The price of culture: living near Unesco site bumps up property

Property site Zoopla found that properties located near Unesco sites cost an average of 27 per cent more, or £77,993, than the average UK home, which currently stands at £284,127.

But while properties close to the Palace of Westminster can reach the dizzy heights of £1,715,292, those wishing to benefit from the prestige that Unesco status carries should head to Yorkshire.

Property prices near to the region’s two Unesco sites, the village of Saltaire in West Yorkshire and the ruins of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, are both below the average house price.

Saltaire, the model village within the city of Bradford, which was awarded its status as an “exceptionally complete and well-preserved industrial village of the second half of the 19th century,” is the fourth cheapest Unesco area, with the average house price at £155,868, while property close to Fountains Abbey will cost £276,863.

The Orkney Islands are the UK’s most affordable World Heritage Site near which to buy a property, at an average of £130,169.

Lawrence Hall, of Zoopla, said: “Bradford and Liverpool offer fantastic opportunities for potential buyers to live in cities which have shaped world culture. Britain’s World Heritage Sites have contributed massively to our history and our research shows that living near to one can add significantly to a property’s value.”

This year marks the 70th anniversary of World Heritage Status.