Sandbanks in Dorset has reclaimed its crown as most expensive seaside town
(Picture: PA Archive)Sandbanks in Dorset has once again been named the UK’s most expensive seaside town as average house prices in the picturesque resort edge close to £1million.
According to Halifax’s annual seaside towns review, which tracks house price movements in 191 locations across the UK, the average home in the beach resort near Bournemouth now sells for a whopping £929,187.
Located on a peninsula, Sandbanks’ golden sandy beaches and proximity to Poole Harbour have earned it a reputation as a ‘millionaire’s playground’, home to ex-footballers and pop stars.
This year the Dorset town re-took the title from last year’s winner Salcombe in Devon where the average price reaches £912,18.
Seaside towns across the south coast dominate the top 10, with other hotspots including Padstow in Cornwall, Lymington near the New Forest and Aldeburgh in Suffolk.
Seaside homes are more popular than ever, with figures showing demand for homes by the sea has more than doubled since before the pandemic. While many workers did move back to capital after the lockdowns, many Londoners are still swapping city life for sea air, moving to affordable beach towns like Ramsgate and Folkestone in Kent.
In Brighton, estate agent Lextons has seen prices rise by up to 25 per cent over the past three years. Auctions director Simon Caplin said a house valued at £400,000 in 2019 was revalued at £500,000 last week.
He added: “Typically, we will launch a property on a Friday afternoon for a block viewing to take place a week later whereupon we will show some 30 buyers over. From these viewings we will receive anything up to 15 offers.”
Research by estate agent comparison site GetAgent has shown that seaside towns are outperforming the rest of the market and have seen the largest annual price increase of 13.2 per cent. This means they are performing better than new towns, market towns and historic towns.
Founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, said: “While the worst of the pandemic is hopefully behind us, its influence on the property market still remains, with seaside and market towns, in particular, remaining incredibly popular amongst homebuyers who have come to value the slower pace of life and benefits associated with more rural and coastal locations.”
The least expensive beach town in the UK was named as Campbelltown on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, where the average house price was just £91,201.
However in other Scottish beach towns, prices are rising. Prices in Millport on the island of Great Cumbrae, last year’s cheapest seaside town, have increased by 53 per cent.
Meanwhile the island of Port Bannatyne saw the greatest price rise over the last five years, rising five per cent to £111,717 .
The popular town of Margate in Kent has seen saw the greatest 10-year rise in average house prices, up nine per cent to £282,734.
Russell Galley, managing director, Halifax, said: “Our ongoing love affair with living by the sea shows few signs of abating. Homes on the coast have long attracted a premium price, and this was no different in 2021, with the move towards working from home being an ongoing influence is where people choose to live.
“The average seaside home cost £287,087, up eight per cent on the previous year.
“Whether it’s a lifestyle sought, the scenery or the sea air, when it comes to buying homes; we really do love to be beside the seaside. The biggest beneficiary of that desire last year was Millport on the Scottish island of Great Cumbrae, and over the last 5 years it was Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute.
“The seaside towns that attract the highest prices overall are dominated by locations across the south coast, with Sandbanks in Dorset taking the title of most expensive seaside town from last year’s winner, Salcombe in Devon. Both towns have average house prices of over £900,000.”
The 10 most expensive UK beach towns
Town |
Average house price |
Sandbanks |
£929,187 |
Salcombe |
£912,187 |
Padstow |
£588,090 |
Lymington |
£565,790 |
Aldeburgh |
£515,444 |
Fowey |
£491,042 |
Dartmouth |
£485,760 |
Lyme Regis |
£473,861 |
East Wittering |
£472,364 |
Kingsbridge |
£464,858 |
