The new heart of village life

FOR FIVE out of six years Hart, a district of north-east Hampshire, topped of the prestigious annual Halifax poll for the best place to live in the UK. Even when it dropped down the rankings Hampshire’s county town Winchester took the title – and then Hart was back on top in December 2017 to be crowned as the place to live in 2018.

And yet in the latest table, for 2019, Hart plummeted to 13th place, with Orkney taking the top spot.

Orkney has done well in the Halifax ratings for the past few years, previously coming second, but comparing the isolated islands off the north coast of Scotland to well-connected Hampshire is like comparing apples and pears.

The Halifax survey is based on house prices, work opportunities, health and community and although Hart’s fall from grace may seem dramatic, it was simply caused by the rise in house prices and a certain amount of local opposition to new-build developments.

But what the subtext tells us is that prices are rising because north-east Hampshire is a highly desirable place to live – an easy commute to London yet close to the south coast and exceptional countryside including the South Downs.

The district of Hart is named after the River Hart and has its civic centre in Fleet, from where trains to London Waterloo take 40 minutes. In Richmond, south-west London, the train to Waterloo takes from 20 to 30 minutes but house prices are double those in Hart, according to a Frank Knight Market Study Report. And this is the reason why Hartland Village, a collection of

NEW-BUILD CHAMPION: Hartland Village is well-connected and expected to attract locals and Londoners

PICTURESQUE: Hartland Village is set around a lake and bridge, right, with high-spec houses and apartments offering luxurious accommodation (above and below), play areas, healthcare and wellbeing facilities