Menu

Editor's Pick

£66,700: that's the average premium you'll pay to live inside a National Park

£66,700: that's the average premium you'll pay to live inside a National Park
Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Posted:
18/11/2024
Updated:
18/11/2024

There is an average 25% house price premium to live within a National Park, according to Nationwide.

The UK’s biggest building society said that this is around £66,700 in cash terms based on the current UK average house price of £266,640.

It also found that there is a 7% premium for a property within 5km of a National Park.

Andrew Harvey, Nationwide’s senior economist, said: “National Parks continue to be highly desirable areas to live in thanks to the beautiful countryside. Those living in such areas are ideally placed to make the most of the great outdoors and take advantage of a range of activities and amenities.

“Development is also controlled with limited new housing construction, which also helps to explain why house prices tend to be relatively high.

“There also continues to be evidence of a ‘fringe benefit’ for properties located close to National Parks. Those within 5km (around 3 miles) of a National Park command a 7% premium compared with those outside of this range.”

Sponsored

Your Mortgage Awards 2024/25: winners revealed

Sponsored by Your Mortgage Awards

Most expensive National Parks

The New Forest remains the most expensive National Park in which to purchase a property, with an average price of £576,000 said Nationwide. Villages within the park include Ashurst, Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst.

The South Downs has the highest resident population of any of the National Parks at 115,100. The park includes a number of sought-after towns in Hampshire and Sussex such as Petersfield, Liss, Midhurst and Petworth.

The Lake District is the UK’s most visited National Park, with an estimated 18.1 million visitors per year, and is also the largest of the 13 National Parks in England and Wales. The main towns include Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere and Keswick.

National Parks cover 20% of the land area in Wales, the highest proportion of the home nations, with the largest, Eryri (Snowdonia), covering 2,176km2.

In Scotland, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs are the most visited National Park, with 50% of Scotland’s population living within an hour’s drive.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Buyers pay 15% more for a home located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), according to Nationwide.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England & Wales are also known as National Landscapes, and include places such as the Cotswolds, Chilterns and Surrey Hills. Nationwide said that these areas include some highly desirable locations and the premium is likely to reflect the continued attractiveness of rural areas and the associated lifestyle.

They have been designated for conservation due to their significant landscape value, cover 15% of England’s land area and are home to over one million people.

Surrey Hills is the most expensive AONB in which to purchase property, with average prices of £610,000. The AONB was designated in 1958 and covers a quarter of the county of Surrey. Around 40,000 people live in the Surrey Hills AONB, mostly in small villages and rural hamlets, such as Shere, Mickleham and Westhumble.

The Chilterns AONB runs from Goring-on-Thames up through parts of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. A popular area for walking, the hills and woodlands provide striking landscapes and are also home to some highly desirable villages.

The Cotswolds is the UK’s largest AONB, stretching from North-East Somerset to South Warwickshire. Some of the main towns include Tetbury, Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold.