What it's like to live in Steyning

Owner-occupation dominates in the Horsham district: 72.3% of homes are owned, 14.5% are privately rented and 11.5% are socially rented, below the England average of 17.1%. Only 1.2% is council-owned, with 10.2% held by housing associations, so most social tenants here have a housing association as their landlord.

The biggest is Saxon Weald with around 4,799 homes, followed by Southern Housing with 1,176, Moat Homes with 457, Clarion with 436 and Hyde with 431. Average weekly social rents in the area for 2024/25 were about £115 for a one bed, £135 for a two bed and £155 for a three bed.

The age profile leans older than England as a whole: 22.8% of residents in the council area are 65 or over, compared with 18.4% nationally, and 28.3% are aged 45 to 64. Younger adults are slightly under-represented. For context on demand, the council's housing register held 716 households at March 2025, with 276 social homes let that year.

Families are well served for a town this size. Steyning CofE Primary School is about 0.4 miles from the centre, and Steyning Grammar School is right on the doorstep at 0.1 miles, which means secondary-age children can usually walk. Having both stages in the same town is a real advantage and saves a lot of early-morning driving.

There is more choice nearby. Upper Beeding Primary School is 1.2 miles away, The Towers Convent School is 1.5 miles, and Ashurst CofE Primary School is around three miles out, so there are options if your first choice is full.

For time out of school, Clays Field is the nearest park at half a mile, and the Upper Beeding Sports & Youth Centre, 1.3 miles away, is the closest named youth facility. The Steyning Centre, Penfold Church Hall, The Cuthman Centre and Beeding and Bramber Village Hall are the sort of places that host clubs and groups. Across the Horsham district, 17.7% of residents are under 16, a little below the England figure of 18.6%.

Steyning is built for walking. The Co-op, the pharmacy, the library, the primary school and the grammar school are all within half a mile of the centre, so a lot of everyday life can be done on foot without needing a car for every errand.

There is no railway station in Steyning itself, so train travel means getting to a station in another town first, usually by bus or car. That is the main thing to weigh up if you commute by rail. Buses serve the town and the villages along the valley, linking Steyning with Upper Beeding and Bramber, and they are the usual option for anyone without a car.

By road, Steyning is well placed for the coast and for the towns north of the Downs, and a car makes the surrounding villages and countryside much easier to reach. Many households here do run one. If you do not drive, check the bus times for your own journeys before you commit, especially evenings and Sundays, which tend to be thinner in small towns like this.

This is countryside living rather than nightlife. The big draw is what is outside the front door: the South Downs and the lanes and fields around the town, with Clays Field the nearest park at half a mile for a kickabout or a dog walk.

The pubs are the social backbone. The Chequer Inn and The White Horse are in the town itself, The Star Inn is 0.2 miles away, the King's Head is just over a mile out and The Castle Inn Hotel is under a mile. That is five within easy reach, which tells you something about how people here spend their evenings.

Steyning Library, two minutes from the centre, is free and useful, especially with children. The Steyning Centre and the church halls host local groups and events. Be realistic, though: for cinemas, big shopping and a wider choice of restaurants you will be travelling to a larger town. If you want a lot on your doorstep, Steyning will feel small. If you want quiet and green space, it delivers.

The Horsham district has a strong jobs picture. Census 2021 found 59.8% of adults in work, above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment at 2.4% against 3.5% nationally. More recent benefit figures put unemployment-related claimants at around 2% of working-age residents in the council area, half the England rate of 4%.

Steyning itself is a small town, so local work tends to be in shops, schools, care, hospitality and services rather than large employers. The Co-op, the pharmacies, the schools and the pubs are part of that local economy, but most households looking for a wider choice of jobs will commute.

That commute matters. With no station in the town, work further afield usually means driving or taking a bus to connect onwards. If you are moving for a job, map the journey properly first. Figures quoted here are for the whole Horsham council area, which covers far more than Steyning, so treat them as background rather than a guide to what is available on the high street.