New research from Lloyds Bank suggests homebuyers must pay over £125,000 extra to live in the National Parks of England and Wales.
According to its analysis of Land registry data, house prices in the National Parks in 2014 are, on average, £125,796 higher than their county average. In percentage terms, this represents a premium of 58%.
All National Parks have higher house prices than the average for their county, with four of the 12 National Parks attracting a house price premium in excess of £125,000.
Homes in the New Forest command the largest premium relative to the average for the surrounding area in both monetary (£259,066) and percentage (101%) terms. The next highest percentage premiums to the surrounding area are in the Peak District (94%) and the Lake District (84%).
Homes in Snowdonia command the smallest premium, with property prices only 5% above the average for the surrounding area.
The average house price in National Parks across England and Wales has risen by £91,265 – 36% – over the past 10 years, from £251,269 in 2004 to £342,534 in 2014. This was £10,000 more than the £81,269 increase in the average price for all properties in England and Wales over the period.
Exmoor recorded the biggest percentage increase with a 47% house price rise, closely followed by the South Downs (45%).
In contrast, the North York Moors (17%) and the Yorkshire Dales (18%) recorded the smallest gains in house prices over the last decade.
The increase in house prices outpaced the 25% of average earnings across England and Wales’s National Parks, resulting in a deterioration in home affordability over the past decade. The average National Parks house price of £342,534 in 2014 is, on average, 11.3 times higher than average gross annual earnings. This is up from a multiple of 10.3 in 2004.
New Forest is both the most expensive and the least affordable National Park with an average house price (£516,479) that is 14.0 times local gross average annual earnings. The South Downs – at 12.3 times average earnings – is the second least affordable National Park.
Exmoor, Dartmoor, the Lake District and Peak District also have average prices that are more than ten times local average annual wages.
Snowdonia is both the least expensive and the most affordable National Park with an average house price of £173,779, which is 6.5 times local average annual earnings. Snowdonia is the only National Park with an average price below £200,000. Seven of the 12 National Parks surveyed have an average house price that exceeds £250,000.
Marc Page, mortgages director at Lloyds Bank, said: “The high quality of life associated with living in some of the country’s most beautiful areas attracts many homebuyers to our National Parks. They are also increasingly popular with those purchasing a second property. These factors mean that homes in National Parks typically trade at a significant premium to properties in surrounding areas.
“The disadvantage is that the resulting high property prices have made it very difficult for many of those living and working in such locations to afford to buy their own home. This situation has deteriorated in recent years as prices have risen more rapidly than earnings.”