Location, location, radiation

As President Trump and Supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Jong Un, continue to beat their chests and threaten each other (and the rest of mankind) with nuclear oblivion, the latest handy research by eMoov.co.uk considers some options for homebuyers, that should (hopefully) keep them clear of any impending nuclear strike from abroad.

Related topics:  Property
Warren Lewis
11th August 2017
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"If the world was to descend into nuclear madness the fall out would mean house prices would probably become irrelevant"

A back yard nuclear bunker can be a cool addition to a property, but can also be a pain to construct so rather than hide away, homeowners can look to radiation free pockets of the nation to save themselves the trouble.

Although we’re out of range from any threat from North Korea, London would be the obvious choice for a nuclear strike in the UK, but the capital could be the tip of the ice berg, so eMoov used Nukemap to plot the resulting impact zones for an all-out nuclear attack on 20 major UK cities.

These were Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Hull, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cambridge, Norwich, Oxford, London, Bristol, Swansea, Southampton, Brighton, Plymouth, Liverpool and Sheffield.

Although the resulting strikes would also see, York, Leicester, Peterborough, Exeter, Cardiff, Bath and much more become uninhabitable due to the thermal radiation radius.

eMoov then looked for radiation free options to get on the property ladder across the UK and at different price bands for those that might be worried about a nuclear threat.

The North West

The most affordable option for those worried about the impending end of the world is Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, with an average house price of just £112,279 and a good chance of being out of the radiation zone. Staying in Cumbria and slightly further north, Carlisle is also an affordable option at (£131,970).

To the South in Lancashire, Lancaster also provides a fairly safe bet at (£146,133).

Scotland

Much of the Scottish Highlands would remain unaffected and Inverness is one major city that would make a good choice for homebuyers at just £154,150. However, the second most affordable, and closer to the border, is Dumfries (£115,929).

Wales

As with Scotland, there is a fairly large area of Wales left radiation free and the Isle of Anglesey (£161,262) and Aberystwyth (£175,809) are both out of the danger zone and home to below average house prices in the UK.

The East Midlands

Nestled between four impact zones, Brixworth in Northamptonshire with an average house price of £268,932. Not only is it one of the more expensive options but with nowhere to go but into radiation your survival rate isn’t very high.

Instead, those in the East Midlands should opt for Skegness, although also surrounded, the coast line provides a life line and average house price is far more affordable at £163,991.

Yorkshire and the Humber & the North East

Similarly, Whitby in North Yorkshire and Berwick-upon-Tweed in the North East also provide an affordable option with a coastal life line at £165,879 and £150,460 respectively.

The South West

Although prices start to climb across the south of the UK, Bideford in Devon offers a safe haven below the UK average (£207,100). Moving to Cornwall with an average house price of £214,215, home buyers could look to Falmouth, St Ives and Newquay for their post-apocalyptic property purchase.

The East and South East

Although much of the East and South East of the country would be radiation no go zones, parts of Kent, Essex and Suffolk would provide an option for those insistent on still buying in the area. Clacton-on-Sea (£209,654) and Margate (£216,134) are the most affordable options with Dover (£225,505), Folkestone (£236,488) and Felixstowe (£271,505) also providing a safer investment.

Russell Quirk, founder and CEO of eMoov.co.uk, commented: “Luckily, we’re out of range from any North Korean missiles, but if the world was to descend into nuclear madness the fall out would mean house prices would probably become irrelevant. That said, with buyer demand already at explosive levels compared to the ground zero stock levels available, a nuclear war could see these more affordable areas grow in value as demand for a house still standing outside of an impact zone increases.

The chances of such an extensive nuclear strike are thankfully slim and this research is just a bit of fun. But if anything, it will get people to think outside the box of the UK’s major cities, to alternative areas that they may not have considered previously in terms of homeownership, but might want to as the market mutates.”

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