How much higher are house prices in the Yorkshire Dales?

Nationwide recently published a review of house price data assessing both national parks and national landscapes (formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)). They discovered a significant uplift in prices in these areas. And not just that; there is an uplift for homes that are within 3 miles or 5km of a national park. So, in our neck of the wood, that includes Skipton, Gargrave, Embsay and Settle.

Overall, Nationwide discovered that a house price premium for homes in the national parks is an astonishing 24%. Just outside the national parks the price premium is 6%. In a national landscape the percentage is 14%.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) was enlarged by a quarter in 2016, and now it almost touches the Lake District, and with the national landscapes of the North Pennines, Nidderdale and the Forest of Bowland, combined they create a huge swathe of protected land across the north.

23,300 people live in the YDNP, in an area of 2,179 square kilometres, the third largest national park in the UK. And maybe that’s one of the reasons why house prices are higher. Nationwide’s own explanation for this price premium covers a wealth of reasons: some emotional, some basic economics:

A desireable place to live:

beautiful countryside
the ability to enjoy “the great outdoors”
the peace and quiet with a population density of 11 people / km²(compared with inner city London at 15,000 people / km²)

Low housing stocks, finite and limited supply:

development is controlled, with limited new housing construction, thus pushing up the prices of the existing housing stock.

Nationwide discovered that the average house price in the YDNP was £315,000, a good deal cheaper than £563,000 in the New Forest national park, but more expensive than the average price of a house in nearby Skipton, at £280,000.

At AWB Charlesworth we understand that high house prices are not straight-forward. Young people struggle to get onto the property ladder, and communities struggle to attract families and maintain schools in rural areas.

But we also understand the special requirements of buying and selling in the Dales – from septic tanks to unregistered land, rights of way to private water sources.

For expert advice and more information on all aspects of residential property, please contact Declan Hayes on 01756 692888 or email declan.hayes@awbclaw.co.uk