The analysis showed that a typical property with an average UK house price of £278,784 would benefit from an increase of £66,500 if it was in one of these areas.
The most expensive national park to live in is the New Forest where the average house price is £563,000. This is followed by the South Downs where the typical price is £485,000 and the Peak District where the average property sells for £450,000, according to Nationwide.
Andrew Harvey, chief economist at Nationwide, said: “National parks are highly desirable areas to live thanks to beautiful countryside. Those who live in parks are ideally placed to make the most of the great outdoors and take advantage of a range of activities and amenities.
“Development is also controlled by limited new housing construction, which may also help explain why house prices tend to be relatively high.”
While homes within these areas enjoy a 24% price increase, simply being within a 5km radius of the national park can increase the value of the home. Nationwide also found that nearby homes were 6% higher than average.
“We continue to see a ‘bonus’ for properties located near national parks. Properties located within 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) of national parks receive a 6% premium compared to those outside this range,” Harvey added.
Homes in “National Landscapes” also attract a premium
Nationwide also studied National Landscape Homes in England and Wales which are also known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). These include places such as the Surrey Hills, the Cotswolds and the Chiltern.
Properties in these areas attract a price premium of 14% compared to similar properties.
National Parks – What is a typical property value?
New forest The National Park remains the most expensive national park to buy a property in, with an average price of £563,000. Villages within the park include Ashurst, Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst.
South Downs It has the highest resident population of any of the national parks at 116,200. The park includes a number of sought-after towns in Hampshire and Sussex such as Petersfield, Lees, Midhurst and Petworth. Average prices remain relatively high at £485,000.
Lake area It is the most visited national park in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 18.1 million visitors annually, and is also the largest national park in England. The main towns include tourist attractions such as Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere and Keswick.
Yorkshire Dales National Park It has grown by almost a quarter in 10 years, with an additional 417 square kilometers added, bringing the park within walking distance of the Lake District. It is home to a population of 23,300, spread across clusters of small towns and villages, and average prices in the area are £315,000.
In Wales National parks cover 20% of the Earth’s land area, the highest percentage in indigenous countries, with the largest, Erie (Snowdonia)With an area of 2,176 km2. Pembrokeshire coast It sees the highest average prices of the three national parks in Wales, at £310,000.
Scotland It has two national parks, with Cairngorms It covers the largest area of the UK’s fifteen national parks. However, it is relatively sparsely populated, with only 18,000 people living across the 4,528 square kilometers covered by the park, which is perhaps why the average price is as low as £255,000. Meanwhile, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs It is Scotland’s most visited national park, with 50% of Scotland’s population living within an hour’s drive. This relative accessibility is also driving up house prices, with average prices estimated at around £330,000.
Surrey Hills It is the highest priced national landscape – formerly AONB. It has been designated for conservation due to its great natural value. They show a greater degree of variation than national parks in terms of their size, type and land use. 15% of the land in England is within a national landscape and 66% of the population lives within half an hour’s journey.
The average property in Surrey Hills is £710,000 according to Nationwide. This is closely followed by the Chilterns, where house prices typically average around £685,000, and High Weald with an average property value of £505,000.
