Where are the best commuter belt locations around London in 2018?

london

London property prices are expensive. And there is no sign of housing prices taking a downturn. Quite the opposite. As a result, people are increasingly looking at nearby towns and cities so that they can easily commute into London each day for their job. This has become increasingly easier in recent years thanks to the invent of Crossrail. This has allowed stronger links between important locations and the capital. Moreover, travel times have been reduced and accessibility has increased. And as a result, commercial development is increasing, helping establish new businesses and attract talented individuals to the area. In this post, we have looked at locations along the commuter belt. We have outlined the best areas for landlords and investors in 2018.

What are the locations?

Slough (SL1). Slough is perhaps best known for its thriving business district that contains a multitude of trading estates. In recent years, Slough has enjoyed a regeneration project. And this has resulted in new developments within the ICT and media sectors.

Reading (RG1). Reading is great for business. It offers great connectivity and innovation. It also has a range of attractive business parks which are inevitably, cheaper to rent than London. And as a result, has attracted many businesses from the creative sector. Because of this, Reading is set to become one of the most economically prosperous areas in the UK. Reading was recently voted one of the most popular places to invest by overseas investors. This may be for a number of reasons including good quality of life, sound infrastructure, cost effective and lots of economic potential.

Basingstoke (RG21). Basingstoke is known for low rates of unemployment. As such, when combined with a number of future re-generation projects, it is inevitable that property prices will continue to rise into 2020. It is such an attractive proposition that it has attracted 12 brand headquarters such as Barclays and Sony.

Purfleet (RM19). Purfleet would seem the ideal location for a commuter. This is because it has an ample shopping centre and a range of different restraunts. As a result, it currently attracts over 500,000 visitors a week. Combine with this a 30-minute distance to London, along with below average property prices, it is easy to see why Purfleet is so popular.

Woolwich (SE18). The main features of Woodwich include multiple pubs and microbreweries, range of restraunts, and tourist attractions. It is also really easy to get to London from. With reasonably property prices, along with multiple regeneration schemes, it is easy to see why Woolwich is so popular with commuters.

What should I look for when considering a commuter belt town?

The main things to look out for when looking into a commuter belt town include:

  • Is there significant development or investment happening in the area?
  • Can the town be easily accessible to and from London?
  • Is there a range of shops, bars and leisure amenities nearby?
  • Are there any business development planned in the future?

If you can find a commuter town that is able to tick all these boxes, you are on your way to find your perfect buy-to-let property or residential investment.