House prices increased by 2.6% – more than the average for the North West – in St Helens in March, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 0.3% over the last year.

The average St Helens house price in March was £182,375. Land Registry figures show a 2.6% increase on February.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices increased 1.1%, and St Helens was above the 0.7% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in St Helens rose by £530 – putting the area 25th among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in West Lancashire, where property prices increased on average by 12.3%, to £246,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Burnley lost 8.2% of their value, giving an average price of £103,000.

First steps on the property ladder First-time buyers in St Helens spent an average of £163,660 on their property – £480 more than a year ago, and £47,760 more than in March 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £204,480 on average in March – 24.9% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in St Helens in March – they increased 3.3%, to £304,181 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 2.4%.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 2.7% monthly; up 0.7% annually; £189,961 average

Terraced: up 2.1% monthly; down 0.6% annually; £140,972 average

Flats: up 2.6% monthly; down 2.6% annually; £102,662 average

How do property prices in St Helens compare?

Buyers paid 15.8% less than the average price in the North West (£217,000) in March for a property in St Helens.

Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £283,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £357,000 on average, and twice the price as in St Helens.

Trafford properties cost 3.5 times the price as homes in Burnley (£103,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Factfile

Average property price in March

St Helens: £182,375

The North West: £216,501

UK: £282,776

Annual growth to March

St Helens: +0.3%

The North West: +3.8%

UK: +1.8%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West 

Lancashire: +12.3%

Burnley: -8.2%