In the UK, it is popular for students to move to the city to chase their dreams of getting a degree, but in recent years coastal universities are becoming more popular due to their beautiful locations, variety of outdoor activities and the positive impact of being close to the sea on mental health.
City universities are still on top
Despite this, the Centre for Cities’ recent Urban Demographics report shows, “More than two thirds of English and Welsh students are based in urban areas (2.5m people in total).”
According to Aparto, the top 5 university cities are:
- London. Population: Approximately 9 million.
- Edinburgh. Population: Approximately 550,000.
- Manchester. Population: Approximately 550,000.
- Glasgow. Population: Approximately 635,000.
- Newcastle Upon Tyne. Population: Approximately 300,000.
Top 10 coastal investment areas in the UK
Whilst living in a new city is desirable for a lot of students, many also choose to stay at home or move to a more coastal location.
Insurance firm, Pikl, recently released statistics that ranked the best coastal investment areas in the UK. The results were based off an evaluation of the average house price in the area, the expected Gross Yearly Earnings as a private rental property, private PTI Ratio, anticipated Gross Yearly Earnings as a Holiday Let, Holiday-Let PTI Ratio and its flood hazard.
Top 10 ranking:
1. South Shields, Tyne and Wear
2. Falmouth, Cornwall
3. Morecambe, Lancashire
4. Gower Peninsula, Swansea
5. Dunbar, Scotland
6. Bognor Regis, West Sussex
7. Blackpool, Lancashire
8. Scarborough, North Yorkshire
9. Aberystwyth, Wales
10. Largs, Scotland
Property118 says, “South Shields promises the swiftest investment recovery among UK coastal spots, bolstered by a robust rental market and minimal flood threat, positioning it as a prime pick for those targeting sustained gains in either private rentals or holiday lets.”
University areas
What can also be noticed from the rankings is that a majority of the areas listed are university towns. The nearest university to South Shields being Newcastle University and Northumbria University. For Morecambe and Blackpool, the nearest is Lancaster University, and the University of Edinburgh is fairly close to Dunbar.
For Falmouth, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Bognor Regis, campuses are located just on the doorstep of their town or city.
Climate risk and flood factors
“Flood risk is an increasingly critical factor,” says Cliff Ward, holiday-let insurance expert at Pikl.
“While locations like Morecambe and Bognor Regis remain viable for landlords willing to mitigate those risks, investors should be increasingly climate-aware. Long-term sustainability must be part of the due diligence.”
This is also the reason that South Shields scored the highest spot on the list of rankings, due to its minimal flood threat.
The allure of coastal properties
Landlord Knowledge says, “For landlords focused on future-proofing their investments, this report offers a blueprint for balancing income potential with growing environmental concerns. While property prices remain high in sought-after locations like Falmouth or Scarborough, the report shows that lower-cost options like South Shields, Largs, and Blackpool provide viable alternatives with decent yields.”
