"The space to provide generous gardens in towns and cities is, at the same time, becoming less and less, especially for people looking to retire, where often it's only flats that are available"
Garden or outdoor space, be it private or communal, is a huge selling point for many homebuyers and today, the vast majority of new homes reaching the market still come with their own gardens.
In fact, analysis by Quickmove Properties shows that 92% of detached new-builds currently on the market come with a garden, rising to 100% of brand-new bungalow-style park homes.
You’ll find a garden with 88% of terraced homes and almost half of flats (47%), though it is most likely to be a space shared between numerous occupiers, or restricted to those with ground-level properties.
The research by Quickmove Properties also revealed there are 6.4 billion square metres of residential garden space in England, shared between an estimated total of 25.2 million dwellings. This means the nation’s average garden size comes in at 255 square metres, roughly the size of a tennis court.
On a regional level, the largest gardens are found in the East of England with an average size of 335 square metres.
The South West and South East are not far behind with average garden sizes of 334 square metres and 333 square metres respectively.
London is home to by far the smallest gardens, averaging just 100 square metres, followed by the North East at 187 square metres.
When breaking the nation down on a more granular level, it’s Portsmouth that is home to the smallest gardens outside of London.
The port city has fewer city homes with gardens when compared to the rest of the nation and not only are gardens in short supply, but the average size of a garden in Portsmouth is just 81 square metres
Portsmouth is followed by Manchester (102 Sqm) and Brighton (112 sqm), with both areas also boasting some of the smallest garden sizes in the nation when looking outside of London.
Sales Director at Quickmove Properties, Mark O’Dwyer, commented: “Gardens have long carried strong appeal in the eyes of homebuyers, but since the pandemic and being locked down for months on end, it’s fair to say we have a newfound appreciation that has only added to their appeal.
"Unfortunately, the space to provide generous gardens in towns and cities is, at the same time, becoming less and less, especially for people looking to retire, where often it's only flats that are available.
"With the park home option, silver downsizers can enjoy their compact outside space to grow plants and flowers, harvest patio tomatoes, and have friends over for a drink or BBQ, when the weather allows! This is where the joy of gardens comes from, and you don’t need enormous amounts of land for it, as our competition entrants have perfectly demonstrated.”
