Britain's top seaside property hotspot revealed
Broadstairs in Kent has been identified as Britain's top seaside property hotspot in 2017.
With its vintage, family-friendly charm and its close connections with author Charles Dickens, Broadstairs has seen average property values surge by 10.45% in the last 12 months and has overtaken neighbouring Margate, which topped the league last year, according to research from Zoopla.
Margate was pushed into fifth place in this year's study.
The property website analysed average property prices across Britain's popular seaside locations over the last 12 months to find the strongest and weakest-performing coastal towns for 2017.
Southern England continues to dominate the rankings, with Walton-on-the-Naze, Sidmouth and Penzance following Broadstairs and seeing average property price increases of 9.43%, 7.51% and 6.99% respectively.
Blyth in Northumberland, a filming location for ITV's detective drama Vera, bucked the trend as the only location in northern England to make the top 10. Average property prices there have grown by 5.64% since June 2016 to reach £130,566.
At the other end of the spectrum, Aberdeenshire's Collieston and Cruden Bay came bottom of the league of house price movements, with average property prices falling by 4.79% over the past 12 months. Whitby followed closely behind with a 4.49% fall, along with North Berwick with a 4.41% decline.
Meanwhile Port Isaac in Cornwall, a location for another popular TV series, Doc Martin, came fifth on Zoopla's list of Britain's priciest seaside towns. The average value of a home in Port Isaac was put at £388,620.
Property prices in Port Isaac have, however, fallen slightly since June 2016, by 0.13%, Zoopla found.
Salcombe in Devon continues to be the priciest place for a sea view, with average property prices at £635,435, Zoopla found.
Meanwhile, Saltcoats in Scotland was identified as the least expensive seaside location, with the average property there costing £110,761. It was followed by the bright lights of Blackpool, where the average home is valued at £120,239, Cleethorpes where the typical property is priced at £130,323 and Kilchattan Bay on the Isle of Bute in Scotland, where the average property price is put at £130,380.
Zoopla spokesman Lawrence Hall said: "With Broadstairs' Dickensian history and proximity to London it's easy to see why it tops the list of this year's best-performing seaside hotspots."
Here are the top 10 seaside hotspots in Britain in 2017, according to Zoopla, with the year-on-year percentage increase in property values and the average property value:
1. Broadstairs, Kent, 10.45%, £313,813
2. Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 9.43%, £231,410
3. Sidmouth, Devon, 7.51% £388,331
4. Penzance, Cornwall, 6.99%, £262,089
5. Margate, Kent, 6.86% £217,988
6. Falmouth, Cornwall, 6.49% £338,756
7. Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, 5.88% £218,125
8. Blyth, Northumberland, 5.64% £130,566
9. Newquay, Cornwall, 5.12%, £257,182
10. Southend-on-Sea, Essex, 4.89% £288,424
And here are the seaside towns with the highest average property values according to Zoopla:
1. Salcombe, Devon, £635,435
2. Aldeburgh, Suffolk, £517,517
3. Southwold, Suffolk, £455,983
4. Lyme Regis, Dorset, £417,562
5. Port Isaac, Cornwall, £388,620
6. Sidmouth, Devon, £388,331
7. Brighton, East Sussex, £378,495
8. Woolacombe, Devon, £361,880
9. North Berwick, East Lothian, £361,540
10. Swanage, Dorset, £361,046
