Average Garden Size

Since the disruption of lockdown, when huge numbers of people were stuck at home either furloughed or working remotely, many of us developed a newfound appreciation for gardens, greenery, and private outdoor space. Parks also saw a huge boom in popularity, especially among those without gardens, as people up and down the country were keen to get out of the house and enjoy a change of scenery.

This made us wonder just how much more valuable property is if it has its own private garden. It's true that large gardens had previously been falling out of favour with some homebuyers, as the time and effort that goes into maintaining one was seen as a major downside. This is evident in the rise of synthetic lawns that require no mowing or water. However, since the easing of lockdown restrictions, it appears we may have retained our newfound passion for the outdoors, with gardens experiencing a resurgence in popularity.

A well-maintained garden is now much more likely to be considered an asset than a liability, and much like updating your heating system or replacing your boiler, a well-maintained garden could attract potential buyers and boost the value of your home.

To help shed some light on the topic, we wanted to find out how many people in different parts of the country currently benefit from owning their own garden, as well as where offers the best value when buying a house with a garden.

The areas where gardens are most common

To start things off, we first wanted to find out where in the country has the highest rate of garden ownership. Using government data, we compared the number of addresses in each area to the number of addresses with private outdoor spaces. Here's what we found.

The UK (outside of London)

• South Tyneside addresses with private outdoor space: 96.50%

The part of the country with the most gardens is South Tyneside, whereas as many as 96.50% of addresses have their own private outdoor space. Situated on the North East coast, between Sunderland and Newcastle, the high number of gardens here makes it ideal for commuters who work in either city but want to enjoy plenty of outdoor space at home.

• Broadland addresses with private outdoor space: 95.80%

Properties in the Broadland District in Norfolk, named for the county's picturesque Norfolk Broads, are the second most likely to have their own garden, with 95.90% of addresses in the area benefiting from private outdoor space.

• North East Lincolnshire addresses with private outdoor space: 95.50%

In third place, with 95.50% of addresses having their own private outdoor space, is North East Lincolnshire. This area sits at the mouth of the Humber estuary, and is home to several seaside towns including Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

London

• Havering addresses with private outdoor space: 89.70%

Havering is the part of London with the highest rate of garden ownership, with 89.70% of addresses having some form of private outdoor space, making this East London spot the most likely place to bag yourself a garden in the capital.

• Bexley addresses with private outdoor space: 88.50%

Bexley has the second-highest rate of garden ownership in London, with 88.50% of addresses having their own private outdoor space. Just across the Thames from Havering, this suggests that East London really is the best part of London to find a property with a garden.

• Merton addresses with private outdoor space: 88.00%

In third place, with 88.00% of addresses having their own private garden spaces, is Merton. This South London borough counts Morden, Mitcham and leafy Wimbledon within its boundaries, giving house-hunters in those areas a much better chance of finding a home complete with its very own garden.

The areas with the largest average garden size

While the number of gardens in an area is helpful in determining where you're most likely to find a property that has one, homebuyers with families or keen gardeners will likely want as much outdoor space as possible. In this section, we will explore which parts of the UK have the largest sized outdoor spaces on average.

The UK (outside of London)

• Castle Point average garden size: 1,388.80 m2

The part of the UK with the largest average garden size is Castle Point, on the Essex coast, where the average private outdoor space of a property is 1,388.80 m2. This huge amount of space should be highly attractive for garden lovers, especially those who want space for animals or to grow their own food. This area contains the towns of Hadleigh, Thundersley, South Benfleet and Canvey Island.

• Na h-Eileanan Siar average garden size: 1,031.20 m2

Na h-Eileanan Siar, known as the Western Isles in English, is where you'll find the second-largest gardens in the country, with an average size of 1,031.20 m2. This far Northwestern part of the country might be a little remote for some, but the beauty of the local area is indisputable, and the generous garden sizes make it an appealing prospect.

• Orkney Islands average garden size: 899.40 m2

In third place are the Orkney Islands, showing that the Northern edges of Scotland offer some fantastic garden sizes for those who love the outdoors and aren't fazed by remote living. The average size of private outdoor spaces in the Orkneys comes in at a very roomy 899.40 m2.

London

• Bromley average size of outdoor space: 331.10 m2

Bromley has the largest gardens in London, with the average size of outdoor space reaching 331.10 m2. Situated on the far South Eastern edge of Greater London, Bromley benefits from having much more space to play with than other parts of the capital, which is evident in the size of its gardens.

• Barnet average size of outdoor space: 303.70 m2

The London Borough of Barnet, home to the town of Barnet, along with Finchley, East Finchley and Edgeware, has the second-largest gardens in the city, averaging at 303.70 m2. Again, this indicates that boroughs on the outskirts of Greater London are much more likely to have more garden space than those closer to the centre.

• Harrow average size of outdoor space: 269.20 m2

In third place is the London Borough of Harrow, containing the towns of Harrow, Pinner and Stanmore and bordering second place Barnet to the East. Here the average size of private outdoor space is 269.20 m2.

The most expensive areas to own a garden

Having looked at the size and prevalence of gardens across the country, we now come to the question of affordability. By comparing average house prices with the average size of private outdoor space, we can calculate the average cost of a property per m2 of garden space. Here we can see where the most expensive gardens are across the country.

The UK (outside of London)

Oxford has the least affordable gardens outside of London, with an average property value of £1,929.36 per square metre of garden. Oxford is one of the most expensive parts of the country outside of London, so it stands to reason that owning a garden here would come with a hefty price tag.

In second place we have Cambridge, where the average property value per square metre of garden is £1,907.32, just a small amount lower than its rival Oxford. Like Oxford, Cambridge is renowned worldwide for both its university and beautiful setting, which explains the high cost of owning a garden in the city.

The part of the country with the third-highest cost of owning a garden is Portsmouth, where the average property value per square metre of garden is £1,824.30. A port city situated on the Solent, Portsmouth is surrounded by picturesque views and areas of outstanding natural beauty. Unfortunately, growing your own garden-sized area of natural beauty may be a bit too pricey for some.

London

Kensington and Chelsea

Property value per m2 of garden: £13,656.34

Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive place to own a garden, with property prices meaning you'll be paying £13,656.34 on average for every square metre of outdoor space.

City of Westminster

Property value per m2 of garden: £11,713.91

The part of London with the second most expensive property price to garden size ratio is the City of Westminster, where you could expect to pay £11,713.91 for every square metre of garden space.

Hammersmith and Fulham

Property value per m2 of garden: £8,930.95

Hammersmith and Fulham take third place with an average property value of £8,930.95 per m2 of the garden, which is not surprising for the sought-after West London location.

The most affordable areas to own a garden

On the other end of the scale, we now turn our attention to the parts of the country with the most affordable gardens where you can get the most space for your money. If you're looking to make a move and a garden is a must, then you might consider adding these locations to your list.

The UK (outside of London)

Na h-Eileanan Siar, the Western Isles, is the part of the country with the most affordable prices for a property with a garden. Here you will pay on average just £118.95 per square metre of outdoor space, while also living in the area with the second-largest average garden size in the country.

In second place are the Orkney Islands, where the average property value per square metre of garden is £159.90. Also one of the best places for large areas of private outdoor space, the Orkneys have proven a great location for owning a garden.

In third place is Argyll and Bute, meaning all of the top three most affordable places to own your own garden are in Scotland. Here the average property value per square metre of garden is £183.96.

London

The London Borough of Bromley is the best value for money when it comes to buying a house in London with a garden. Here the property value per square metre of outdoor space is £1,313.95 which, while still very expensive nationally, is the lowest price you'll find in the capital.

In second place is the London Borough of Bexley, where the average property value per square metre of garden stands at £1,429.34. Neighbouring first-place Bromley, Bexley sees the cost of a property with a garden rise by approximately £115 per square metre.

Bordering first-place Bromley on the other side is our third place winner Croydon, where the average cost of a property per square metre of garden is £1,452.68. These results show that South East London is definitely the most affordable part of the capital to own your own garden.

The areas with the most public parks and green space

Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a private garden or outdoor space of their own. However, there are many fantastic public parks and green spaces that are there for everyone to enjoy. In this section, we take a look at some of the best locations for local parks, public gardens and green spaces.

The UK (outside of London)

• Runnymede average public park space within 1km: 3.24 km2

The best place in the country for local parkland is Runnymede, located just to the South West of London in Surrey. The average amount of public park space in this area within a 1,000m radius is 3.24km2, including the eponymous Runnymede park where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215.

• Broxbourne average public park space within 1km: 2.92 km2

Broxbourne takes second place with an average public park space within 1,000m of 2.92 km2. With several nature reserves and woodlands surrounding the area, Broxbourne residents have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors as well as the local wildlife.

• Windsor and Maidenhead average public park space within 1km: 2.58 km2

In third place is the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, which has an average of 2.58 km2 of public space within a 1,000m radius. The most prominent park in this area is Windsor Great Park, where visitors can enjoy lakes, gardens and even a waterfall.

London

• Richmond upon Thames average public park space within 1km: 2.52 km2

Richmond upon Thames has the most local public parkland in all of London, with an average of 2.52 km2 of parks within a 1000m radius. This area is home to some of London's most popular green spaces including the eponymous Richmond Park, an expansive nature reserve and deer park with hundreds of free-roaming Red and Fallow deer.

• Kingston upon Thames average public park space within 1km: 2.10 km2

While there isn't actually that much parkland within Kingston upon Thames, the borough shares borders with Bushy Park, Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common, meaning there's a great variety of public green spaces available to local residents and an average of 2.10 km2 of park space to enjoy.

• Wandsworth average public park space within 1km: 1.51 km2

In third place is Wandsworth where, on average, there is a total of 1.51km2 of public parkland within a 1,000m radius. This London borough contains a large number of public green spaces, with Battersea Park and Putney Heath being some of the most well-known.

Methodology

We wanted to find out which parts of the country have the most and biggest gardens, as well as where offers the best value for money when it comes to garden space. To do this, we used ONS garden data to rank areas based on the percentage of addresses in the area that had their own private outdoor space, as well as the average size of these spaces.

We then used house price data from HM Land Registry to calculate the average property value in the area per m2 of garden. This allowed us to compare the affordability of owning garden space in areas up and down the country.

We also used ONS parks data to look at the prevalence of public parks and green spaces across the country, as many people do not have access to their own private gardens, and the popularity of public parks has soared since the first introduction of lockdown restrictions several years ago.

For each section, we split the data between London and the rest of the country, as the property prices and urban density in the capital are not comparable to other parts of the UK. Data was not available for Northern Ireland.