Gavin & Stacey town named 'property hotspot': Barry in South Wales sees boost in asking prices

A Welsh town made famous by the sitcom Gavin & Stacey has been named as a top property hotspot for growth in asking prices over the past year.

Property website Rightmove found the average property price in Barry, South Wales, rose by 10.6% annually.

It said the average asking price in the seaside town, which is within commuting distance of Cardiff, jumped by more than a fifth in the past five years and is now at £191,050.

"It's great to see Barry named as the country's hottest property market right now," said Miles Shipside, Rightmove's property expert.

"It's a great tourist spot thanks to the popularity of Gavin & Stacey, and not forgetting Barry also boasts some quite stunning coastal views."

Some have suggested the removal of the Severn tolls, which link South Wales to the southwest of England, will encourage buyers to consider properties on the Welsh side of the border, where they could find more value than in England.

"Barry is the place to be so I'm not at all surprised by Rightmove's findings," said Andrew Fenton, sales director at Chris Davies estate agents in the Vale of Glamorgan.

"Property prices here compared with Cardiff and its suburbs are comparatively reasonable."

He said there was significant economic growth in the area as well as good schools.

"I think even five years ago, Barry was popular with home-hunters, but a major factor recently has been the abolition of the Severn Bridge tolls," Mr Fenton said.

"Since then, people in Newport have been priced out of their own town by investors from Bristol and what have you, so those people have been coming to Barry.

"But we all love the Gavin & Stacey connection, why wouldn't we? It certainly makes a difference, there's no question of that."

At the other end of the spectrum in the Rightmove research, which excluded London, asking prices in Esher in Surrey saw the biggest fall over the past year, with average property prices just below £1m - a decrease of 6.7%.

:: Here are the top five "property hotspots" (average asking price/year-on-year increase):

1. Barry - £191,050, 10.6%

2. Wednesbury - £151,667, 10.1%

3. Llandudno - £212,400, 10.1%

4. Kidderminster - £200,343, 10.0%

5. Leigh - £137,614, 9.7%

:: Here are the places with the biggest asking price decreases (average asking price/year-on-year decrease):

1. Esher - £958,012, -6.7%

2. Banbury - £248,462, -6.6%

3. Leatherhead - £566,625, -6.3%

4. Sandhurst - £409,370, -5.5%

5. Woking - £491,007, -5.1%