It is certainly popular for retirement home development, with several choices for property-hunters right now. Test Valley, south east, 50. Its top region, the Orkney Islands, only came 83rd out of 250. The highest level of employment is in Winchester in Hampshire at 87.4 per cent, followed by the Orkney Isles at 86.3 per cent and Eastleigh in Hampshire at 85.3 per cent. Please. These were the biggest asking price hikes outside London. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. Bakewell. Chichester, 33. The Hampshire Lakes development from Anchor won a Silver at the WhatHouse? 'Low crime rates, good weather, and a long life expectancy all play an important part in keeping this Hampshire district at the top of the pile. Orchard Gardens care home is also on this site, offering a wide range of services from residential care to dementia care. I wouldn't live in eastliegh. 40. The areas which placed at 31 to 40 in the recent study are: 31. South Cambridgeshire moved up four places to ninth, Desirable The village of Kinoulton in Ruthcliffe which falls two places to tenth, The list revealed the top 50 places to live in Britain, with towns and villages placing 11 to 20 shown above. Other factors keeping the district ahead of the pack include a low crime rate, with 9.5 burglaries per 10,000 people, considerably lower than the 29.6 national average. It’s a former Halifax Quality of Life survey winner (taking the crown in 2017), but it has dropped down to third place this year. Wokingham, south east, 12. Tonbridge and Malling, south east, 30 North Kesteven, east Midlands. We take a look at the best current developments for retirees in Hampshire: Just to the north of Southampton, Eastleigh is an exceptionally well-connected town, with easy access to the major nautical services as well as two motorways and a direct rail link to London Waterloo.Its proximity to coast and two national parks makes it ideal for those who enjoy outdoor life, too. St Edmundsbury, 18. Pictured from the top, left to right: 21. Figures taken from Rightmove claim London was the most searched for place in 2015, as well as being home to property hotspots where houses are the fastest to fly off the market and see the biggest asking price uplifts. It’s all about commuter science in affluent towns such as St Albans and Guildford, where impeccable connections and super schools are at the top of the (luxe) shopping list, Independent shops, bustling markets, a pub culture that’s second to none: just some of the reasons to get the abbey habit in our regional champion, It’s all about the rail links here, with a pretty old town and woodland walks to fill weekends and holidays, However you measure it, quality of life is at the top of the agenda in this lively and attractive Hertfordshire hub, A Hampshire town with a village feel where the population is anything but revolting — unless there’s a threat to the countryside, Our New Forest favourite is packed with ponies and picnic spots, but its station and dining options mean it’s anything but a backwater, Get the arithmetic right in Reading and you might just be able to afford to live in this riverside enclave, which bucks the 'concrete jungle' image, From theatre to yachting, everything comes with a touch of class in this untroubled, unshowy cathedral city, Down from Londoners may have added a coat of gloss to this stunning seaside town, but its Kentish community spirit still burns bright, Top schools, a sense of space, designer-label charity shops: there’s no doubting the affluence in this superior Surrey bolthole, The quality of both housing and browsing elevate Guildford above even the best commuter towns, Brighton’s better-behaved neighbour offers a city-by-the-sea lifestyle that’s hard to find elsewhere, There isn't a prettier village on this graceful stretch of the Thames, and you’ll have no trouble making a quick getaway, Cultured, classy and effortlessly upmarket, this enchanting Sussex market town really knows how to turn on the charm, Fast trains take the strain for commuters in a town that ticks every suburban box, It’s the home of Midsomer Murders, but a packed social calendar leaves no time to kill in a delightful riverside town where local pride runs deep. The smallest homes are in the City of London, Tower Hamlets, and Westminster - all below four habitable rooms. Vale of White Horse, south east, 25. A round-up of unmissable villages in the Peak District . Uttlesford, 24. Windsor and Maidenhead, 44. Epsom and Ewell, 20. Chandlers Ford is more of a suburb rather than a proper town imo. New Forest, 32. 'Many areas in south eastern England also perform well in terms of average earnings, employment rates, health and the weather. In the north-west of Hampshire at on the southern fringes of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (home of Watership Down), Andover has a long history and continues to be an important location in this part of the country, with a railway station connecting to London and the South West. West Dorset, 35. They are also among the happiest, most satisfied, believe what they do is worthwhile and the least anxious in the country. The UK average is 72.9 per cent. 894646. The town rose up the table by 15 spots to eighth position, Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire. Toynbee less good. Properties in Welwyn Garden City sold fastest outside London, spending an average of 25 days on the website before being sold, with nearby Hertford coming in second place with an average selling time of 26 days. With a decent set of shops and amenities of its own, the village is only a few minutes drive from the M27, which provides easy access to Southampton, Fareham and Portsmouth. Hambleton Yorkshire and The Humber, 36. Wychavon, west Midlands, 43. Horsham, 16. Men in the area have an impressive life expectancy of 82.5 years – three more years than the national average. On the peninsula between Southampton Water and River Hamble, the village of Hamble-le-Rice is host to a number of sailing and yachting clubs and will delight those who love waterside life. Basingstoke and Deane, south east, 48. Tunbridge Wells, 28. Looking for an idyllic country life, good commuter transport links and investment potential? Government statistics confirm the county’s appeal to people of retirement age: with a national average of 18% of people over 65, the districts of Hampshire all exceed this figure considerably, with Test Valley (30%), East Hants (32%) and New Forest (36%) at the top of the list. Residents in Hart also earn well above the average salary, with a gross weekly of £865 and it has a high employment rate of 84.5 per cent. East Hampshire, 34. Blaby, east Midlands, 45. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. That compares to a UK average of £630 a week. Best Places to Live in the Southeast. East Cambridgeshire, 13. Rightmove also looked at asking price growth and the time it took to sell a property, this time looking just across England and Wales. Award-winning Churchill Retirement Living has one- and two-bedroom apartments available from £208,950 at its Chantry Lodge development. A second phase of homes will be coming to market soon. Even the weather is agreeable, with 32.5 hours of sunshine every week compared to 29.5 hours for the UK and an annual rainfall of 738mm compared to 879 for the UK. Harborough, east Midlands. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Guildford also rose up the table by 15 spots to eighth position. All of the advantages of the district come at a cost, with the average house price eight times the average annual pre-tax local income, compared to the national average of 6.8. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, said: 'A mixture of good health, high wealth and a generally happy life continues to cement Hart's place as the best place to live in the UK. Bristol was the most searched for place this year outside London, while Margate saw the biggest asking price hikes and homes in Welwyn Garden City took the quickest time to sell away from the capital, new data suggests. West Berkshire, 42. Published: 00:01 GMT, 18 December 2015 | Updated: 13:02 GMT, 20 December 2015. Mid Sussex, 17. The South East dominated the annual top 50 list by Halifax, securing seven of the top 10 places. The district of Hart was given the accolade after scoring highly on a range of issues, including health and life expectancy, personal wellbeing, crime rates and weather. With prices from £345,500 for a two-bedroom apartment at present, these properties have a contemporary design and include many useful integrated kitchen appliances, triple glazing and on-site parking. South Bucks, 29. A tranquil corner of Hampshire has been named as having the best quality of life in the UK for an impressive fifth year in a row.