Homes in British national parks cost an average of 22% or £46,000 more

Homes in a national park in the UK command an average price premium of 22% or £46,000 compared to the average price of a property, research shows.

The biggest premium is in the New Forest in the south of England where the extra paid is £115,500, followed by the South Downs at £77,000 and then the Lake District at £55,000, according to the research from lender the Nationwide.

Dartmoor has the next biggest premium at £53,900, then the Yorkshire Dales at £51,500, the Cairngorms in Scotland at £51,300, the Peak District and the Brecon Beacons both at £50,600 and Snowdonia is the cheapest premium at just £34,500.

The research also shows that homes within a five kilometre radius of a national park can also benefit with an average price premium of 5%.

‘National parks are highly desirable areas in which to live thanks to the beautiful countryside. They are Britain’s breathing spaces and those living in the parks can make the most of the great outdoors with a range of activities on their doorstep,’ said Andrew Harvey, senior economic analyst at the Nationwide.

‘The main national parks in England also have easy access to major employment centres. Development is also controlled, with limited new housing construction, which also helps to explain why prices tend to be relatively high,’ he explained.

The data also shows the average price paid within national parks led by the New Forest at £525,000, then the South Downs at £350,000, the Lake District £250,000, Dartmoor £245,000, the Yorkshire Dales £234,000, the Cairngorms £233,000, the Peak District £230,000, the Brecon Beacons also £230,000 and Snowdonia £157,000.

Popular places to live within the New Forest include Ashurst, Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst, while Petersfield, Liss, Midhurst and Petworth are sought after in the South Downs, and in the Lake District, the UK’s most visited national park, has Keswick, Ambleside, Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere.

The Cairngorms is the largest national park by land area, but is located within a very sparsely populated part of Scotland and Snowdonia is the largest in Wales.