Chester is officially the best place to live in the UK - according to this year’s UK Hot Housing Index.
Our city outranked hundreds of other places in the country to claim the top spot in Property Week’s UK Top 50 survey, drawn up by location specialists CACI, bypassing Beverley and Crewe in the top three.
The Hot Housing Index ranks the top 50 towns and cities around the country and 20 best locations within London based on a range of criteria to determine the best residential locations, including the most affordable locations and the place that offers the most value for money.
Other factors that were taken into account were employment levels, internet connectivity, school provision and local amenities, with Chester securing an overall score of 75.70%.
The survey said of Chester: "It sits in a very affluent part of the country and is relatively close to larger cities, such as Liverpool, also boosting its appeal as a commuter destination for young professionals.
"These affluent, young individuals are particularly drawn to the quality of the retail and leisure offer within Chester, which scores very highly on the level of amenities and high levels of employment."
John Platt, principal consultant in CACI’s property consulting group said: “The research threw up a few interesting findings; who would have thought, for example, that Crewe and Warrington would feature in the top five ‘hot’ locations?
“Perhaps less surprisingly, the top 50 is mainly dominated by areas outside the south of the UK thanks to the high property prices in these regions.
“The analysis shows that the difference in property prices between the North and South is far greater than the difference in salary, meaning in general the Midlands, the North, Scotland and Wales are far more affordable places to live,” he added.
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The news comes just weeks after a Rightmove survey declared Chester the fifth happiest place to live in Britain , and a price comparison study said it was among the 10 best value cities for a getaway.
Other places that scored highly in the Hot Housing Index include Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, Warrington, Edinburgh, Bristol, Devizes and Swansea.
