Six in 10 would actively move home to be closer to green space

In a survey of more than 2,000 people, the national homebuilder found that 60 per cent of respondents would choose to move to a home which was geographically closer to a green space, including parks, woodland areas and nature spots, versus other factors including proximity to schools and living closer to friends and/or family. That figure rose to 61 per cent for the Midlands.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, concluded that living closer to a green space was as or more important for people than any other category, apart from their monthly mortgage or rent cost and the proximity to shops and local facilities.

Miller Homes, whose East Midlands region is currently building new homes in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, has a track record of creating new communities with plenty of green spaces surrounding the new developments.

Alastair Parsons, area sales director for Miller Homes Midlands, said: “We always have a keen interest in buyers’ habits and a desire to understand the sentiment in the current housing market, including changing customer attitudes towards certain aspects of homebuying, and wider societal opinions, over time.

“We were keen to learn how homebuyers felt about certain topics and whether their attitudes had changed in recent months, including their views on buying a home close to green spaces, their workplace, schools and other local facilities, to better understand their priorities.

“Our findings showed that attitudes towards being closer to nature, living near open spaces including parks and woodland, remain as important as during the pandemic, when time spent outdoors with family and friends was pivotal to people’s mental and physical health.”

Only 37 per cent of responses said proximity to the workplace was important for them, suggesting a post-pandemic shift towards remote working remains a factor when thinking about a home purchase, more than two years since restrictions were lifted in the UK.

Miller Homes East Midlands is currently building homes across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

For more information, visit https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/locations/east-midlands-and-the-surrounding-areas.aspx.