Residents explain why street has been named among Britain’s best
RESIDENTS have given a glimpse into why a Brentwood road has been named as being one of Britain’s best streets to live.
Mount Crescent was included in The Telegraph’s list of the UK’s 50 best streets to live on.
With its large gardens and properties full of character, it’s easy to see why it is such a popular place to live.
The suburban street is lined with large detached houses, each seeming to have its own personality.
“The road is so quiet and there are large gardens,” said one resident, who wished to remain anonymous. “We are near the railway station and near the playing fields too.
“There are other lovely roads nearby like the Hutton Mount estate but it’s nice here. I have got a large garden to attend to at the back so I have to get someone in to deal with that and so downsizing is the obvious thing for me to do.”
Another resident, in her 60s, said: “I’ve lived here for quite a few years and I do enjoy it here – nowhere is perfect, mind.
“I like the view from the hill. It’s reasonably quiet here but we’re equally quite close to places we need to be, so it’s convenient.
“My children were smaller when we moved in and so we would go to the park in the evening when it was empty and that was great.”
It is easy to see why this road (and its wider neighbourhood) would be an ideal place to live. At one end of Mount Crescent is King George’s Playing Fields, where families can spend time at one of the several play parks, explore the ornamental garden, cool down in the splash park or simply go for a walk with their dog.
The park is also home to Brentwood Rugby Club, the bowling club and football pitches as well as a skate park.
Similarly, Brentwood railway station is just a few minutes walk from the other end of the road. With trains departing for central London about every ten minutes, the town is certainly going to be an attractive location for commuters.
The Telegraph says the neighbourhood’s average house price is £513,426 with an average local authority house price of £477,833.
One resident, however, suggested houses in Mount Crescent can sell for much higher, possibly double, which can price younger people out of the area.
According to Rightmove the overall average price was £903,333 in the past year. It says that overall, sold prices in Mount Crescent over the past year were 11 per cent down on the previous year and 39 per cent down on the 2020 peak of £1,480,000.
A DRIVER from Pilgrims Hatch has been convicted of killing a man in a road accident in Brentwood.
The victim died two weeks later in hospital.
Seamus Reilly, 30, of Elizabeth Road, was driving a Mini Cooper in Ongar Road, Brentwood, when it struck the victim as he was crossing the road.
The incident took place on July 3, 2021.
Emergency services were called to the scene at about 10.45pm, and the 35-year-old man was taken to hospital in a critical condition. He died there on July 13.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: “A man has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving after colliding with a pedestrian in Brentwood.
“A 35-year-old man, from Chelmsford, was crossing the street in Ongar Road on July 3, 2021, when he was involved in a collision with a Mini Cooper driven by 30-year-old Seamus Reilly.
“Sadly, the victim later died in hospital on July 13, 2021.
“Reilly was arrested and, following a forensic investigation led by our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
“A jury convicted him of this charge following a trial at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, February 5.”
Reilly is due to be sentenced at the same court on Monday, March 18.
MP for Brentwood and Ongar