South dominates Britain's seaside property hotspots

House prices in seaside towns have risen by a third in the past decade, with Salcombe taking the top spot.

Salcombe is the most expensive seaside town in Britain with property averaging £672,874, according to Halifax.

New research shows that house prices in seaside towns have shot up by a third in the past decade. That means an average price rise of £49,207 (£410 a month) from £159,522 to £208,729.

North-south divide

As you’d expect, there’s a clear north-south divide, with all 10 of the most expensive towns based in southern England and seven in the south west.

Salcombe, Devon (£672,874) and Sandbanks, Dorset (£614,726) lead the way in the price tables. Outside the south west, the most expensive town is Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast (£413,393).

Here are the 10 most expensive seaside locations right now.

Seaside Town	Region	Average House Price 2015
Salcombe	South West	£672,874
Sandsbank	South West	£614,726
Aldeburgh	East Anglia	£413,393
Lymington	South East	£404,781
Dartmouth	South West	£403,767
Padstow	South West	£387,109
Lyme Regis	South West	£343,604
Budleigh Salterton	South West	£342,442
Bigbury on Sea	South West	£333,626
East Wittering	South East	£330,146
All seaside towns in Britain average		£208,729

Source: Land Registry

House prices have continued to rise in several seaside towns over the past year. Newtonhill (Aberdeenshire) and Shoreham by Sea recorded the largest annual price growth at 20%, four times the average for all seaside towns. The next biggest were: Sandwich, Kent (18%); Watchet, Somerset (18%); Seaton, Devon (17%); and Dalgety Bay, Fife (16%).

Largest rises north of the border

The largest seaside house price rises of the last 10 years were all recorded in Scotland. Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire) has seen a whopping 109% increase from £63,540 in 2005 to £132,920 in 2015.

Lerwick in the Shetlands and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire showed the next largest growth at 102%. The price rises, particularly in Aberdeenshire, could be down to a boost in the local economy from the oil industry over the last decade.

Despite such significant growth, the Scottish towns make up eight out of 10 of the least expensive seaside towns in the UK, as shown below.

Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute is the least expensive, with an average property price of £73,539, almost £600,000 lower than Salcombe.

Seaside Town	Region	Average House Price 2014/2015
Port Bannatyne	Scotland	£73,539
Newbiggin by the Sea	North	£81,339
Campbeltown	Scotland	£85,659
Thurso	Scotland	£88,500
Girvan	Scotland	£89,064
Wick	Scotland	£90,124
Saltcoats	Scotland	£90,583
Stranraer	Scotland	£90,590
Withernsea	Yorkshire and the Humber	£92,868
Irvine	Scotland	£93,736
All seaside towns in Britain average		£208,729

Source: Land Registry

Outside northern Britain, the least expensive seaside towns are Lowestoft with an average property value of £153,025, followed by Great Yarmouth (£159,965) and Margate (£164,995).

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