A new lease of life in old York

By Jane Slade
Posted: 2010/03/31

In a major shift from previous trends it seems that today's retirees want a lot more than a sea view in a sleepy seaside resort, discovers JANE SLADE

YORK HAS come out tops in a new survey as the top retirement town in the UK, nudging Bournemouth into second place and sleepy Eastbourne into eighth. Surprisingly, five major cities/ towns were among the top 10 retirement destinations, including London and Edinburgh.

"The biggest surprise for us was seeing London in fourth place, " said David Gabriel of Retirement Homesearch, the retirement property specialists, which commissioned the YouGov survey.

"The results show a major shift away from people just wanting to look out of their window on to the beach and the sea when they retire, " he said. "Today's retirees are more active and want to live near a bustling town centre with good pedestrianised shopping facilities, cultural attractions and nice architecture.

"York's minster, London's churches and cathedrals and Oxford's university are major draws for retirees looking for somewhere that is both nice to live and offers cultural stimulation."

Harry Briggs, 81, retired to York after spending 24 years in education in Kenya. He lives in Ashgrove, a Peverel retirement development four miles out of town in Haxby on a direct bus route to the city centre.

"One of the best things about York if you are an older person is that it is completely flat, " he says.

"The centre is very compact so it's easy to walk around. The Minster is the focal point, which is w onderful. Apart from it being very beautiful there is so much going on."

For Harry, York has given him a life after retirement.

"I used to be a city councillor, " he adds. "I also worked in the Citizens Advice Bureau. There is so much to do here, which keeps you young. I was a City of York guide as well. Now I work behind the till of the Salvation Army charity shop two afternoons a week."

York is close to the seaside resort of Scarborough, the Yorkshire Moors and Dales and the Lake District and has good transport links. "I also used to work at the National Railway museum, too, " adds Harry, who as a senior citizen benefits from free bus travel and free access to all the major attractions.

Harry was 58 when he moved to York but had owned properties in the city before. He moved three times buying his first house for £9,000 in 1972 then a larger one for £17,000 in 1978, which he sold for £54,000 in 1985.

He then bought a three-bedroomed townhouse in the city centre for £54,000, which he sold for £65,000 in 1987.

"We used to rent out our homes when we were in Kenya, " he explains. Now he lives in a one-bedroomed retirement apartment that he bought for £110,000.

"It is nice to be in the middle of things even if you can't be involved directly, " he says. "Some want to retire to a sleepy town but I can't see the attraction. York also has two universities and lots of foreign students so it's very cosmopolitan. I also feel very safe and I never feel lonely."
Other historic towns with abbeys at their heart have seen a surge in popularity from downsizers looking to retire.

The East Anglian medieval market town of Bury St Edmunds is a good example of a town ith good shopping, cultural and leisure facilities focused around a ruined Benedictine abbey and gardens. Its historic credentials are further enhanced by a beautifully renovated Regency theatre and Greene King has been brewing its beer here since 1799.

GOBERT SWINEY, associate partner of Jackson-Stops and Staffs, says Bury has not experienced the same surge in property prices as other hot spots so is still an affordable alternative to other historic towns. "We are seeing a lot of downsizing couples move into Bury St Edmunds who may have sold up in nearby villages and want to be in a town that has a full range of facilities in a beautiful historical setting, " he says.

Charles Bladon, director of Jackson-Stops' office in Dorset's market town of Sherborne, reports a similar trend.

Apart from the abbey, which is a major a focal point for a lot of community activity, hosting concerts and social events, the pedestrianised high street is not full of chain stores but individual shops and boutiques, which makes it particularly appealing.

A four-bedroomed townhouse within two minutes' walk of both the railway station and main shopping street is for sale for £450,000.

"It is on a small, peaceful development of six houses built about 10 years ago, " explains Mr Bladon. "We have sold four of them in the past three years, all to older people who appreciate the convenience and low maintenance. Properties in town sell very quickly."

David Gabriel of Retirement Homesearch adds that as a result of this shift from seaside to town there is a dearth of supply of retirement properties. "We have 7,000 people on our books looking to buy retirement homes and do not have enough properties for them.

"We wish developers would build more because we will need a lot more for our ageing population."

The average price of a resale retirement property is £130,000, which attracts an annual service charge of between £1,048 and £1,564 for a one-bed, which rises to about £1,700 a year for a two-bed, excluding community charge.

MORE INFORMATION:
Peveral Retirement Homesearch: A sales service for buyers and sellers of homes on retirement developments such as McCarthy & Stone, Peveral, Churchill and Pegasus Homes. There are six properties for sale in York in three developments:
Belfry Court, Chancery Court and Fairfax Court. Prices start from £99,950 for a one-bed and £129,000 for a two-bed.

Retirementhomesearch.co.uk: 0845 880 5560; for properties in Scotland call 0845 604 6632.

Jackson-stops.co.uk: Sherborne: 01935 810 141; Bury St Edmunds 01284 700 535.