Pudsey house prices boosted by the city

Estate agent Alex Rex didn’t need to be convinced of Pudsey’s growing popularity with would-be buyers but a quick check on house price performance confirmed it.“The latest figures from Zoopla show that prices in the LS28 postcode area have risen by four cent over the past year. There’s a high demand and most properties here tend to sell within three to four weeks,” says Alex, who is head of the Pudsey branch of William H. Brown.Prices and proximity to Leeds city centre are the biggest draw for buyers. The more desirable end of Pudsey, which includes homes close to the town centre and in and around semi-rural Fulneck, has an average house price of £200,000. Properties near Bramley and Stanningley have an average value of £150,000.However, starting prices are much lower. Two bedroom apartments can be bought for £90,000 and the cheapest terraced house for sale at the moment is a one-bedroom property for £105,000 on the market with Bridgfords. Two bedroom terraced homes usually start at about £120,000.John Putsman, manager of Manning Stainton’s Pudsey branch, says: “We are seeing a lot of activity and much of it is from first-time buyers buying in the £150,000 to £200,000 price bracket.“Pudsey has always been fairly popular with a very strong local market but we are seeing a lot more people coming in from outside the area.”

Public transport

Easy access to Leeds city centre via car and public transport is one of the biggest draws. It’s a 20 minute drive from Pudsey to the central Leeds. Along with buses, there is a train station nearby at New Pudsey, which is on the edge of Farsley. A ticket to Leeds central station is £5.20 return and the journey takes about 15 minutes. There’s also a station at Bramley, where a return to Leeds is £3.20 and takes 11 minutes. Bradford is also a short commute.“The amenities and the fact that this is a town with its own distinct community are also very appealing to buyers,” says Alex Rex.It has an Adli supermarket, a Sainsbury’s Local, a leisure centre with swimming pool, a golf club at Fulneck and the Owlcotes shopping centre on the doorstep.Families are also attracted to the town, where three-bedroom, semi-detached homes start at about £175,000. Dvelopers, the first to spot potential, have also targeted Pudsey.

Top-end development

One of the new homes at South Side Ridge, Pudsey

While many have built standard semi-detached and detached houses, Advent Developments has spotted the opportunity for top-end homes.Its £7m South Side Ridge development is in a semi-rural location on a three acre site with views across the Post Hill Park nature reserveThe name of the area originates from The Yorkshire Evening Post, which once owned the site after acquiring it in 1926. The newspaper sponsored climbing and motorcycle speed events there.“It is a highly unusual site with the most incredible long-distance views. Nowhere has a better view of Post Hill than here and that is one of the main reasons we acquired this land,” says Tim Reeve of Advent.The 12 detached, five-bedroom homes start at £550,000 and rise to £695,950. The first four sold off-plan and before the show home opened last weekend.“They have sold well because this is a high quality scheme, which has attracted people from within the area and from outside,” says Mr Reeve. “Pudsey has a synergy with Leeds and easy access to the motorway network and it has all the amenities you could want.”