Leigh-on-Sea is a civil parish in Essex. It is a district of Southend-on-Sea, with its own town council, and is at present the only civil parish within the borough. The town is set on the northern side of the Thames estuary, being merely a few miles from the open waters of the North Sea and from the Kent coast. Featuring on the town's seaside area is a nature reserve at Two Tree Island and a centrally located beach next to Bell Wharf. Leigh's foreshore is primarily viewed as being an area with considerable mud flats and creeks when the water is at low tide. Between the 1870s and the 1920s, Broadway, formerly a residential street, was changed into a commercial parade of shopfronts. In the 1930s, London Road and Leigh Road additionally became acknowledged as commercial roads, holding outlets, workshops, commercial properties, and leisure areas. Because of the dominance of 24 hour supermarkets and online shopping from the 1990s, much of the town's independent firms underwent redevelopment, with bars, cafés, restaurants, galleries and gift shops replacing many of the traditional stores. Continuous city regeneration continues to catch the attention of brand-new residents to the town, together with planning to accommodate for the increase in Southend's increased population. With a population of over 20000, Leigh was classed by Rightmove's 2016 Happy at Home Index as the happiest place to live in Great Britain, with attention being drawn to the strong community spirit, a sense of belonging, and great access to sports and arts activities. A range of community events are well established, such as the Leigh Regatta, occurring over one September weekend, the Leigh Folk Festival and the Leigh Art Trail. For all of your house upgrades, make certain to make use of credible contractors in Leigh-on-Sea to make certain of quality.