Press Release: 00026

31 May 2006

Springtime migration to the coast

Source: http://www.ukpropertyshop.co.uk

Spring is definitely the season to move nearer the sea. According to latest figures published in the May edition of the Moving Location Index by UK Property Shop, the most popular locations this month are Brighton, Newquay and Inverness, with Scarborough, Blackpool, Penzance, St Ives, Padstow and Oban all being in the top 20 favoured destinations for home movers.

Berkhamsted estate agents have also been busy with enquiries this month - it may not be on the coast, but it does have the attraction of the Grand Union Canal running through, which some might say is an even greater advantage. Likewise Rainham is not your average seaside resort, but it is level pegging with St Ives for popularity and is located on the Thames estuary, with Rainham Marshes a favourite spot for twitchers.

The historic city of Carlisle is also popular again this month, being situated in one of the most attractive areas of the country, with Hadrian's Wall and the Lake District on the doorstep. As you might expect, the pull of classic towns such as Hereford, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Worcester and Dundee are always attractive to home buyers and especially those that are free to choose where they prefer to live.

Moving Location Index (Towns) - May 2006

Rank	Town	County	Points
1	Brighton	Sussex	106
2	Newquay	Cornwall	92
3	Inverness	Highland	60
4	Berkhamsted	Hertfordshire	60
5	Scarborough	Yorkshire	51
6	Blackpool	Lancashire	43
7	Carlisle	Cumbria	42
8	Penzance	Cornwall	41
9	Hereford	Herefordshire	41
10	Warwick	Warwickshire	41
11	St Ives	Cornwall	41
12	Rainham	Essex	41
13	Leamington Spa	Warwickshire	40
14	Bodmin	Cornwall	40
15	Padstow	Cornwall	40
16	Diss	Norfolk	40
17	Uxbridge	Greater London	40
18	Oban	Argyll & Bute	40
19	Sunderland	Tyne & Wear	36
20	Worcester	Worcestershire	35
21	Dundee	Angus	35
22	Billingham	Durham	34
23	Wrexham	Wrexham	33
24	Rhyl	Denbighshire	33
25	Helston	Cornwall	31
26	Ilfracombe	Devon	31
27	Northallerton	Yorkshire	31
28	Didcot	Oxfordshire	30
29	Burgess Hill	Sussex	30
30	Bude	Cornwall	30
31	Bakewell	Derbyshire	30
32	Bideford	Devon	30
33	Alnwick	Northumberland	30
34	Largs	Ayrshire	30
35	Hebden Bridge	Yorkshire	30
36	Burnham-on-Sea	Somerset	30
37	Prescot	Merseyside	30
38	Cumbernauld	Lanarkshire	30
39	Penkridge	Staffordshire	30
40	Norwich	Norfolk	29
41	Abingdon	Oxfordshire	23
42	Uttoxeter	Staffordshire	23
43	Cannock	Staffordshire	23
44	Newcastle upon Tyne	Tyne & Wear	22
45	Torquay	Devon	22
46	Skegness	Lincolnshire	22
47	Kidderminster	Worcestershire	22
48	Falkirk	Falkirk	22
49	Ripon	Yorkshire	22
50	Accrington	Lancashire	22

Note for Editors about the Moving Location Index and UK Property Shop

The UK Property Shop Moving Location Index is based on data from a sample of people looking to buy a property and using the website to register their property search requirements with estate agents in each town. From this data a score is calculated according to the number who are considering either moving within the town where they live, or away from their home town and into another town. The Moving Location Index is not a measure of quality, simply an indication of the relative proportion of home buyers wishing to move into or out of a town, which is influenced by many factors.

The UK Property Shop website www.ukpropertyshop.co.uk was launched in 1999 and is a popular source of information for people looking to buy, sell, rent or let residential property in the UK. It also publishes the National Directory of Estate Agents, the most complete and up to date register of all UK estate agents and letting agents.