PROPERTY HOTSPOTS

Those looking for a good property investment in England opportunity may wish to consider Bootle in Liverpool.

The town has one of the highest rates of house price growth in the UK, gaining 12th spot on Halifax's list of the country's property hotspots, published in December 2005.

Bootle was the second placed hotspot in England, following Wednesbury in the West Midlands, with all the other towns in the top 12 either located in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, such as Alexandria in top spot, Coatbridge and Holyhead.

Livepool hous prices have been on the move since June 2003 when the city won it’s bid for the 2008 European Capital of Culture. Prices immediately started rising at about 2-5% a month and have continued on this trajectory since.

The North Docks are beginning to be re-developed – many of the large warehouses have plans for conversion into loft apartments. Their proximity just north of Liverpool city centre and the Mersey waterfront is attractive to professionals working in the city.

The South Docks have had extensive development since the late 1970s – the secure access of these semi-gated developments has attracted many investors and this area with its marina is quite mature.

However many consider the big oportunities to be elsewhere in the UK.

In the last year, the Northern Irish town of Newry's average house prices rose £57,212, from £123,334 the third quarter of 2005 to £180,546 in the third of quarter of 2006.

Seven of the top ten towns with the largest price rises were in Northern Ireland - Craigavon (up 36 per cent), Londonderry (up 31 per cent), Ballymena (up 31 per cent), Lisburn (up 31 per cent) and Belfast (up 29 per cent).

Also in the top ten were two towns in Scotland: Kilmarnock in Ayrshire (up 35 per cent) and Oban in Argyll (up 32 per cent).

The only English town to make the top ten was Nelson in Lancashire, which saw average prices rise 39 per cent, the third highest in the country.