Press Release: 00047

31 January 2007

Newquay is the 2006 top location

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

UK Property Shop Moving Location Index for 2006

Newquay [1] in Cornwall is the UK's favourite place for buying property, by a significant margin, according to the UK Property Shop Moving Location Index for 2006. The Index is a measure of popularity, based on the proportion of people enquiring about moving into or out of a locality, rather than just the total numbers.

The league table of top 100 favourite locations is dominated by seaside and coastal towns, with Cornwall and Devon featuring the most number of top towns.

London is notable by its absense from the league table. Despite its huge number of property sales and ever rising values, London is evidently not as popular as might be assumed, with more people wanting to sell up and move out of the capital than those trying to move in from outside. The sky high property prices mean that it survives largely on people moving within the city, since it is almost impossible for outsiders to break into the market, except for a relatively small number of exceptionally rich people or companies who are only interested in the finest quality homes - Rightmove reports that prices in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea rose by an astonishing 60% during 2006. However, London still sets the tone for the rest of the country, with a ripple effect on prices spreading far and wide.

Aberdeen [2] is a lively, cosmopolitan city, renowned for its splendid granite architecture. Located in the north east of Scotland, it is often referred to as the gateway to the country's unique castle and whisky region. The high quality of it life and employment levels owe much to the energy industry, being the hub for off-shore oil exploration, development and support services. As a university and cultural centre, Aberdeen caters for every taste and attracts people and companies from all over the world. Combined with its superb coastal location and easy access to the spectacular Cairngorm mountains, Aberdeen is clearly a highly attractive location.

Scarborough [3] in Yorkshire is a town that is enjoyed as much by its own residents as the many holiday visitors that return each year. Scarborough Spa is reputed to have been Britain's first ever seaside resort. Famed for its sandy beaches, its North Bay has recently won the coveted Blue Flag award for cleanliness. The harbour, promenade, lake, park and Victorian gardens all contribute to the quality of the environment, with a wide range of independent shops for added interest. It is no surprise that so many people aspire to make Scarborough their home town.

What most of these popular locations have in common may be summed up as "lifestyle". Newquay has obvious attractions as a traditional seaside resort and is now the surfing capital of the country, with a supporting infrastructure of bars and clubs, bringing a new style of holiday maker to the area. The local property market here and in other similar locations is boosted by those seeking holiday homes, including many that double as buy-to-let investments, as well as retirees aspiring to a more attractive environment and a better way of life.

We live in a densely populated island and many of us seem to have an instinctive urge to live close to the sea. This natural attraction to coastal towns may be connected with happy holiday experiences, the wide open views, pleasant architecture or possibly a different way of life. Whatever the causes, the desire to move away from crowded cities to coastal locations is a pattern that we see repeated month after month. It is therefore unsurprising that demand for coastal property continues to exceed supply, with prices for prime locations - especially with a water or sea view - now at record levels.

Moving Location Index (Towns) - 2006

Rank	Town	County	Points
1	Newquay	Cornwall	838
2	Aberdeen	Aberdeenshire	624
3	Scarborough	Yorkshire	601
4	Skegness	Lincolnshire	565
5	Inverness	Highland	511
6	Newcastle upon Tyne	Tyne & Wear	492
7	Weymouth	Dorset	474
8	Penzance	Cornwall	445
9	Bridlington	Yorkshire	378
10	Leamington Spa	Warwickshire	376
11	Falmouth	Cornwall	375
12	Carlisle	Cumbria	347
13	Shrewsbury	Shropshire	342
14	Chester	Cheshire	324
15	Jersey	Channel Islands	323
16	Isle of Anglesey	Gwynedd	310
17	Hastings	Sussex	292
18	Ayr	Ayrshire	287
19	Stirling	Stirling	285
20	Barnstaple	Devon	284
21	Banbury	Oxfordshire	280
22	Isles of Scilly	Cornwall	280
23	Great Yarmouth	Norfolk	273
24	St Ives	Cornwall	272
25	Truro	Cornwall	249
26	Hereford	Herefordshire	242
27	Aberystwyth	Ceredigion	239
28	Canterbury	Kent	235
29	Harrogate	Yorkshire	227
30	Elgin	Moray	225
31	Northallerton	Yorkshire	223
32	Bude	Cornwall	222
33	Padstow	Cornwall	221
34	Taunton	Somerset	215
35	Totnes	Devon	212
36	Newcastle-under-Lyme	Staffordshire	211
37	Dundee	Angus	208
38	Llandudno	Gwynedd	206
39	Isle of Skye	Scottish Islands	200
40	Sidmouth	Devon	196
41	Bodmin	Cornwall	193
42	Durham	Durham	191
43	Lancaster	Lancashire	187
44	Blackpool	Lancashire	183
45	Yeovil	Somerset	178
46	Kingston upon Thames	Greater London	178
47	Ipswich	Suffolk	177
48	Berwick-upon-Tweed	Northumberland	177
49	St Austell	Cornwall	176
50	Abergavenny	Monmouthshire	176
51	Exmouth	Devon	172
52	Isle of Arran	Scottish Islands	170
53	Perth	Perth & Kinross	167
54	Fowey	Cornwall	162
55	Looe	Cornwall	160
56	Selby	Yorkshire	159
57	Eastbourne	Sussex	158
58	Oban	Argyll & Bute	157
59	Stratford-upon-Avon	Warwickshire	155
60	Rhyl	Denbighshire	155
61	Winchester	Hampshire	154
62	Northwich	Cheshire	150
63	Ashington	Northumberland	150
64	Sunderland	Tyne & Wear	149
65	Southport	Merseyside	145
66	South Shields	Tyne & Wear	144
67	Kendal	Cumbria	143
68	Paignton	Devon	142
69	Blandford Forum	Dorset	142
70	Fort William	Highland	142
71	Kirkintilloch	Dunbartonshire	141
72	Launceston	Cornwall	137
73	Brighton	Sussex	136
74	Porthcawl	Bridgend	136
75	Lincoln	Lincolnshire	135
76	Teignmouth	Devon	135
77	Tavistock	Devon	134
78	Hunstanton	Norfolk	132
79	Largs	Ayrshire	131
80	Orkney	Scottish Islands	130
81	Perranporth	Cornwall	130
82	Tiverton	Devon	129
83	Barrow-in-Furness	Cumbria	128
84	Burnham-on-Sea	Somerset	127
85	Stafford	Staffordshire	124
86	Herne Bay	Kent	124
87	Keynsham	Somerset	123
88	Guernsey	Channel Islands	122
89	Accrington	Lancashire	120
90	Shetland	Scottish Islands	120
91	Wroxham	Norfolk	120
92	Bognor Regis	Sussex	117
93	Newbury	Berkshire	115
94	Whitby	Yorkshire	115
95	Biggleswade	Bedfordshire	112
96	Lyme Regis	Dorset	112
97	Tenby	Pembrokeshire	111
98	Isle of Lewis	Scottish Islands	111
99	Bath	Somerset	110
100	Dumfries	Dumfries & Galloway	110

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.