COPELAND mayor Mike Starkie has said it is no suprise that Copeland's house prices are on the rise.

House prices increased by 2.1 per cent in Copeland in September, which is more than the average for the North West.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 11.9 per cent over the last year.

Mike Starkie, mayor of Copeland, said: “I’m not surprised the prices are rising in Copeland.

"Demand for properties remains high, and a lot of recent high-end developments are selling, very rapidly, off plan.

“The Copeland Council Executive Committee will continue to pursue the strategy of attracting as many high-end developments to Copeland, as possible, to meet the clear demand.”

The average Copeland house price in September was £153,937, Land Registry figures show – a 2.1 per cent increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices increased 0.6 per cent, and Copeland was above the UK as a whole, where prices did not change.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Copeland rose by £16,000 putting the area 24th among the North West’s 39 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

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