Known as Britain’s breathing spaces, house prices in national parks are on average almost £128,000 more expensive than equivalent properties in surrounding counties. The average house price in England and Wales is £294,021, compared to the average national park house price of £394,141– new data from Lloyds Bank has revealed.
The New Forest is the most expensive national park, commanding average house prices of £643,371, a premium of 97% (£317,426), followed by the UK’s oldest park, the Peak District and the most visited, the Lake District, both with premiums of 92%. Alongside the New Forest, the newest national park, South Downs – which became an official national park in 2011– with is the least affordable national parks, where average house prices are 15 times the average local earnings. The cost of a home in some of the nation’s most treasured sites, is more than 11 times (11.6) local average gross annual earnings (the comparable ratio for England and Wales as a whole is 7.6 times average earnings). Over the past 12 months, house prices in the majority of these areas have risen by 4% (£16,815) overall compared to 3% for England and Wales (£7,516).
Over the past 10 years, the North Yorkshire Moors, Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire Coast have all become more affordable to buyers, with Snowdonia – now the most affordable national park – where average house prices are close to seven times average local earnings. The average house price in national parks across England and Wales has increased by £103,039 (35%) over the same period, up from £291,102 in 2009 to £394,141 in 2019. This increase is £9,593 higher than the average house price rise since 2009 across the whole of England and Wales.
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