Plymouth singled out as one of best places to buy a home in the UK

PLYMOUTH has been singled out as one of the best places to buy a home in Britain by a national property guide.

The Let's Move To... column focuses particularly on Stoke as a good place for buyers to look but says experts are singing the praises of the housing market across the whole city.

The guide said: "A consensus seems to be growing on property websites and blogs that (cue drum roll) Plymouth is now Officially The Optimum Place To Buy A Property In Britain.

"Boffins have worked out that this city has the best balance of bargains and pleasantness, and have drawn Venn diagrams of good schools, affordability, splendidness of property, proximity to sea, nice oomphy countryside, art deco lidos dramatically situated beneath craggy cliffs and so on, and Plymouth fits the bill."

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The author of the column, published in the Guardian magazine on Saturday, warns people not to be put off by post war architecture or a reputation for "riotous evenings" in Union Street.

Instead they call on buyers to focus on the "stunning geography beside the sea".

The article highlights the quality of city schools, the Royal William Yard, the Barbican and Plymouth Arts Centre as key attractions.

It heaps praise on Stoke for its location and 19th century villas. It singles out Wingfield Road, The Elms and Collingwood Road for their "early-Victorian cottages interspersed with 1930s semis".

Councillor Jill Dolan, independent member for Stoke on Plymouth City Council, said she was pleased her neighbourhood was receiving recognition.

"It's marvellous because Stoke had a down time for a while in the 1980s," she said.

"It was starting to get run-down but lately the community spirit I have noticed seems to be building up and we are getting more families in.

"The crime record is good. Generally it's a very safe area to live in.

"I have lived here since I was five years old. The people are friendly; we are very protective of Stoke but we do welcome new people."

The glowing review comes less than a week after a house price index published by mortgage lending giant Nationwide showed that average property prices across the country had fallen in the last quarter of 2012 compared with the same period in 2011.

But Plymouth estate agents said there was more optimism in the city at the end of 2012 and going into 2013 and that confidence was returning to the market.

Previously, Steve Moir, chairman of Property Sharing Experts, told The Herald's weekly Homeseeker property guide how a more long term view showed how house prices had levelled and stabilised over the last seven years.

Despite short-term dips, like that seen in recent months, average prices in the area have actually shown moderate increases compared to 2005 levels.

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