Press Release: 00013

12 January 2007

Newcastle upon Tyne most attractive location

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

The UK Property Shop Moving Location Index (Towns), December 2006

For the second month running Newcastle upon Tyne has attracted relatively more enquiries than any other UK town or city. Local agents Mansons reports that even in the last month or so prices of 2 bedroom flats in lower Tyneside have gone up from £155,000 to £175,000. Agents also report increasing interest from buy-to-let investors looking for residential property to let, especially buyers from out of the area. Newcastle city centre and the quayside in particular has seen considerable activity from developers building blocks of good quality flats and these are often purchased by investment companies that then resell to individuals. This surge in development has in fact led to a glut of rental property at the upper end of the market, causing rents to drop to more realistic levels. A couple of years ago, better quality 2 bedroom flats might have been rented for up to £1,100 per month by the corporate sector, whereas the top price being paid now is around £700-£750 per month. Indeed agents Northwood Tyneside reports that some landlords who have bought with 85% mortgages are no longer covering their costs and have to subsidise the cost of ownership out of their own pockets by £50-£60 per month - a situation that is bound to become worse as the effect of higher interest rates begins to bite.

Shrewsbury [2] in Shropshire has been creeping up the rankings in recent months and has many attractions. Shropshire in general was for a long time overlooked and underrated as an area to move to, however it's beautiful countryside and towns, coupled with improved communications, have brought increasing numbers of people to the area. Shrewsbury itself, situated on the banks of the River Severn and only a few miles from the border with Wales, is a charming town with many period buildings and has a population of around 70,000 - up from 64,000 in 1991. It is also recognised as the birth place of eminent scientist Charles Darwin, author of "On the Origin of Species", who was born in 1809 at The Mount, where he was brought up with his five brothers and sisters; The Mount is currently occupied by the Shrewsbury Valuation Office.

As has been the pattern for some time, coastal and seaside resorts continue to dominate the rankings, including Eastbourne [3], Jersey [6], Newquay [7], Bournemouth [8], Skegness [12], Isles of Scilly [14], Weymouth [16] and Aberystwyth [17].

Moving Location Index (Towns) - December 2006

Rank	Town	County	Points
1	Newcastle upon Tyne	Tyne & Wear	137
2	Shrewsbury	Shropshire	89
3	Eastbourne	Sussex	85
4	Oxford	Oxfordshire	84
5	Aberdeen	Aberdeenshire	80
6	Jersey	Channel Islands	71
7	Newquay	Cornwall	70
8	Bournemouth	Dorset	59
9	Chester	Cheshire	59
10	Huddersfield	Yorkshire	54
11	Truro	Cornwall	54
12	Skegness	Lincolnshire	53
13	Stirling	Stirling	53
14	Isles of Scilly	Cornwall	50
15	York	Yorkshire	46
16	Weymouth	Dorset	46
17	Aberystwyth	Ceredigion	46
18	Newtownabbey	County Antrim	44
19	Leamington Spa	Warwickshire	42
20	Sidmouth	Devon	42
21	Rickmansworth	Hertfordshire	42
22	Sheffield	Yorkshire	41
23	Worcester	Worcestershire	41
24	Dorchester	Dorset	41
25	Gloucester	Gloucestershire	40
26	Llandudno	Gwynedd	40
27	Lancaster	Lancashire	35
28	Durham	Durham	34
29	Barnstaple	Devon	34
30	Walsall	West Midlands	32
31	Camborne	Cornwall	32
32	Ormskirk	Lancashire	31
33	Bridport	Dorset	31
34	Wadebridge	Cornwall	31
35	Whitby	Yorkshire	31
36	Ellon	Aberdeenshire	31
37	Leigh	Greater Manchester	31
38	Gravesend	Kent	31
39	Isle of Mull	Scottish Islands	31
40	Lincoln	Lincolnshire	30
41	Great Yarmouth	Norfolk	30
42	Yarm	Durham	30
43	Wellington	Somerset	30
44	Stonehaven	Aberdeenshire	30
45	Atherstone	Warwickshire	30
46	Tavistock	Devon	30
47	Orkney	Scottish Islands	30
48	Tenterden	Kent	30
49	Nailsea	Somerset	30
50	Teignmouth	Devon	30

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.