Pent-up demand from families wanting to buy bigger homes is driving more Britons to the suburbs - Peter Adams/Stone RF
A decade ago, then-chancellor George Osborne overhauled the stamp duty system, penalising families buying large homes in expensive areas. So they moved out to find value in affordable, up-and-coming suburbs and commuter towns.
Experts believe that next year there will be another push towards the suburbs, due to pent-up demand from families wanting to buy bigger homes. Savills is forecasting a swell in mortgaged homeowners moving house.
“We predict that second and third steppers are going to increase by 26pc, or 70,000 per year, over the next five years,” says Lucian Cook of Savills. “The suburbs are likely to be a core focus for these buyers.”
“This will be driven by stabilised political conditions following the election and the establishment of a new government, and bolstered by expectations of slow but steadily falling interest rates,” adds Polly Ogden Duffy of estate agency John D Wood.
New research by Savills has revealed the most affluent suburbs across the country. These are areas with the highest number of households with the biggest mortgages – this reflects high earnings and high house prices, but does not include where local housing markets are dominated by investors, or cash buyers or second home owners.
These pockets have big family homes and are close to buzzy high streets full of great restaurants, independent delis and wine bars. There is green space nearby and they have good schools on the doorstep. These are Britain’s most sought-after neighbourhoods.
Herne Hill is now one of the most sought-after areas in south London - Monica Wells/Alamy Stock Photo
Long overshadowed by its noisier neighbour Brixton, Herne Hill has quietly blossomed over the last 20 years.
“It used to be considered a best kept secret by locals but is now one of the most sought-after areas in south London, with mainly classic Victorian and Edwardian houses, the open green space of Brockwell Park with tennis courts, and historic Brockwell House and its own village centre,” says Marc Wiehe of Winkworth.
The best roads are in the conservation area of Poets Corner: Chaucer, Shakespeare, Spenser and Milton Roads.
“It tends to attract a creative crowd in the streets leading to Brixton, whereas younger families buy on the Dulwich side of Herne Hill,” he adds.
The Sicilian Deli on Railton Road sells coffee and produce, while the Prince Regent pub is a firm favourite. A Gail’s bakery has opened, a sure sign that an area is among the “poshest”.
It’s an area full of independent places too, such as Llewelyn’s restaurant which is next door to Lulu’s, a deli and wine bar. Blue Furniture is a second-hand store. Every Sunday, visitors flock from across south London for the food and crafts market.
Locals love: the Grade II listed lido in Brockwell Park.
This affluent part of south London is situated between Clapham Common, Wandsworth Common and Tooting Bec - Roger Cracknell/Alamy Stock Photo
The triangle bounded by the South Circular, Trinity Road and Balham High Road is dubbed “between the commons” – Clapham Common, Wandsworth Common and Tooting Bec.
It includes premium areas such as Nightingale Lane, the roads off Northcote Road, Spencer Park and the Heaver Estate conservation area (with its rows of grand Queen Anne-style red brick townhouses).
Publicist, Taressa Brennan Dow, and her husband, John, bought a house just off Balham High Road in 2010 with their three children. They hollowed out the ground floor to give it a “real antipodean feel”, says Brennan Dow, who is originally from Australia.
They are moving to Brighton to be by the sea – the house is on sale with Savills for £2.35m. Leaving the area is a wrench.
“I fell in love with Wandsworth Common, where I used to walk when my daughter was a toddler and still walk our dog,” she says. They often visit the Hope pub on the corner of the common.
Locals love: Chez Bruce, a restaurant overlooking Wandsworth Common, with its white tablecloths and impeccable service.
Brook Green is well known for being the location of the prestigious St Paul’s Girls’ School - Migstock/Alamy Stock Photo
Brook Green is a small pocket of Hammersmith based around a traditional village green. There are tennis courts and a play park in this urban oasis. It is well known for being the location of the prestigious St Paul’s Girls’ School.
“The village lifestyle is a major draw for buyers coming to Brook Green. There’s a strong sense of neighbourhood and community spirit here and people are keen to support local businesses,” says Paul Christian of Savills.
It is one of those places where residents are very definite about living specifically in Brook Green and not Hammersmith. There is an independent hairdressers and a fishmonger on the high street. Christian cites Debbie Jo coffee and bakery as a favourite, the French Restaurant Le Petit Citron and the florists Green.
Every Saturday, the farmers’ market pops up in Addison Primary School. The premium roads are along Brook Green itself, Sterndale Road and Luxemburg Gardens.
Locals love: walking to the Thames for lunch at the River Cafe.
A five-bedroom house in Barnsbury can reach £5m - Loop Images Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo
To the west of Islington’s buzzy Upper Street is Barnsbury, with its period houses and charming squares.
“It is a hidden gem,” says Jamie Salisbury of Foxtons. “It offers a leafy village for those looking for something a little quieter while being so close to Kings Cross and the tech scene in Shoreditch and Clerkenwell.”
The premium roads include Thornhill Square, Ripplevale Grove and Hemingford Road – where a five-bedroom house can reach £5m.
“It is not unusual for us to see a young, first-time buyer family be given a cash gift of £2m from the bank of mum and dad,” says Salisbury. Nearby is the characterful Hemingford Arms, the Drapers Arms, and the Pig and Butcher do “the best” Sunday roasts, he adds.
Locals love: a pub with Sri Lankan food, the Tamil Prince.
Newnham is surrounded by green space, with the River Cam running through it - Barry Davis/iStockphoto
Newnham is a residential pocket of central west Cambridge bounded by green space, with the River Cam running through it. Lammas Land, just half a mile from the city centre, joins up to the nature reserves of Sheep’s Green and Coe Fen.
Mark Davies of Strutt & Parker describes it as “one of the most sought after and affluent suburbs in Cambridge”.
There is a mix of Victorian, Queen Anne-style and Edwardian architecture, with larger detached homes on the roads close to St John’s College Playing Fields. Adams Road has six-bedroom detached houses that typically sell for over £2m.
“A large proportion of buyers work in or around Cambridge. It is a hub for academia, science and pharmaceuticals,” says Davies.
Locals love: concerts and recitals at the West Road concert hall.
South Hampstead ‘is the jewel in the north London crown’ - Nathaniel Noir/Alamy Stock Photo
This quiet patch sits south of the slopes of Hampstead Village and takes in the best of Swiss Cottage, Finchley Road and West Hampstead. It’s on the doorstep of Primrose Hill, St John’s Wood and Belsize Park.
“It’s the jewel in the north London crown,” says Dean Lane of Foxtons, with its tree-lined streets and wide pavements, and location within 20 minutes of central London.
All this will cost you, though. “An entry level price for a two-bedroom flat is around £1m and a family home could be anything from £3m to £15m,” says Richard Bryce of the House Collective; the premium roads include Greencroft Gardens.
Locals love: The Arches wine bar close to South Hampstead Tube stop, with a “secret” wine cellar.
The North Central suburb is situated just outside the heart of the historic city - Ian Macpherson/Alamy Stock Photo
This suburb runs from where the University Parks meet Banbury Road, up towards Summertown. The very affluent area includes the enclave of Park Town and is centred around the private Dragon School – the surrounding roads are the most desirable in Oxford, including Charlbury Road, Norham Gardens and Crick Road.
Property prices decline as you head north, but the average in Summertown is still £860,581, according to Rightmove.
“It’s not uncommon for families to have their main house in Park Town and a country home in the Cotswolds, or even have a small base in Oxford for the children during the week and their primary residence in the countryside – anything to avoid the commute, as traffic is still one of the biggest issues for the city,” says Harry Gladwin of The Buying Solution.
Locals love: Estelle Manor, a private members’ getaway that opened last year, which is just 15 minutes’ away.
Stoke Bishop is close to a handful of some of the country’s leading independent schools - Arcaid Images/Alamy Stock Photo
Steph Fisher, 60, and her husband are downsizing. They are selling their large family home in Stoke Bishop and moving to an apartment in Clifton, in Bristol’s city centre.
“We love Stoke Bishop for many reasons, with its easy access to so many of Bristol’s green spaces like the Downs, Ashton Court estate, and Leigh Woods,” she says. The semi-detached house is for sale with Rupert Oliver at £1.2m.
It is also close to a handful of some of the country’s leading independent schools: Badminton School for Girls, Clifton College and Clifton High School.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants on the doorstep. “The Port of Call pub is less than a mile from the house and we love the butcher’s Ruby & White on Whiteladies Road and the Chandos Deli,” says Fisher.
Locals love: personal training sessions on the Downs.
Dorridge is one of the most expensive parts of the West Midlands - Photo Central/Alamy Stock Photo
Dorridge and its neighbouring village, Knowle, are part of the Solihull suburban town sprawl. It is also one of the most expensive parts of the West Midlands.
Dorridge has its own “golden triangle” of roads close to the station, which has a direct service to Birmingham (around 15 minutes) and to London (1 hour 42 into Marylebone).
There is a Grade II listed country house for sale within a mile of the station for £1.85m via Knight Frank, and is the sort of property that would look at home in the Cotswolds.
Dorridge is picking up the Cotswolds overspill because of its train links and lower house prices. There are plenty of pubs and bars, including Skogen which serves cocktails and pizza.
Locals love: Dorridge Park – you can walk from here all the way to the National Trust’s Packwood House by country lanes.
West Bridgford is a posh residential area with small parks and cosy pubs - Andrew Fox
Melton Road is the busy artery running from Nottingham; travel 10 to 15 minutes further and the surrounding streets get wider, leafier, and quieter. This is Edwalton – a pocket of affluent suburbia, which is tacked onto the bigger suburb of West Bridgford.
Frances Russell runs the White Rabbit Teahouse in the town centre and lives on one of the neighbouring roads with her partner Scott and three-year-old Bella.
“We moved from Mapperley Park [to the north of the city centre] to West Bridgford two years ago for better school options,” Russell says.
There’s the Stratford Haven pub, independent restaurants such as Escabeche, serving tapas, and The White Rabbit.
“The park is the centre of the community, especially in the summer with its outdoor cinema,” says Russell.
It’s a family-friendly neighbourhood with events such as the bonfire night and street food festival at Trent Bridge. Walking groups head all the way along the towpath to Holme Pierrepont, a watersports centre and country park.
Locals love: Match day! “Nottingham Forest is doing really well at the moment so the whole area is buzzing,” says Russell.
Didsbury is a ‘tight-knit community with outstanding primary and secondary options’ - Russell Hart/Alamy Stock Photo
Didsbury is a neighbourhood of large Victorian homes off Wilmslow Road. It backs onto parkland, Didsbury Golf Course and the River Mersey, along which there are plenty of walks to nearby Chorlton Water Park through Kenworthy Woods.
There are vibes of Hackney-meets-Alderley Edge here. “Didsbury is a tight-knit community with outstanding primary and secondary options pulling in young families,” says Ani Kraja, of Savills and a Didsbury resident.
He recommends the restaurant Albert’s, the bistro Hispi and The Cheese Hamlet.
Locals love: The Little Pigs aka the Didsbury Butchers.
Gosforth has Edwardian terraces, late Victorian villas and grand detached three-storey houses - Peter Atkinson/Alamy Stock Photo
Gosforth, which sits between the vast green spaces of Town Moor and Gosforth golf club, has long been considered the most well-heeled part of Newcastle. This leafy suburb has Edwardian terraces, late Victorian villas and grand detached three-storey houses.
“There is a lot of competition among buyers in Gosforth, with homes for sale going to best and final offers. Even the small three-bedroom 1930s family homes have become more expensive, reaching £600,000, and larger homes selling easily for £1.1m to £2m,” says Duncan Young of Sanderson Young.
It’s worth noting that the city as a whole has an average asking price of £223,750.
The best roads are considered to be Elmfield Road, Graham Park Road and Moor Crescent. Young likens pockets of Gosforth to Chelsea.
“A new development of luxury apartments sold earlier this year with a two-bedroom apartment going for £1.55m. Expect to see flat-cap wearing financiers walking their whippets on Town Moor,” he adds.
Locals love: Hopscotch, where parents enjoy a salad while the children go on climbing walls.
Bearsden Academy tops the rankings of Scottish state schools - Gerard Ferry/Alamy Stock Photo
Six miles to the north west of Glasgow city centre, with three train stations and a lot of good schools, is the suburb of Bearsden.
“The conservation district of Old Bearsden is one of the most sought-after areas of Glasgow,” says Samantha Don of Rettie.
The premium roads include Ledcameroch Road, close to Bearsden train station and Colquhoun Park. Bearsden Academy tops the rankings of Scottish state schools and there is plenty of green space too, with Kilmardinny Loch and Mugdock Country Park.
There’s fine dining at Elements and pizza at the family-friendly Italian Lucali.
Locals love: driving to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and stopping for lunch at the Clachan Inn.
Lisvane has several nature reserves in the area, which bridges the city’s suburban sprawl and the hills beyond - G A Bell/Alamy Stock Photo
Five miles north of Cardiff city centre is Lisvane. It is semi-rural, spread around the Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs which have become a hub for watersports, open water swimming, walking and cycling.
“Buyers are typically families who are attracted to the good primary school,” says James Thomas of Savills.
The best roads are considered to be Lisvane Road, Graig Road, and Mill Road, where Jeffrey Ross is selling a detached house for £1.5m. There are several nature reserves in this area, which bridges the city’s suburban sprawl and the hills beyond.
Locals love: watching the Six Nations in the Black Griffin Inn.
