Northern Ireland big 2006 winner says Halifax

Posted: 27 Dec 2006 10:28:51 GMT

The town of Newry in Northern Ireland was the biggest winner of the resurgent 2006 housing market Halifax figures have shown, with annual price gains of 54 per cent

The town of Newry in Northern Ireland was the biggest winner of the resurgent 2006 housing market Halifax figures have shown, with annual price gains of 54 per cent.

All of the bank's top ten towns for 2006 were in Northern Ireland as the territory caught up with price growth elsewhere in the UK.

Scotland held a similar position in 2005, when nine of the top 20 towns where north of the border, following similar regional growth in the south-west in 2004.

Just one town in the UK, Lochgnelly in Fife, remains with average property prices below £100,000 and more than a third of towns are priced above an average of £200,000.

"This is Northern Ireland's year with all ten of the towns in the UK delivering the biggest price rises over the past year located there," said Colin Kemp of Halifax.

The south of England remains the most expensive region however, with just one town, Gosport in Hampshire, with average prices below £150,000.

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