The latest Halifax Seaside Town Review has found that house prices in British seaside towns have increased, on average, by a quarter over the past 10 years.
During the last decade, the average house price in Britain’s seaside towns rose by 25% from £181,060 in 2007 to £226,916 in 2017 – the equivalent to an average increase of £382 per month.
However, there is a marked north-south divide in property values in seaside towns, with nine out of 10 of the most expensive seaside towns on the southern coast of England.
Sandbanks in Poole remains Britain’s most expensive seaside town for the second consecutive year, where the average price of a home is £664,051, followed by Salcombe in South Devon (£617,743) and Aldeburgh in East Anglia (£526,689). Salcombe was the most expensive seaside town in 2015.
Outside southern England, the most expensive seaside areas are the Scottish towns of North Berwick (£314,435) and St Andrews (£300,319), together with The Mumbles in South Wales (£284,804).
Scottish seaside towns have seen the greatest average house price growth in the last 10 years, with the average price in Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire almost doubling (95%) from £70,255 in 20061 to £136,889 in 2016, followed by Lerwick in the Shetlands (77%). Shoreham by Sea on the South East coast (70%) and Aldeburgh in East Anglia (67%) saw the next largest rises.
Average house prices in Aldeburgh, East Anglia increased by the greatest value from £315,641 in 2007 to £526,689 in 2017 – £211,048 or £1,759 a month, followed by Sandbanks (£162,852 or £1,357 a month).
Nine out of the 10 least expensive seaside towns are in Scotland; Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute is the least expensive seaside town in this survey, with an average price of £71,550. This is almost £600,000 lower than in Sandbanks – Britain’s most expensive seaside town.
Newbiggin by the Sea in Northumberland follows and is the least expensive seaside town in England with an average house price of £75,779.
Eight of the 10 least expensive towns are in Western Scotland including Campbeltown (£80,737), Girvan (£85,082) and Millport (£86,392).
The research found that 12 seaside towns in total have an average price below £100,000.
Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist, said: “Seaside towns are extremely popular places to live, offering sought-after views and desirable weather. Being by the sea side does come at a price – with the marked increase in house prices reflecting the demand for rooms with a ‘sea’ view.
“Over the past decade, house prices in the South East, especially coastal towns within commutable distance to London, have shown strong growth and have become Britain’s most expensive seaside towns.
“However, the strongest performing coastal towns in terms of growth have been in north of the border in Scotland, where property prices on the Aberdeenshire coastline have been helped by the oil industry more than the sunshine.”
