Rugby is one of the most sought-after locations to move to in Warwickshire

Overall, Warwickshire is still one of the UK's most popular locations
Rugby is one of the most sought-after locations to move to in Warwickshire (photo from Rugby Borough Council).Rugby is one of the most sought-after locations to move to in Warwickshire (photo from Rugby Borough Council).
Rugby is one of the most sought-after locations to move to in Warwickshire (photo from Rugby Borough Council).

Warwickshire is still one of the most sought-after locations for people to move to - with Rugby being a big draw for many of them.

And inside the county, Stratford is the most popular place to live with Rugby in second place.

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The Warwick district sits in the middle of this table, with North Warwickshire in fourth and Nuneaton and Bedworth in fifth.

A recent study from Bird & Co has uncovered the UK’s most sought-after locations, having analysed June 2021 figures from the Office of National Statistics, HM Land Registry and Rightmove.

The study broke down various statistics, including migration numbers, house transaction numbers, the number of dwellings that changed hands during the period, the percentage of loyal homeowners in the area, and the average age brackets of migrants moving into each Local Authority.

The study found that a net number of 5,329 UK citizens moved to Warwickshire in 2020-21. Warwickshire placed sixth in 2019-20, with an even greater net migration figure of 5,768.

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Warwickshire, Derbyshire, and Lancashire were the only counties on the list not from the far South of England. Migration to Warwickshire, alongside places such as Hampshire, Norfolk and Devon, reaffirm a change in attitude from homeowners hoping to escape the densely populated regions in favour of more rural locations.

Within each region, Bird & Co’s study breaks down the statistics by local authority and includes statistics on net internal migration, property transactions, average house prices and the average ages of people migrating to the region.

According to migration data, people moving to Warwickshire are moving to:

1. Stratford-on-Avon: 2,455

2. Rugby: 1,349

3. Warwick district: 687

4. North Warwickshire: 423

5. Nuneaton and Bedworth: 415

Not only is Stratford the most popular region of Warwickshire, receiving a net migration rate of a 2,455 in the past year, it is the most migrated to local authority district of all the UK locations listed in the top ten. Unlike several other counties in the UK, no regions in Warwickshire had more people leaving than they did moving in.

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The age brackets of people moving to Warwickshire mainly comprise of 20–24-year-olds, making it the only location in the top 10 with a consistent migration age.

Warwickshire has far fewer total transactions compared to other counties on the list, a figure which seems less surprising when considering its proximity to London. Its total of 35,770 home transactions in 2020 is the second lowest on the list, just beating that of Cornwall.

North Warwickshire had the highest percentage of transactions to the number of properties in the area, while homeowners in Stratford transacted the least despite its heavy influx of migrants. This implies that more people may be renting in this area than buying.

The founders of the study suggest that the county’s relatively low property transaction rate in comparison to its high levels of migrations hints towards a lack of housing and is something that all homeowners buying and selling property in the area should be aware of over the next few years.

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Currently, the average house price in Warwickshire is £333,285 - a figure that is far lower than the home counties of Kent and Essex, where house prices average at around £410,000, but higher than the average house prices in Derbyshire and Lancashire.

Figures for Warwickshire:

Net internal migration: 5,329

Total number of home transactions: 35,770

Average % of loyal homeowners: 85.37%

Average % of dwellings that changed hands: 13.72%

Average house price: £329,983

Migration age: 20-24

Overall figures:

1. Devon: 8,521

2. Norfolk: 7,181

3. Hampshire: 6,334

4. Kent: 6,269

5. Essex: 5,661

6. Derbyshire: 5,631

7. Warwickshire: 5,329

8. Lancashire: 5,260

9. Cornwall: 4,935

10. West Sussex: 4,822

Daniel Chard, at Bird & Co, said: “Our research has been based on several reputable data sources, but is just a micro-study into some of the UK’s most sought-after locations. The research demonstrates some clear trends as well as throwing up a few surprises.

“With the housing market continuing to flourish after an unstable 2020, homeowners could really benefit from doing their own research to figure out if they’re happy to continue living in their region, despite a potentially huge influx of people.

“Similarly, landlords and investors may want to consider targeting new regions of the UK to boost profitability.”