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Schools yes - but what else do you want?

Schools are the single most important local amenity for Britons when they are choosing a new home, according to the latest figures from Alliance & Leicester's movingimproving index. Three in ten (30 per cent) people say schools are the local service they look for first when they are buying a property, a figure that doubles to more than six in ten (61 per cent) amongst those in their 30s.

With fierce competition for school places, property values can be significantly affected by proximity to good schools, with parents prepared to pay extra to live in the right catchment area. Schools are even more important to Britons when choosing a home than being able to buy food conveniently, with one in four (25 per cent) wanting a local supermarket more than anything else.

Stomachs come first in the north

Schools are the key local amenity for people in almost all regions in Britain, with only those in Yorkshire and the North believing their stomachs should come first. In the North, 19 per cent of people regard schools as the most important amenity, whilst 32 per cent say a supermarket is number one.

Most people in Yorkshire chose nutrition over education, with 34 per cent saying supermarkets are the most important local amenity, with schools coming a close second place (30 per cent).

After food we want news and drink

Other popular amenities include newsagents (14 per cent) and pubs and bars (eight per cent). Having a local 'local' is more than twice as important to men than women (11 per cent vs. five per cent). Conversely those most likely to want local pubs and bars nearby are women in their 20s, with more than one in five (21 per cent) 'ladettes' saying this is the single most important local amenity when they are choosing where to live.

Paul Cooper, Head of Mortgages at Alliance & Leicester said, “Choosing a home is more than just finding a property that you like - it needs to fit your stage of life and that of your family."

Alliance & Leicester's quarterly movingimproving index asked a GB representative sample of 2,000 people what local amenity is most important to them if and when they are choosing a new home.

Key findings:

• Men and women are equally likely to rate education facilities as their number one priority. Only two per cent most want nurseries whilst one per cent most want local playgrounds.
• Supermarkets are the key local amenity for 25 per cent of people, rising to 37 per cent of those in their 50s and 43 per cent of those aged 60 or more. Women are marginally more likely than men to cite supermarkets as being most important to them (27 per cent vs. 23 per cent).
• Pubs and bars are the key factor for eight per cent of Britons, including 11 per cent of men. In addition, almost one in five (19 per cent) single Britons thirst for a boozer most compared to only one in twenty of those who are married.
• Seven per cent of people most want local parks, rising to 11 per cent of those in their 50s and nine per cent of those aged 60 or above. Those who are likeliest to be parents are obviously concerned with schools first and foremost, with only three per cent of 30-somethings wanting parks more than anything else.
• Corner shops and newsagents are most important for 14 per cent of Britons, rising to 25 per cent of those aged 60 or above. Other popular features include proximity to motorways (four per cent), libraries (four per cent), gyms (three per cent) and refuse and recycling facilities (two per cent).

Around the regions:

• East Anglians are the most education-minded, with 35 per cent saying that schools are the most important local service to them. Those in the North are the least likely to see schools as the number one priority (19 per cent).
• Northerners are the most likely to want local pubs and bars (16 per cent), whilst those living in the East Midlands are the least likely to consider nightlife first, with only one per cent saying this is the most important amenity to them.
• Those living in Yorkshire are the most likely to see supermarkets as the most important local amenity (34 per cent), whilst those living in London (21 per cent) and the South East (21 per cent) are the least likely to.
• Gyms and leisure facilities are most favoured by those in the south, with six per cent of those living in both London and the South West and four per cent of those living in the South East wanting these more than anything else. This compares with only one per cent of those who live in the North and two per cent of those in the North West.