The 2009 English second-home hotspots revealed
Date : 26 February 2010
With second-home demand on the rise in 2009, we reveal the top rural, coastal and London hotspots.
Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank comments: “The top English second home hot-spots in 2009 were contained in the South Hams local authority – which include locations like: Dittisham, Kingswear and Salcombe. Nearly one in ten homes in the South Hams district are registered as second homes.
“In North Cornwall, Berwick-upon-Tweed and North Norfolk similar second home ratios (above 9%) are recorded. In our top ten all the locations, with the exception of South Lakeland (no. 6) and arguably West Somerset (no. 10), are coastal areas.
“In London, concentrations of second homes can be even greater than the coastal hot-spots due to demand for pied-à-terres from long-distance commuters. In the City of London nearly a quarter of all residential units are classified as second homes, with nearly 8% in Kensington & Chelsea (representing almost 7,000 units).
Top 10 rural and coastal second-home hotspots…
| Rank |
Local authority |
second homes as of % of all homes 2009 |
No. of second homes in 2008 |
No. of second homes in 2009 |
Change between 2008 and 2009 |
| 1 |
South Hams |
9.8% |
4,141 |
4,113 |
-28 |
| 2 |
North Cornwall |
9.6% |
3,860 |
4,000 |
140 |
| 3 |
Berwick-upon-Tweed |
9.5% |
1,280 |
1,344 |
64 |
| 4 |
North Norfolk |
9.1% |
4,677 |
4,753 |
76 |
| 5 |
Penwith |
8.5% |
2,647 |
2,779 |
132 |
| 6 |
South Lakeland |
7.2% |
3,738 |
3,743 |
5 |
| 7 |
Scarborough |
7.2% |
3,700 |
3,952 |
252 |
| 8 |
Purbeck |
6.9% |
1,469 |
1,480 |
11 |
| 9 |
Great Yarmouth |
5.9% |
2,739 |
2,701 |
-38 |
| 10 |
West Somerset |
5.7% |
960 |
985 |
25 |
Source: Knight Frank Residential Research, CLG
Top 5 city pied-à-terre hotspots …
| Rank |
Local authority |
second homes as a % of all homes 2009 |
No. of second homes in 2008 |
No. of second homes in 2009 |
Change between 2008 and 2009 |
| 1 |
City of London |
24.6% |
1,484 |
1,454 |
-30 |
| 2 |
Kensington & Chelsea |
7.9% |
6,413 |
6,814 |
401 |
| 3 |
Westminster |
6.5% |
8,253 |
7,715 |
-538 |
| 4 |
Tower Hamlets |
4.2% |
4,237 |
4,216 |
-21 |
| 5 |
Camden |
3.4% |
3,230 |
3,363 |
133 |
Source: Knight Frank Residential Research, CLG
For further information, please contact:
Liam Bailey, Residential Research, Knight Frank, +44 (0)7919 303148
liam.bailey@knightfrank.com
Davina Macdonald Lockhart, press office, Knight Frank , +44 (0) 7796 996 154
davina.macdonald.lockhart@knightfrank.com
Ends
Notes to Editors
Knight Frank LLP is the leading independent global property consultancy. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank and its New York-based global partner, Newmark Knight Frank, operate from 207 offices, in 43 countries, across six continents. More than 6,340 professionals handle in excess of US$886 billion (£594 billion) worth of commercial, agricultural and residential real estate annually, advising clients ranging from individual owners and buyers to major developers, investors and corporate tenants. For further information about the Company, please visit www.knightfrank.com.