
It’s a much discussed topic within the Ipswich property industry – what’s the most expensive road in Ipswich to live on? Well here’s our 2020 update.
1) Purdis Farm Lane |
£834,471 (-£20,952) |
2) Beechwood Drive |
£799,118 (+£13,695) |
3) Purdis Avenue |
£786,347 (+£35,674) |
4) The Avenue |
£753,881 (+£130,816) |
5) Graham Road |
£724,607 (+£76,698) |
6) Kingsfield Avenue |
£682,854 (+£75,457) |
7) Paget Road |
£671,857 (+£75,693) |
8) Elton Park |
£657,754 (+£51,165) |
9) Broughton Road |
£645,033 (+£76,304) |
10) North Close |
£620,485 (+£52,587) |
The 2020 Results:
Again for 2020, the top 3 properties in Ipswich all lie off the popular Bucklesham Road with Purdis Farm Lane, Beechwood Drive and Purdis Avenue all unchanged in the top 3. Interestingly, Purdis Farm Lane is the only street on the list to see a decrease in average value. This can largely be attributed to only one house selling in 2019 at £760,000 (still not to be sniffed at) which is significantly lower than the 2019 average of £855,423.
Streets in a Christchurch park location feature heavily again and have seen the biggest increases. The Avenue and Paget Road both move up a place with The Avenue boasting the biggest increase with a 21% jump. The streets within a quarter mile of the park saw on average an increase of 15.1%.
2019 was an unpredictable market that was short in confidence in certain areas. What this did mean however is that the popularity and desire for these established Ipswich roads meant an increase in sold prices and demand which explains the average increase being significantly higher than the national average.
Overview & Comment
Purdis Farm Lane contains substantial sized properties which all used to be part of the original farm, offer picturesque views whilst still being easy accessible to the town centre. Being in a desirable east of Ipswich location with excellent A12/14 access, the properties are some of the most sought after in the town.
Unsurprisingly over half of the properties on the list are within a quarter of a mile from Christchurch Park. These roads contain pretty period houses with generous plots with the vast majority being 4 bedrooms plus. With easy access to the town centre, popular local pubs & shops and Ipswich school, the area has long been a desirable part of Ipswich. All of the top 10 rank particular low for crime rates for Ipswich also.
Interestingly some of the street names that instantly pop into mind don’t feature. Anglesea Road, Rushmere Road & Gainsborough Road all fail to make the list. The main reason for this is the variety of property on those streets – i.e. smaller flats/apartments which have a lower value than the larger detached properties on those streets and therefore bring the overall average value down.
The east side of Ipswich has a higher average value in comparison to the West as well. The top 10 in the West side of town is over £100,000 less in comparison to its east side peers. The reason for this? School catchments is the general consensus here. Copleston and in particular Northgate High school are the most popular in the town due to their consistently high ofsted ratings. With both of those schools also having very popular feeder schools, the knock on effect is of families wishing to move into the area to try and secure places. As families grow the need for larger housing is naturally there however people don’t wish to upset schooling by moving out of area, therefore looking to buy bigger in the area, hence the higher values in the east. The east of Ipswich also has some of the larger employers easily accessible, Ipswich Hospital, BT at Martlesham and the Port of Felixstowe all within a 20 minute drive.
Is this likely to change in the future? Evidence would suggest not as over the course of the past 50 years the most expensive streets have seen very little change. The only real change was when the Albany development (again within ¼ of Christchurch Park) was built with Berkley Close and Carlton Way (£518,781 & £514,249 respectively) charging into the top 20 and in the top 10 within the IP4 postcode. It would seem more likely that new developments in existing popular areas are more likely to enter the top 10 opposed to a more general shift. Indeed, it will be interesting to see how the “Northern Fringe” impacts the desirability, will there more be more expensive roads in the area or will the additional 5,000 plus houses put buyers off and we do finally see a shift? Time will tell.
To find out where you’re street ranks then please feel free to contact us.