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Moving to Shoreham-by-Sea: Neighbourhoods, Trains, Schools and House Prices

Moving to Shoreham-by-Sea puts you on the River Adur between Brighton and Worthing, with a shingle beach, a working port, the South Downs a few minutes north and a station on the coast line. HM Land Registry put the average home in Adur district, which covers Shoreham, Southwick, Lancing and Sompting, at £378,990 in August 2026, level with a year earlier and slightly above the West Sussex average. This page covers prices, the neighbourhoods, trains, schools, council tax and the river's flood defences.

Shoreham-by-Sea house prices by property type

These are HM Land Registry UK House Price Index averages for August 2026, the latest month published. Adur district includes Lancing, Sompting and Southwick as well as Shoreham, so use them as a guide rather than a valuation: houses on Shoreham Beach and in Old Shoreham regularly sell above them.

Adur held steady over the year to August 2026 while West Sussex as a whole fell 1.4%. Terraces and semis cost noticeably more than the county average, a sign of how much demand there is for family houses within reach of Brighton. Flats were the weak spot, down 2.4% on a year earlier. For the costs on top of the price, see our stamp duty guide.

The neighbourhoods: where to look

Town centre

The High Street runs along the river with the Norman church of St Mary de Haura just behind it. Terraced cottages, flats over shops and newer riverside developments are all within a few minutes' walk of the station, the footbridge to the beach and the cafes on East Street.

Shoreham Beach

The shingle spit between the river and the sea, reached on foot by the Adur Ferry Bridge from the town centre. Mostly post-war and modern detached houses, some with sea views, plus houseboats moored along the river bank. The beach has a local nature reserve, and the fort at the harbour mouth dates from the 1850s. It feels quiet and separate, but the drive round to the A259 takes longer than the map suggests.

Old Shoreham

North of the A259 by the river, around the Norman church of St Nicolas and the old wooden toll bridge, now for walkers and cyclists. Older cottages and larger houses, close to the Downs and the A27.

Buckingham Park and the north

Mid and late twentieth-century family housing on the slopes towards the A27, with Buckingham Park itself and the Downs on the doorstep. Quieter and more suburban than the centre.

Southwick

East of Shoreham, with its own station, a village green and the port along its southern edge. It is part of the same council tax area and generally a little cheaper than Shoreham for similar houses.

Trains, roads and the commute

Shoreham-by-Sea station is on Southern's coast line. Brighton is about 10 to 15 minutes east and Worthing a similar distance west. Direct trains run to London Victoria via Gatwick Airport; Southern gives an average journey of about 1 hour 15 minutes and a fastest of about 1 hour 9 minutes. For the City, many commuters change at Brighton or Hove for Thameslink.

By road, the A27 crosses the north of the town on the Shoreham flyover, linking Brighton and Worthing, and the A259 runs along the coast through the centre. The A283 heads north up the Adur valley to Steyning. There is no motorway nearby; the M23 is reached via the A27 and A23 at Brighton. If you are relocating from the capital, see moving between Sussex and London, and compare the town with other options in our best commuter towns guide.

Shoreham schools: how places are decided

West Sussex County Council runs school admissions, not Adur District Council. For a secondary place starting in September 2027, the national application deadline is 31 October 2026; for primary and infant school, it is 15 January 2027. Each school's oversubscription criteria decide places, usually starting with looked-after children and siblings, then catchment or distance. If you move after the deadline, apply as soon as you have a confirmed address.

Shoreham Academy is the town's state secondary, and Sir Robert Woodard Academy in neighbouring Lancing also serves the area. There are several primary schools across Shoreham and Southwick, and Shoreham College is the independent option. Read each school's latest Ofsted report and visit before choosing; our page on moving house with children covers the move itself.

Council tax

Adur District Council collects council tax for itself, West Sussex County Council and Sussex Police. Shoreham, Southwick and Coombes pay a slightly lower rate than Lancing and Sompting, which have parish precepts. The 2026/27 charges for Shoreham are:

Our page on council tax when moving house in Sussex explains how to register and when the first bill arrives.

What to know before you buy

The river and flood risk. Shoreham grew up on a tidal estuary. The Environment Agency's Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls scheme, a £45 million project completed in February 2019, built 7.2km of defences along both banks and cut flood risk for more than 2,300 homes in Shoreham and East Lancing. Risk is reduced, not removed, so check the long-term flood risk service for any address and ask your insurer before you exchange.

Houseboats and riverside homes. Houseboats along the Adur are a Shoreham speciality, but mooring rights, mortgages and insurance work differently from a house. Ask your conveyancer to check the mooring agreement and its length; our page on conveyancing searches covers the standard checks.

The airport and the port. Brighton City Airport, on the west bank, handles light aircraft, and Shoreham Port runs along the coast east of the town. Visit at different times of day if you are buying close to either.

The Downs. Land north of the A27 is in the South Downs National Park, which is the planning authority there. That protects the views and also limits new building on that edge of town.

Planning the move

Most Shoreham streets are within reach of a removal lorry, but the narrow roads of the old town and the single routes on and off Shoreham Beach can mean a smaller vehicle or a longer carry, so mention them when you get quotes. Our guide to removal costs in Sussex sets out typical prices, and how to get a removal quote explains how to compare them. For other coastal options, see moving to Worthing and moving to Brighton, or go back to the Move Sussex homepage.

Sources: HM Land Registry, UK House Price Index, Adur (August 2026); Adur and Worthing Councils, council tax bands and charges; Southern, London Victoria to Shoreham-by-Sea; Mott MacDonald, Shoreham Adur tidal walls; GOV.UK, check long-term flood risk. Checked 25 October 2026.