Will HS2 affect property prices in the Midlands and north?

I’m wondering if prices will become high like the south-east once the high-speed rail link opens

Q I would like some advice. How much will HS2 affect property prices in the Midlands and the north? Will they become expensive like the south-east? Also, why are property prices in the south-east so high compared with the Midlands and the north and will this change in the future?
RE

A The short answer to all your questions is: I don’t know. What I do know is that when somewhere stands to benefit from a large-scale improvement in transport links – especially to London - property prices tend to go up. For example, when the original London to Oxford bit of the M40 was extended from Oxford to Birmingham back in 1991, my home town of Warwick saw – if not a though-the-roof increase in property prices – then at least a bit of a surge. By being less than 10 minutes from the motorway, the town had become an easy commute to Birmingham and, at a push, a reasonable weekly commute to London. A decade or so later, property prices saw a further positive blip when Chiltern Railways reopened Warwick station which provided access to its cheap train services from Birmingham Snowshill to London Marylebone. It’s doubtful, however, whether the coming of HS2 will see a further surge in property prices, largely because Warwick won’t have close access to HS2 services.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/327c6wX
via IFTTT