Property In East Anglia
East Anglia is hot property for those thinking of relocating or investing in a holiday home there.
The area that encompasses Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex is currently one of the most popular parts of the country with the fourth-highest percentage of second homes in the UK. Just over 1% of properties are either second or holiday homes.
There are a number of reasons why East Anglia is a good choice as a place to own property. It has excellent roads leading to it. From London and the South the M11/A11 and from the West and the Midlands the A14 or A47 speed visitors into the heart of the region. There are also direct rail lines from London and Birmingham serving the major towns of the region Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich.
From north of Chelmsford in Essex through to the north Norfolk coast the region boasts a huge amount of countryside and picturesque villages, where many in the buy-to-let sector look for suitable properties. Latest estimates are that property sales continue to rise in East Anglia along with prices. This year prices are expected to be up by about 4% with the average price at £181,000. Large detached properties average £247,000; semis detached £160,000; and terraced £142,000. Apartments average £125,000.
For those looking to buy a property in the region as a holiday home and a place to rent out, a two or three-bedroom cottage or house is ideal. Research shows most lets are groups of friends or families with children and only 15% of lets require more than three bedrooms. While largely flat, East Anglia is proud of its scenic heathland, forests and coasts. Lapped by the unpredictable North Sea, the East Anglian counties offer thousands of kilometres of coastline from the north bank of the River Thames to The Wash.
It is also one of the more historic regions of the UK with its fair share of castles, country houses and important events from the past. The Romans made Colchester its capital only to have it sacked by Boudica's Iceni hordes. King Canute started his invasion of England via the North Sea and Cambridgeshire was the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell.
Around East Anglia:
Cambridge, a seat of learning and beauty, is the county’s star attraction. The city is a great day trip with its ornate collegiate architecture, cathedral and churches, the Pepys Library and the Botanic Gardens. True university life is captured in the quaint teashops and taking a punt on The Backs of the River Cam. Other spectacular religious buildings in Cambridgeshire are the cathedrals in Peterborough and Ely, some of the finest in the UK. Aviation history is found in the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, now one of the few places in the world to see Concorde.
The county town Norwich lies at its heart with its blend a wide shopping choice and the architecture of its cathedral, castle and the Castle Museum. The coast is very much the focus of the county with the popular family resort of Great Yarmouth and the nearby Norfolk Broads. The latter are a network of navigable waterways where a variety of craft can be hired either under sail or motor powered. The north Norfolk coast from Sheringham westwards is a chain of coastal villages such as Holkham, Cley-next-the-Sea and Blakeney which have some of the most picturesque beaches in England. This is also a tremendous area for wildlife where some of the permanent residents are seals. Also in this area pilgrims trek to a religious shrine at Walsingham.
Ipswich is the main centre of population and shopping but Suffolk has a fine collection of rural communities with picturesque homes and streets – among them the medieval wool town of Lavenham plus Clare and Cavendish. Its east facing coast also boasts some interesting and lovely villages with teashops, old pubs and good restaurants. Places to try include Orford, Aldeburgh and Southwold and special mention goes to the beauty of the Minsmere nature reserve. More traditional as a resort is the fishing town of Lowestoft which now has the Pleasurewood Hills theme park.
Forever associated with “Essex” girls’ jokes, the county, once you are past the metropolitan area bordering London, is scenic and interesting. Colchester Castle, one of the best preserved in the country, tracks the town’s history from Roman, through Norman and Civil War periods. The town also has a good zoo and nearby, for steam buffs, the working trains of the East Anglian Railway Museum and the Colne Valley Railway. The border area between Essex and Suffolk is Constable Country and many of the scenes he painted – Flatford Mill and the site of the Haywain – remain as they were when he committed them to canvas. Popular Essex coastal resorts include Southend-on-Sea but with a less tacky image are Clacton, Frinton and Walton-on-the-Naze.
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