What it's like to live in Bognor Regis

Arun is a strongly owner-occupied area. Just 9.3% of homes are social rented, against 17.1% across England, with 71.2% owned and 18.2% privately rented. That makes social homes here relatively scarce and mutual exchange a genuinely useful route.

Arun District Council is the biggest social landlord with around 3,483 homes, followed by Southern Housing, Worthing Homes, Clarion and Hyde. Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were about £101 for one bed, £122 for two and £136 for three.

The council's housing register held 1,655 households at March 2025; 568 homes were let and 33 swapped by mutual exchange that year.

There is a decent cluster of primary schools close in: St Mary's RC Primary and Edward Bryant School are both within half a mile, with South Bersted C of E, Bersted Green and Nyewood C of E Junior within about a mile. Always check current places and Ofsted reports before you commit.

For days out with children, Hotham Park, Steyne Gardens, Gloucester Road Garden and the beach itself are all within walking distance of the centre.

Family support is close by too, with Bluebell Lodge Family Hub and Arun West Family Hub (Bersted) both around a mile away, plus Bognor Regis Library and a youth and community centre.

Bognor Regis station is about a third of a mile from the centre, which makes train travel realistic without a car. Bus stops line the High Street and sit outside the station, so short local trips and connections are straightforward.

Much of the town centre is flat and walkable. Schools, parks, supermarkets and the library are all within a mile of the middle, which helps if you do not drive or share one car in the household.

If you do drive, the retail park and West Meads Precinct are easy hops out of the centre, though central parking on busy summer days takes patience.

The seafront is the main draw, free and open all year. Add Hotham Park for green space and the Picturedrome Cinema a short walk from the centre for wet afternoons.

Pubs and cafes cluster tightly in the middle, including The William Hardwicke, The Punch & Judy and Rocks Bar & Grill, and there is late-night life at Sheiks Night Club and Reds if you want it.

For exercise, the Laburnum Centre & Gym run by Age UK West Sussex is right in town, with smaller independent fitness studios under a mile out. Jeneses Community Centre and St Marys Centre host local groups.

In the wider Arun council area, 52.4% of adults are in work against 57.4% for England, and unemployment is lower than average at 2.6%. Benefit claimant numbers in August 2026 were 3.7% of working-age people, just under the England figure.

That partly reflects an older population: 28.4% of Arun residents are 65 or over, well above the national 18.4%. Local work leans towards retail, hospitality, care and education, which shapes the kind of jobs advertised nearby.

The train line matters if you need a wider job market, and the University of Chichester has a learning resource centre in town.