National park houses boost

Homes in stunning landscapes typically command a 20 per cent premium, writes Vicky Shaw of PA

Nationwide Building Society found that properties located within anational parkattracta 20% premium on average over an otherwise identical home.

This i s around £ 45,000 in cash terms, based on the current average UK house price.

Even living near a national park can boost house prices, the research suggests.

Nationwidefoundthatliving withina5kmradiusequatestoa 6% typicalpremium, or£13,000 on average in cash terms.

The Government has recently said that more of England’sstunninglandscapes will become protected areas.

Andrew Harvey, senior economist at Nationwide, said: “Those living in the parks can make the most of the great outdoors with a range of activities on their doorstep.

“D e v e l o p m e nt is also controlled, with limited new housing construction, which alsohelpstoexplainwhyprices tend to be relatively high.”

He added: “Moreover, the premium is not limited entirely to properties located within the boundariesofthenationalpark.

“There is also evidence of a ‘fringe benefit’ for properties located close by. Properties within 5km of a national park command a 6% premium compared with those outside of this range.”

These are the average house price premiums for various national parks, as analysed by Nationwide: lNew Forest, £95,000 lSouth Downs, £74,000 lPeak District, £56,000 lDartmoor, £48,000 lLake District, £47,000 lBrecon Beacons, £44,000 lPembrokeshire, £39,000 lSnowdonia, £31,000