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.”
