All aboard: Searches for homes near London stations soar
The rush back to the office has inspired a jump in searches for homes close to London stations that give them a quick commute into the City.
House hunters were keen to have speedy access to Central London, as the momentum behind the office return ramped up, according to data from RightMove, shared with CityAM.
Alexandra Palace Station saw the biggest boost in interest from prospective buyers, with a 69 per cent jump in searches on RightMove from June to August.
Trains from the north London station can get commuters to Old Street and Moorgate in just over 15 minutes.
City workers can also get to Bank station in about half an hour from Woodside Park Station, which marked a 60 per cent increase in searches.
Searches for Bethnal Green Station also rose 48 per cent, with the zone-2 area giving commuters a quick tube into the City.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s director of property data said: “While the demand to relocate or search for more space has by no means gone away, the numbers suggest that this will need to be balanced with easy transport access on office days, which has understandably been lower on the agenda for many over the last eighteen months.”
Londoners were also keen to live in the heart of the capital too, with searches for Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road increasing by 40 and 39 per cent respectively.
In the south west of the city, station Brentford saw a 35 per cent uptick in searches while searches for homes nearby the south east station Grove Park went up by 34 per cent.
Searches for Edmonton Green Station, Enfield Town Station and Stratford Station also increased by just under a third.
Searches for the latest additions to the London Underground line – Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station last week – soared 206 per cent on their opening day compared to the previous Monday.
Searches for homes near commuter stations have also soared, with searches for Chelmsford more than doubling.
Sittingbourne Station, a one hour train journey to London, also marked a rise of 47 per cent in buyer searches.