6Oct
University towns 'still exceeding regional average'
A new survey has indicated that the majority of university towns
are still displaying a house price premium over their
regions.
The eighth Halifax survey of prices in university towns showed that
35 out of the 64 locations included in the study had a higher
average price than their surrounding areas.
Winchester had the most notable premium with the average house
price being 50 per cent higher than the Hampshire average.
The bank's research also found that Manchester - which had the
highest student population in the survey at over 73,000 - has seen
average house price growth of 63 per cent in the past five years,
compared to the UK rate of 44 per cent.
Belfast, Dundee and Bangor all saw prices increase by more than 100
per cent.
Manchester's house price rise may also be the result of wider
demographic factors squeezing supply.
Another recent survey by HBOS showed that Manchester was the only
metropolitan local authority in the north of England to experience
a population growth of over ten per cent between 1997 and
2007.
