House prices in the Yorkshire district of Calderdale are rising faster than anywhere else in the UK, new figures have indicated, rocketing by more than £7,000 since last year.
Meanwhile, as a region, properties in close proximity to Glasgow and Edinburgh are also appreciating in value rapidly, a likely result of the access they offer to good transport links.
Calderdale, with its its population of more than 200,000, is situated in the picturesque Upper Calder Valley.
The borough includes the towns of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Luddendenfoot, and Sowerby Bridge.
Research published by online estate agent Zoopla indicates that house prices in the Calderdale borough, located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, increased by 4.3 percent between 2022 and 2023.
The average annual price change was £7,250, and the average house price is currently £174,100.
In second place comes North Lanarkshire in Scotland, where house prices increased by three percent during the same period.
However, given the average house price there is lower – £120,300 – the value of the increase – £3,460 – is less than half that of Calderdale.
In fact all the other areas in the Zoopla top 10 are located in either Scotland or Wales, with average annual price increases ranging from £2,830 (Dumfries and Galloway) to £5,660 (Stirling).
Separate research published by Rightmove found that properties in Calderdale had an overall average price of £182,653 over the last year.
A spokesman said: “The majority of sales in Calderdale during the last year were terraced properties, selling for an average price of £140,083.
“Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £191,408, with detached properties fetching £359,176.
“Overall, sold prices in Calderdale over the last year were two percent up on the previous year and 12 percent up on the 2020 peak of £163,070.”
Calderdale’s location in the Pennines, equidistant between Manchester and Leeds, may partly explain its increasing popularity.
The rugged landscape has inspired many a creative soul, from poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath to author Emily Bronte, whose only novel, Wuthering Heights, was published in 1847.
The area is also the setting for the gritty BBC police drama Happy Valley, starring Sarah Lancashire.
