A typical property with the UK average house price of £278,784 would benefit from an increase of £66,500 if it were in one of these areas, the analysis showed.
The most expensive National Park to live in is the New Forest where the average house price is £563,000. This is followed by the South Downs where the typical price tag is £485,000 and the Peak District where an average property sells for £450,000, according to Nationwide.
Andrew Harvey, senior economist at Nationwide, said: “National Parks are highly desirable areas to live in thanks to the beautiful countryside. Those living in the parks are ideally placed to make the most of the great outdoors and take advantage of a range of activities and amenities.
“Development is also controlled with limited new housing construction, which may also help to explain why house prices tend to be relatively high.”
And whilst those homes within these areas enjoy a 24% uplift in price, just being within a 5km radius of a National Park can elevate a home’s value. Nationwide also found homes within close proximity were 6% higher than average.
Harvey added: “We continue to see a ‘fringe benefit’ for properties located close to National Parks. Those within 5km (around 3 miles) of a National Park command a 6% premium compared with those outside this range.”
Homes in ‘National Landscapes’ also attract a premium
Nationwide also studied homes with National Landscapes in England and Wales which are also known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). These include places such as the Surrey Hills, Cotswolds and Chilterns.
Properties in these areas attract a 14% price premium compared to an otherwise identical property.
National Parks – how much do typical properties fetch?
The New Forest continues to be the most expensive National Park in which to purchase a property, with an average price of £563,000. Villages within the park include Ashurst, Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst.
The South Downs has the highest resident population of any of the National Parks at 116,200. The park includes a number of sought-after towns in Hampshire and Sussex such as Petersfield, Liss, Midhurst and Petworth. Average prices remain relatively high at £485,000.
The Lake District is the UK’s most visited National Park, with an estimated 18.1 million visitors per year, and is also the largest National Park in England. Main towns include tourist hotspots such as Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere and Keswick.
Yorkshire Dales National Park grew by nearly a quarter 10 years ago, with an extra 417km2 added, bringing the park within touching distance of the Lake District. It is home to a population of 23,300, spread across clusters of small towns and villages, and average prices in the area standing at £315,000.
In Wales National Parks cover 20% of the land area, the highest proportion of the home nations, with the largest, Eryri (Snowdonia), covering 2,176km2. The Pembrokeshire Coast sees the highest average prices amongst Wales’s three National Parks, at £310,000.
Scotland has two National Parks, with the Cairngorms covering the largest land area of the UK’s 15 National Parks. It is relatively sparsely populated however, with just 18,000 living across the 4,528km2 covered by the park and perhaps why the average price is a lower £255,000. Meanwhile, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs is Scotland’s most visited National Park, with 50% of Scotland’s population living within an hour’s drive. This relative accessibility also drives higher house prices, with average prices estimated at £330,000.
Surrey Hills is the highest priced National Landscape – formerly AONB. These have been designated for conservation due to their significant landscape value. They show a greater degree of variation than National Parks in terms of their size, type and use of land. 15% of the land in England is within a National Landscape and 66% of people live within half an hour’s journey time.
Properties in the Surrey Hills average £710,000 according to Nationwide. This is closely followed by the Chilterns, where homes are typically priced around £685,000 and High Weald with average property values of £505,000.