of the high street is important, but more than anything else, what we are looking for are towns, villages and cities with strong communities who work hard to make the best of where they live, and play hard too.

“We also consider affordability. High house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money.

“Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live. One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.”

Previous winners of the Best Places to Live in Britain title are: Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013); Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014); Newnham, Cambridge (2015); Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018), Salisbury, Wiltshire (2019), Altrincham, Cheshire (2020) Stroud, Gloucestershire (2021), Ilkley, West Yorkshire (2022) Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023), and North Berwick, East Lothian (2024).