Living in Britain's green spaces comes at a high cost as properties fetch 50% premium

According to a recent analysis, home buyers are shelling out approximately one and-a-half times the typical property prices in their area to reside within one of Britain's protected green spaces. Savills, a property firm, discovered that the average price of a property located within a National Park is £422,225, compared to the county average of £279,171, which translates to buyers paying a premium of 51 percent.

Living within a National Landscape (formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) carries an even higher price tag, averaging at £581,121, meaning buyers are faced with a 48 percent premium, according to Savills. In Scotland, buyers are expected to pay 46 percent more to live in a National Scenic Area, with an average price of £285,175, as per the research.

In certain locations, buyers are required to pay more than double the average house price in the wider area. Chichester Harbour was found to command a particularly high house price premium compared to the county average at 122.1 percent, while homes in the Gower National Landscape in Wales also had a relatively high premium, at 121.8 percent.

The average house price in Chichester Harbour was estimated at £983,389, compared to an average of £442,857 in the wider area. In the Gower National Landscape, the average house price was found to be £441,585, compared to a county average of £199,110.

Properties in the New Forest, the Lake District National Park and the Loch Lomond National Scenic Area were also found to be more than double the price of properties in their wider areas, on average.

In the revered New Forest, a typical property will set you back £800,053, significantly higher than the average price of £390,091 in the broader area.

For those dreaming of a home in the idyllic Lake District National Park, the average asking price stands at £455,711, a stark contrast to the surrounding area's less daunting £223,677 average.

And for buyers casting their net northwards towards Scotland's breath-taking Loch Lomond National Scenic Area, the average asking price soars to an estimated £404,637, nearly double the wider region's more modest £188,744.

Frances McDonald, Savills' Director of Research, commented: "Over the last few years, as buyers have reevaluated their priorities, we have seen a surge in interest in living amongst greenery or nearby access to green space."

To compile these insights, Savills examined average resale prices over the 12 months leading up to October 2023 based on Land Registry figures for England and Wales, complimented by data from the Registers of Scotland.

Here are the premium average selling prices homeowners can expect to fork out for properties in lush green spaces compared to their wider locations, according to the Savills study:

• National Park, £422,225, followed by £279,171, marking a 51 percent premium.
• National Landscape, £581,121, versus £392,182, indicating a 48 percent premium.
• National Scenic Area, £285,175, instead of £195,529, equating to a 46 percent premium.