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The UK number one property hotspot last year was Brighouse in West Yorkshire where average house prices rose by a whopping 65%, said the Halifax.
Halifax Estate Agents looking at house price increases in 634 towns throughout the UK, said the top 30 towns during the past year are all outside the south of England.
A year ago the average property in the south cost three times as much as in the north but during the past year the gap has narrowed and house prices in the south are now worth just 2.3 times those in the north. (The average price in the south is now £223,460 compared to £94,373 in the north). Over the past year, 49 towns in the north of England have broken the £100,000 average house price barrier for the first time.
"2003 has undoubtedly been the year of the north and we expect this trend to continue in the coming 12 months," said Jane Pridgeon, managing director of Halifax estate agents.
The Halifax league table confirms that 2003 has undoubtedly been the 'year of the north' – with Brighouse in West Yorkshire seeing the largest annual increase of 65%. The highest increase seen by a southern town was in Sawbridgeworth (Hertfordshire), which saw an annual increase of 39% (38th out of 634 in the league table).
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The 10 fastest growing towns in 2003 |
|
Rank in UK |
Town |
Region |
Ave Price 2002
£ |
Ave Price
2003
£ |
%
Change
2003 |
|
1 |
Brighouse, West Yorkshire |
Yorks & Humb |
72,205 |
119,070 |
65 |
|
2 |
Ashington, Northumberland |
North |
54,564 |
89,654 |
64 |
|
3 |
Spennymoor, County Durham |
North |
57,480 |
90,665 |
58 |
|
4 |
Market Drayton, Shropshire |
West Midlands |
113,483 |
177,069 |
56 |
|
5 |
Prudhoe, Northumberland |
North |
97,230 |
149,325 |
54 |
|
6 |
Seaham, County Durham |
North |
57,462 |
88,241 |
54 |
|
7 |
West Bromwich, W Midlands |
West Midlands |
71,194 |
108,788 |
53 |
|
8 |
Ammanford, Dyfed |
Wales |
61,756 |
94,149 |
53 |
|
9 |
Whitchurch, Shropshire |
West Midlands |
115,130 |
173,581 |
51 |
|
10 |
Consett, County Durham |
North |
63,943 |
95,801 |
50 |
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The 20 most expensive places to live in the UK |
|
Rank
2003 |
Town |
Region |
Ave Price
2002
£ |
Ave Price
2003
£ |
%
Change
2003 |
Rank
2002 |
|
1 |
Henley on Thames |
South East |
388,105 |
411,794 |
6 |
1 |
|
2 |
Richmond, Surrey |
Gr London |
349,480 |
381,317 |
9 |
2 |
|
3 |
Weybridge, Surrey |
South East |
347,915 |
376,427 |
8 |
3 |
|
4 |
Ascot, Berkshire |
South East |
292,536 |
376,257 |
29 |
13 |
|
5 |
Teddington, Middlesex |
Gr London |
337,561 |
364,737 |
8 |
5 |
|
6 |
Stanmore, Middlesex |
Gr London |
307,834 |
353,785 |
15 |
9 |
|
7 |
Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire |
South East |
259,576 |
348,354 |
34 |
27 |
|
8 |
Leatherhead, Surrey |
South East |
321,674 |
333,354 |
4 |
6 |
|
9 |
Harpenden, Hertfordshire |
South East |
338,033 |
328,721 |
-3 |
4 |
|
10 |
Sevenoaks, Kent |
South East |
308,152 |
320,277 |
4 |
8 |
|
11 |
Windsor, Berkshire |
South East |
292,613 |
318,983 |
9 |
12 |
|
12 |
Pinner, Middlesex |
Gr London |
271,328 |
312,890 |
15 |
19 |
|
13 |
Bushey, Hertfordshire |
South East |
258,493 |
312,445 |
21 |
28 |
|
14 |
Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire |
South East |
296,965 |
311,591 |
5 |
11 |
|
15 |
Walton-on-Thames, Surrey |
South East |
279,203 |
309,232 |
11 |
16 |
|
16 |
Purley, Surrey |
Gr London |
287,205 |
307,989 |
7 |
14 |
|
17 |
Twickenham, Middlesex |
Gr London |
309,448 |
301,546 |
-3 |
7 |
|
18 |
Coulsdon, Surrey |
Gr London |
264,929 |
295,422 |
12 |
24 |
|
19 |
Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey |
Gr London |
279,868 |
295,030 |
5 |
15 |
|
20 |
Chigwell, Essex |
South East |
256,928 |
294,545 |
15 |
31 |
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