10% are greenshifting and want to move to the countryside while a further 17% are looking for a new home in small towns.
In England, those in Birmingham are most keen to flee to the countryside proper with 12% of inhabitants looking to move out of the city. Another 8% want to move to a small town. Londoners are close behind them as 10.4% want to head for green spaces with another 2% craving small town life away from the metropolis.
In Scotland, Glasgow continues to disappoint its inhabitants as 8.3% of househunters there are moving to the countryside. However an astonishing further 33% want to leave Glasgow and are looking for property in a small town within commuting distance (10-20 miles) of the city.
Overall, 9.9% of those living in large metropolitan areas across the UK are planning on greenshifting – abandoning city living for rural calm. The greenshifters are 40 years old on average and have well above average incomes. But they are a distinct group from the downshifters who sell up expensive city homes and buy cheaper property, not necessarily in the country, in order to release equity or pay off a mortgage and to live an easier life as a result. Just one fifth of those moving from city to country are downshifting, the rest are simply looking for a change of environment, while still keeping their jobs in town.
Jim Buckle, managing director of assertahome.com said: ‘The greenshifters have reached the stage in life where they no longer want the stress of city living. These are wealthier households, where careers are well-established, and for whom quality of life and open space are more important than nightclubs and fifteen types of latte on every street corner.’
The age groups most likely to be moving more than 100 miles are the 46-55 year old pre-retirees and the over 65s. 20% of retirees are moving such a long distance and 18.2% of 46-55 year olds. By stark contrast, the least mobile group is the 26-30 bracket. Just 3.5% of this group is looking for a home over 100 miles away.
Jim Buckle added: ‘The pre-retirees are an interesting group. They are getting out of the city now to enjoy the best a rural lifestyle can bring them but are not ready to give up working yet. Often with a good income, they have the resources and energy to renovate an old building and create their perfect home. They are having their cake and eating it too. Unencumbered by work considerations, retirees are the most likely to move a long distance while the mid-twentysomethings are far too busy building their careers to consider moving far.’
Consistent with these trends, it is those further up the property ladder who are more likely to be moving on from city life. 36% of current owner-occupiers live in big cities, but just 23% of owner-occupiers are looking for a home in a big metropolitan area. By contrast, 36% of first-time buyers are living in a large metropolitan area (either in rented or parental accommodation) but 39% of first-time buyers are buying homes there too. Young people, unsurprisingly, are not keen on rural life: half as many under 30s claim to live in the countryside as over 30s. Chart 1 shows the age distribution of city dwellers.
Jim Buckle commented further: ‘There is a natural cycle of renewal. Young people are attracted to the large urban areas to get a foot on the career ladder and to enjoy the buzz of a big city. They naturally look to buy their first home there too. Greenshifting comes later when priorities shift and quality of life becomes more important.’
Poor infrastructure, few large population centres and a highly seasonal tourist industry make the West Country a tough place for young people to start their careers. That, coupled with house prices pushed sky high by the greenshifters from the cities and those buying holiday homes, is pushing young househunters out of the region. 23% of househunters who currently live in the West Country are looking to move more than 100 miles, escaping the region. This compares to just 4.7% of those in the South East. Those in the West and East Midlands are the next most likely to be moving such a long way.
The stay-at-home regions, where househunters are most likely to be moving no more than 5 miles, are the North West (51.5% of househunters), Yorkshire (50.0%) and the South East (48.8%). 48.3% of Londoners are moving no more than 5 miles too.
