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Where are the best and worst places to live in Kent?

08:00, 10 November 2017

The 10 best and worst places to live in Kent have been revealed.

According to research by property technology company OneDome, Canterbury is ranked in top position followed by Tunbridge Wells and Eynsford.

Fourth is Chilham, then its Ashford, Sandwich, Dartford and Swanscombe.

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Canterbury is the best place to live in Kent, according to one survey
Canterbury is the best place to live in Kent, according to one survey

In ninth and 10th place are Maidstone and Gillingham.

The researchers looked at a range of markers, including how areas were equipped for schools, shops, restaurants and bars.

They also looked at the safety of an area, noise pollution, lifestyles of the people living there, public green spaces and access to public transport.

Acting Head of Marketing at Visit Kent, Sinead Hanna, said: "It is great to hear Canterbury has been voted the best place to live in Kent. It is a stunning city, with so much to see and do, and great connections to the rest of the county and London.

"Kent is an incredibly great place to live and work, so anyone who is thinking of making their home in Canterbury will have plenty to see and do all year round in our stunning county!”

The so-called worst places to live have also been exposed, and some are bound to divide opinion.

First on the list is Smarden then Capel-le-Ferne.

Third is Halstead, Knockholt and Badgers Mount and the Isle of Sheppey is fourth.

Bredgar, Rodmersham and Milstead are fifth, followed by Ringwould and Harrietsham and Lenham.

Finally it's Shadoxhurst, Woodchurch and Hamstreet in eight, Reculver in ninth and Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley in 10th.

Vice president of marketing and Partnerships at OneDome, Rachel Dipper, said: "We power a website which allows people who are looking for somewhere to live to compare areas and we thought, on a county level, people in Kent would want to know how their areas ranked.

"We look at education, crime rates as well as access to groceries.

"Canterbury has got it all which is why it scores highly. The only thing it's not so high on is safety because it's got a higher crime rate but that's not at all unusual for that to be the case in such a densely populated area."

Talking about Smarden, which has been named the worst place to live in Kent, Rachel said it's a lovely but isolated place.

"It doesn't have a lot in the way of local amenities and the transport links aren't great but for some people that would make it a great place to live," she said.

"The reaction we receive is mixed because people love the place where they live.

"All the scores are relative so if your area is marked a five out of 10 for green space it just means there's somewhere else in Kent which has more green space.

"Dover, Sevenoaks and Folkestone all only just missed out on the best places to live and they are all popular places to live and they only just missed out."

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