LEAMINGTON remains one of the best places to live in the Midlands.
The town, where house prices average £285,000 and monthly rent £950, is again listed in the region’s top ten in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
The village of Illmington in south Warwickshire, on the doorstep of the Cotswolds, is also in the Midlands top ten. Average property prices are £299,950 and rents £750.
Also in the list was the Coventry suburb of Earsldon, with average house prices of £210,00 and monthly rent of £725.
Earlsdon Street, the main drag, was described as an ideal mix of the useful and the diverting, with a Co-op, an optician, a pharmacy and two excellent curry houses alongside fancier cafes, boutiques and the Down to Earth organic shop.
The Sunday Times’s judges assessed a wide range of factors, from schools, transport and broadband speed to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street to produce the definitive guide to the UK’s finest locations to call home.
They also looked for improving towns, villages or city centres, for attractive, well designed homes, and locations bursting with community spirit.
Top of the list was Uppingham (£299,950/£700) in Rutland. Its compact size and friendly locals saw it get the nod this year over local rivals such as Oakham and perennial Best Places to Live favourite Stamford.
Also in the top ten were Digbeth, Birmingham (£170,00/£750), Ledbury, Herefordshire (£250,000/£675), Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire (£200,000/£600), Nottingham (£160,000/£695), Shrewsbury (£210,000/£630), and Edale, Derbyshire (£399,950/£1,200).
Helen Davies, The Sunday Times home editor said, “Never has where you live felt more important. This year we have, along with house prices, air quality, good schools and access to green spaces, championed locations that have showcased great community spirit.
“The feeling of involvement in and concern for one’s local community is being challenged — and celebrated — as never before. We wish everyone well wherever they live.”
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