A new survey has revealed that several Eden locations have experienced a property sales boost – thanks to having big gardens.
The Cumberland has revealed results of its major study, which showed that the main driver of sales during the lockdowns of 2020 was a big garden.
It looked at more than a million private property transactions and found that places with the biggest gardens were the most likely to see a boost – both the number of house sales, and prices paid.
The analysis – the first of its kind – combined two key data sources from the Land Registry on prices paid and the Office for National Statistics on the average private garden sizes.
Of the 720 neighbourhoods with the biggest gardens, more than three-quarters saw average property prices rise in 2020 compared to 2019.
And it wasn’t just that prices rose fastest in neighbourhoods with bigger gardens – there were proportionately more sales, too.
Of the 13 neighbourhoods in Cumbria with a median garden size of more than 300 square metres, nine have seen year-on-year house price increases, and 10 have seen a quarter-on-quarter rise.
The two areas with the biggest average garden size – Hawkshead and Cartmel Fell and Bolton, Warnell and Solway Coast – saw sales and prices rise.
Kirkby Stephen, Tebay, Brough, Langwathby, Kirkoswald and Alston Moor were among the hotspots identified by the Cumberland.
Langwathby, Kirkoswald and Alston Moor saw prices up from £226,750 in 2019 to £242,500 in 2020. House sales rose from 70 in the year to September 2020 to 73 in the year to September 2021.
Kirkby Stephen, Tebay and Brough saw property prices rise from £200,000 to £217,500, while sales were up from 70 to 75.
Wetheral, Corby, Geltsdale, Coniston, Broughton and Kirkby in South Lakeland were also among the areas experiencing a property boom.
Will Park, the Cumberland’s cluster manager for Carlisle, said this research confirmed what they had been seeing at branch level in terms of property sales – there is a demand for houses with gardens.
He said: “A garden has always been a desirable asset for any homeowner and the advantages of having your own private, outside space were never more clear than during the lockdowns of the last two years.
“We would encourage people to bring their gardens up to the best standard possible.”
