Top 10 up and coming property areas in the UK

New research shows rural areas make for the best investment, while London boroughs dominated the bottom 10

The UK property market is starting to cause more of a stir as we start to see house prices slide. It is also widely expected that house prices will come down in 2023

For opportunist buyers, you may be considering whether now is a good time to buy a house and what are the up and coming areas to buy in the UK. You may also be interested in our article looking at the top 10 areas immune to a house price crash

Research from money.co.uk revealed East Cambridgeshire, Eden and Bolsover were the top three places to buy a house - taking into account property price growth, business growth, the number of young people moving to the area, transport links and regeneration. 

Whether you’re a first time buyer, looking to buy for your child, or want to be an buy-to-let landlord, then these are the top 10 up and coming UK areas to buy in.

Top 10 up-and-coming property areas in the UK

East Cambridgeshire ranked first, with a score of 8.14/10. “The area has seen a massive property price growth of 16.5% over the last 12 months,” the report stated. 

“This is coupled with reasonable 5-year regeneration figures, where income has increased by 4.5%, employment by 1.5%, and poverty decreased by 0.5%.”

Eden in Cumbria scored 7.99/10, with property price growth of 17.9% over the past year. And despite a negative change in business in the area annual income has risen 5.9% over the last five years. 

The market town of Bolsover in the northeast of Derbyshire scored 7.80/10, recording the second-highest increase in business of all local authorities in Great Britain. Property prices also rose 14.9% over the last year. 

The top 10 areas to buy in

Rank

Local authority

Annual house price change

Annual income change

Annual employment change

Up and coming property score /10

1

East Cambridgeshire

16.5%

4.5%

1.5%

8.14

2

Eden

17.9%

5.9%

0.8%

7.99

3

Bolsover

14.9%

2.8%

1.4%

7.80

4

East Devon

17.3%

5.1%

2.7%

7.78

5

Argyll and Bute

25.0%

3.9%

0.0%

7.75

6

Warrington

20.4%

6.1%

1.3%

7.58

7

Dover

16.8%

5.9%

1.2%

7.55

8

Stockport

17.1%

2.4%

2.4%

7.47

9

West Lindsey

15.5%

2.0%

2.3%

7.30

10

Broadland

14.7%

4.9%

-1.0%

7.23

Source: Money.co.uk

Bottom 10 up-and-coming property areas in the UK

As well as the top 10 areas to consider, there’s also a top 10 you may want to avoid.

Data from money.co.uk annalised 353 local authorities. The bottom 10 was mostly made up of London boroughs. 

Kensington and Chelsea ranked 353, with an annual house price change of -4.2%, an annual income change of -100%, and a -0.1% increase in annual employment. Overall, it scored just 1.24/10. 

Hammersmith and Fulham in west London saw annual house price change of -6.5%, an annual income change of -32.7% and just a 0.9% increase in the annual employment rate. 

Harrow in north west London saw a record 12.6% increase in house prices, as well as 1.2% growth in annual wages, but it did have a -0.8% decrease in annual employment. 

Low scoring areas to buy in

Rank

Local authority

Annual house price change

Annual income change

Annual employment change

Up and coming property score /10

344

Camden

-3.5%

-4.7%

1.2%

2.37

345

Aberdeen City

-2.4%

0.1%

-2%

2.31

346

Redbridge

6.3%

1.3%

0.4%

2.14

347

Westminster

-9.4%

-7.4%

1.8%

2.14

348

Ealing

4.6%

2.5%

-1.5%

2.06

349

Tower Hamlets

10.3%

0.7%

0.1%

2.02

350

Sunderland

8.7%

2.1%

-0.3%

1.94

351

Harrow

12.6%

1.2%

-0.8%

1.92

352

Hammersmith and Fulham

-6.5%

-32.7%

0.9%

1.68

353

Kensington and Chelsea

-4.2%

-100%

-0.1%

1.24

Source: money.co.uk

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