Member Article

Yorkshire’s golden triangle has emerging competition

New research from Yorkshire’s leading property buying agency has revealed that Yorkshire’s golden triangle of Harrogate, Leeds and York has retained its position as the most desirable area to buy in the county, but that two new silver and bronze triangles are quickly emerging. The findings from The Search Partnership’s data show that the new silver triangle is between Boroughbridge, Bedale and Leyburn and the bronze triangle is between Helmsley, Easingwold and Thirsk. The Search Partnership used a range of criteria to measure the popularity of the three areas including commutability, schools and house price increases, which were judged against each other with three points for first, two for second and one for third. The results show that the golden triangle remains on top with 24 points, Yorkshire’s silver triangle scored 19 points and the bronze triangle scored 17 points. Director Tom Robinson, from The Search Partnership, said: “For as long as the property world can remember, the golden triangle of Yorkshire has included the most popular and accessible parts of the county from Harrogate to York to the northern fringe of Leeds. The phrase has perhaps become overused in estate agents particulars, but with the financial centre of Leeds so nearby, Harrogate’s array of shops and restaurants and the charming streets of York, all linked by a relatively fast road network, it is not surprising that this area has remained so popular for so long. “Our research shows that there are some new areas of the county that are now attracting as much, if not more interest from buyers. Despite the continued popularity of the original golden triangle, it is not for everyone. The roads can be congested, car parks at the train stations are often full, it can be hard to get a place in local schools and the train link from Harrogate to the south is slow. It is faster to travel to London Kings Cross from Thirsk or even Northallerton than it is from Harrogate.” Fellow Search Partnership Director, Toby Milbank, added: “We have noticed an increase in clients looking outside the original golden triangle. The two most popular areas in other parts of the county include the area between Helmsley, Easingwold and Thirsk, the other lies between Boroughbridge, Bedale and Leyburn. The first is highly sought after because of the beautiful scenery, easy access either to York Station or Thirsk Station and the ease of driving down the A1 to commute to Harrogate and Leeds or the A19 into York. The second is popular because of the smaller, prettier villages where farming remains the backbone of the community and the village pub is the place to catch up with the neighbours and friends.” Tom continued: “Where a client decides to live is often based on areas they are familiar with. Part of our job is to open a buyers’ eyes to other areas that suit their needs, rather than choosing somewhere just because they know their way around. We are fortunate to live in the largest county in the country and there are lots of very attractive places that buyers have often not considered before our involvement. We have used the most commonly asked for criteria, to form the basis for our research.” The criteria for the research included;

1. Number of schools rated outstanding
2. Commutability
3. Number of pubs voted in the top 30 by Welcome to Yorkshire
4. Distance to Leeds Bradford Airport
5. Number of English Heritage and National Trust properties to visit nearby
6. Distance to mainline train station
7. Distance to A1
8. Distance to National Parks
9. Distance to East Coast
10. % house price increase in last 10 years

The Search Partnership act exclusively for buyers looking for a wide range of property and land, but house searches are the mainstay of its business.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Mortimer .