History is repeating itself as city-dwellers flee to the countryside to escape the density of virus breeding grounds and lack of outdoor space.
Just as the miasma theories of the 1800s led to the creation of parks as a ‘vital lung’ in London and the well-to-do sought to escape the “Great Stink”; urbanites in the times of Covid want a slice of country life to improve their mental and physical health.
Over the course of history, space and air quality has been synonymous with health benefits – from the establishment of sanatoriums as treatment for tuberculosis in the pre-antibiotic era to the introduction of the Clean Air Act to combat the Great Smog in the fifties.
The benefits of strolling through his opulent gardens have oft been quoted as a factor in King Louis XIV’s decision to name Versailles the capital of France over Paris in 1682.
While previous pandemics have eventually pushed populations back into cities in search of better healthcare and connectivity, this time round technology may end up cementing the mass exodus.
As companies reorganise and galvanise themselves towards a permanent shift to homeworking, rural estate agents have reported a surge in interest from people looking to relocate.
In a sample of buyers questioned between April 21 and 27, the property firm Savills said Sars-Cov-2 has led to 71 percent of buyers aged under 40 now seeking a garden or outdoor space instead of a bigger house.
Four out of ten of those want a village location; while more than half of buyers with school-age children acknowledged a countryside location as being “more attractive” than pre-Covid.
Savills country director Crispin Holborow said: “There’s a feeling that this sort of thing is highly likely to come again at some stage, and that the country is a good place to be; that life isn’t all about mental stimulation but that gardening, growing things and doing physical work are good, too. People increasingly want space and the opportunity to make a difference and Covid has exacerbated this.”
Rupert Sweeting, head of national country sales at Knight Frank, said while 9/11 and the London bombings of July 2005 resulted in spikes of interest in country living, the Covid pandemic is entirely different.
“People have reassessed their lives completely – a lot of people rented in the country immediately or were in their second homes already for lockdown and now realise they don’t need to be in the city,” he said…………
Carol Peett, managing director of West Wales Property Finders, said: “We are getting a number of enquiries through from people who are intending to sell their main homes in London, Bristol or Cardiff, buy a country house with land, or farm, here in West Wales and just keep a small pied à terre in the city.” …… http://www.westwalespropertyfinders.co.uk
The Daily Telegraph – 26th May 2020 – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/moving-country-history-repeats-urbanites-flee-virus-hit-cities/
If you are looking to move to the West Wales countryside, or buy a property in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion or Gower, give West Wales Property Finders a call on 01834 862816. We can find your perfect property for you whilst saving you time, stress, and often money too.
