Two thousand years ago, it was the thermal springs that attracted the Romans to Bath. Today, it’s the ancient city’s standard of living that has propelled it to the top of a comprehensive ranking of the best places to live for the second year in a row.
The annual ranking table, compiled by Britain’s leading independent buying agents, Garrington Property Finders, ranks almost 1400 towns, cities and towns in England and Wales according to four criteria: natural beauty, beauty architecture, quality of life and environmental references.
Bath achieved excellent results in three of the four categories which determine the general classification. Its Georgian grandeur – which once inspired Jane Austen and now attracts tourists and TV crews – saw it crowned in the architecture category, while its rolling hills and manicured open spaces propelled it to 43rd place in the natural beauty category.
READ MORE: Bath’s long-awaited £5million World Heritage Center will open soon
The Somerset town came 58th in the green benchmarks category, which is new for 2022 and scores areas on the number of energy-efficient homes and cycle lanes they have, as well as the availability of public charging stations for cars. electric vehicles (EV). With sales of pure electric vehicles up 196.3% between February 2021 and the same month this year, having a place to charge them is now a key consideration for a growing number of buyers.
Even though working from home is now optional, hybrid working is here to stay, and lightning-fast internet is a must-have for many homebuyers. That’s why the Garrington Ranking is the first of its kind to focus exclusively on areas where at least 95% of households have superfast broadband access.
Lyme Regis in Dorset came second, followed by Sailsbury in Wiltshire, showing that the South West is where it is best after all.
The 20 best places to live after the pandemic in England and Wales
Rank3
Change from 2021
Location
County
Natural beauty
Camber
Quality of life
Green
Cost of family home4
1
–
Bath
Somerset
43
1
596
58
£659,417
2
Up to 13
Lyme Regis
Dorset
57
19
663
23
£574,383
3
Up to 126
Salisbury
Wiltshire
186
107
413
18
£497,247
4
Up to 64
Cato
Lancashire
15
294
275
117
£333,789
5
Up to 166
Kidwelly
Carmarthenshire
223
165
66
382
£202,196
6
Up to 17
fowey
Cornwall
7
18
352
632
£688,424
7
Top 2
Wilton
Wiltshire
65
28
465
368
£410,973
8
Up to 33
Hadleigh
Suffolk
230
89
591
25
£452,633
9
Up to 135
Folkestone
Kent
144
163
293
195
£395,204
ten
Up to 7
Newport
isle of wight
246
69
591
35
£347,310
11
Up to 31
Shaftesbury
Dorset
446
43
749
3
£435,494
12
Up to 318
Wallingford
Oxfordshire
110
156
857
12
£584,622
13
Up to 349
Column
Lancashire
147
304
233
150
£200,859
14
Up to 6
Malmesbury
Wiltshire
17
15
491
685
£487,524
15
Up to 14
Sudbury
Suffolk
323
112
301
160
£421,433
16
Down 10
Rye
East Sussex
1
12
264
1024
£531,347
17
Bottom 15
Tenby
Pembrokeshire
81
5
505
591
£461,603
18
Up to 10
Weymouth
Dorset
47
122
377
501
£418,118
19
Up to 43
Hawkhurst
Kent
446
48
800
11
£511,124
20
Up to 17
Lancaster
Lancashire
94
143
862
37
£280,677
The researchers also scored each location based on its proximity to open waters, national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty. In the architectural beauty category, scores were given for the number of listed and period houses, while the quality of life category ranked each city, town, and city for its air quality, crime rate, its accessibility by public transport and the proportion of properties that have access to outdoor space.
Beyond the price, the ranking holds some notable surprises. While top-ranked Bath has been a popular destination for millennia – and the prices are sky-high – other high-scoring locations offer greater value.
For example, at just £202,196, an average-sized family home in Kidwelly, fifth, costs less than a third of what it would cost in Bath. The Welsh seaside town is home to a breathtaking Norman castle and is close to the sandy beaches of Carmarthen Bay. It is one of five cities to feature in the top 20 where a typical family home costs less than £350,000.
Wiltshire and Lancashire are the best-represented counties in the league table, each claiming three of the top 20 spots. The addition of the green category to this year’s rankings has shaken up the 2021 hierarchy. Only six of last year’s top 20 entered the class of 2022, with new entrants Wallingford (Oxfordshire) and Shaftesbury (Dorset) climbing respectively 318 and 31 seats, thanks to their solid green credentials.
Jonathan Hopper, CEO of buying agents Garrington Property Finders, said: ‘Offices may have reopened but the genie of working from home is out of the bottle. With millions of people keen to continue working remotely at least part of the time, many are reassessing what they want from their home – and this change is definitely transforming the UK property market.
“If you’re not bothered by a daily commute, you instantly have a lot more freedom where you live – and you can buy in an area where you can get more housing and a better quality of life, for your money.” .
“Of course, having fast, reliable broadband is a no-brainer for many shoppers, so our leaderboard only includes areas with super-fast connection speeds, and we’ve ranked areas based on the criteria that matter. most in the post-pandemic market.
“From the beauty of the natural and architectural environment, to air quality, to open spaces and the degree of ecology of an area, our interactive tool allows you to explore the complete classification of nearly 1400 towns and villages. It’s fun to use and it might surprise you by suggesting places that offer more things you want from where you live.
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-23 23:00:00
