TOWNS LIKE SHERINGHAM AND AYLSHAM ARE HAVING THEIR MOMENT IN THE SUN

A new survey has revealed the most in-demand towns in Norfolk when it comes to property sales – and at first glance its content might surprise some people.

Instinctively we might expect the ‘Chelsea-on-Sea’ locations such as the Burnhams and Blakeney to top the list, but in fact they are nowhere to be found.  First on the list is Sheringham, with Hunstanton second and Aylsham third.

According to the research, which used Land Registry data, prices in Sheringham are running at 15.4 per cent ahead of the county’s average, reflecting the town’s popularity as the north Norfolk’s coast’s number one property choice.

To those of us who know this location well – and our Sheringham Coastal branch manager Clive Hedges has been selling houses in and around the town for 47 years, so no-one knows Sheringham better – this isn’t a surprise. 

Whilst the weekender hotspots may get much of the national press, those looking for a home rather than a weekend bolthole want to live in a place where there is a real year-round community - somewhere people call ‘home’ rather than ‘second home’ - where there are the kind of facilities which make everyday life pleasant, such as shops, schools and transport connections to Norwich and the rest of the country.  Sheringham has all of these things.

In recent years the demand has moved along the coast from the chocolate box villages further west towards Sheringham, the Runtons and Cromer, a trend which has been accelerated by the Covid-related clamour to get out of the capital and find a better quality of life.  So it is not a shock to learn that this vibrant town tops the list of in-demand places to buy in the county.

The second of the top three sought-after places to buy is the lovely market town of Aylsham.  This has always had a strong sense of community, but more recently its proximity to the NDR - and hence access to the dual carriageway network – coupled with its vibrant community, means that the town is more in-demand than ever.

Aylsham really is a market town which has it all: a great selection of shops, from large supermarkets to thriving independent retailers; a proper weekly market; high quality schools; proximity to lovely countryside, and in striking distance of the coast; and a huge variety of property types, from Georgian cottages on cobbled streets to high-quality modern family homes… and a stately home on its doorstep!

Above all, Aylsham is popular because it has an identity of its own.  Despite being within such easy striking distance of Norwich, it is certainly not a commuter dormitory town.  It is proving especially popular with those moving out of London and the southeast who are seeking to escape the city but also want to live somewhere that is a community in itself.

Is the shine coming off Chelsea-on-Sea and shifting towards places like Sheringham and Aylsham? Certainly for those wanting to buy a permanent home; the Burnhams might be nice to visit, but for pure liveability, accessibility and convenience, towns like Sheringham and Aylsham beat them hands down.