Zoopla reveals Britain's top performing commuter hotspots

12th January 2018

• Swanley in Kent is the best performing town with price growth of 10.78 per cent over the past year
• Birmingham commuter belt dominates the rankings with Bromsgrove, Belper, Atherstone and Warwick all in the top 10
• Ilkley and Bingley near Leeds have also seen significant growth over the past 12 months

Swanley in Kent has been identified as the best performing commuter hotspot for property price growth in Britain, with prices increasing by 10.78 per cent (£36,484) over the past year, according to the latest data from Zoopla. Based on this growth rate, commuters that own a home in the well-connected town could expect to effectively offset their £2.5k annual London rail fare in under a month (25 days).

Zoopla analysed annual property value growth in towns within an hour’s commute of Britain’s 10 largest city centres*. This growth was then compared to annual rail card prices to establish how many days it may take to effectively cover the cost of their annual commute.

In second place is Dursley – a town on the outskirts of Bristol - which has seen strong price growth of 9.71 per cent (£26,339) over the past year. Here homeowners could pay off their annual commuting costs within a month (32 days). Bromsgrove is just a half-hour train ride from Birmingham city centre and comes next on the list with 9.61 per cent growth in property prices over the past 12 months (16-day payoff). This is followed by the popular London commuter town of Berkhamsted, which has enjoyed a rise of 9.18 per cent over the past 12 months (23-day payoff), and Blaydon (within easy reach of Newcastle) where the average home has increased in value by 9.09 per cent in the past year (16-day payoff).

The Midlands dominates the rankings, with three commuter towns close to Birmingham in the top 10. In addition to third placed Bromsgrove, the historical town of Atherstone experienced strong growth of 8.26 per cent over the last 12 months (£18,059), which could effectively cover the cost of a season ticket into the city centre in just 40 days. Heading east to the county town of Warwick, properties saw a boost in price to the tune of £28,996 (8.18 per cent) over the past year, which could cover the cost of travel in just 19 days.

Commuter towns in West Yorkshire within easy reach of Leeds also fare well. Homes in Ilkley have risen by 8.52 per cent over the past year (14-day payoff) and homeowners in Bingley have seen values go up by 7.91 per cent (23 days).

The South of England, on the other hand, has not performed as well, with only two of London’s commuter towns featuring in the overall top 10. After Swanley and Berkhamsted, riverside Greenhithe is the next best performing location within commuting distance of the capital, with property price growth of 7.61 per cent (£23,091); effectively covering the cost of an annual travel card within 40 days. Leafy Tonbridge (7.56 per cent, 35 days) and Bexley (7.52 per cent, 22 days) place fourth and fifth respectively.

Lawrence Hall, spokesperson for Zoopla comments: “An easy commute into the office is often very near the top of the property wish list for those looking to move home, and these figures show just how valuable it can be to live within easy reach of a city centre. Towns with good transport links into Birmingham have performed particularly well in 2017 due to continued demand in the region, which offers better value compared to the south of the country.”

Top 10 commuter towns by property value growth

Rank	Commuter town	Closest major city	Average property price December 2017 (£)	Growth rate year-on-year (%)	Time it could take to offset annual travel fare (days)
1	Swanley	London	£375,066	10.78%	25
2	Dursley	Bristol	£297,581	9.71%	32
3	Bromsgrove	Birmingham	£301,384	9.61%	16
4	Berkhamsted	London	£724,194	9.18%	23
5	Blaydon-On-Tyne	Newcastle	£150,377	9.09%	16
6	Belper	Nottingham	£252,308	8.94%	30
7	Ilkley	Leeds	£404,994	8.52%	14
8	Atherstone	Birmingham	£236,734	8.26%	40
9	Warwick	Birmingham	£383,488	8.18%	19
10	Bingley	Leeds	£231,536	7.91%	23

Best performing commuter towns in Britain's top 10 biggest cities

Rank	City	Best performing commuter town	Average Property Price December 2017 (£)	Growth rate year-on-year (%)	Time it could take to offset annual travel fare (days)
1	London	Swanley	£375,066	10.78%	25
2	Birmingham	Bromsgrove	£301,384	9.61%	16
3	Leeds	Ilkley	£404,994	8.52%	14
4	Manchester	Stockport	£262,167	7.03%	17
5	Bristol	Tewkesbury	£299,777	9.94%	59
6	Edinburgh	Bellshill	£109,654	7.31%	20
7	Newcastle	Blaydon-On-Tyne	£150,377	9.09%	16
8	Sheffield	Dronfield	£254,577	7.48%	18
9	Liverpool	Ormskirk	£272,814	5.43%	23
10	Nottingham	Belper	£252,308	8.94%	30

Top five best performing London commuter towns by rise in property value

Rank	Commuter town	Average Property Price December 2017 (£)	Growth rate year-on-year (%)	Time it could take to pay offset  annual travel fare (days)
1	Swanley	£375,066	10.78%	25
2	Berkhamsted	£724,194	9.18%	23
3	Greenhithe	£326,403	7.61%	40
4	Tonbridge	£492,896	7.56%	35
5	Bexley	£485,763	7.52%	22

Source: Zoopla, December 2017

- Ends -

For further information, please contact PR Team on pr@zoopla.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3873 8770.

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