HOUSE PRICE PEAKS IN OUR NATIONAL PARKS: ALL PARKS

1.6 million hectares of England and Wales, that’s 11% of total land area falls under the official designation of a National Park, and this week, 22–29th July, is National Park’s week. Over 400,000 people live in the thirteen National Parks that span England and Wales. The first parks, the Peak District, Lake District, Dartmoor and Snowdonia were formed in 1951, the latest, and most highly populated, the South Downs officially designated in 2010. There are also two National Parks in Scotland – Loch Lomond and The Trossachs and the Cairngorms. Property prices across all the National Parks, with the exception of the Broads, attract a price premium compared to their local region. The average price of a property across six National Parks is over 50% higher than the regional average. Average prices across the parks vary considerably. Properties in the New Forest are the most expensive (just shy of £625,000), compared to Northumberland and Snowdonia where average prices are below £200,000. And what of the future? Just last month an ambitious vision to create a National Park in the West Midlands which would span seven cities and create hundreds of miles of green space was unveiled; while a year from now London is set to be declared the world’s first National Park City, vibrant with nature and people enjoying the great outdoors. **Individual graphics for each National Park are available to download from the Infographics library now.**