Above Image is © Saffron Walden Historical Society
Our Town was ranked number one from a shortlist of 72 locations, ranging from capital cities to the remote village of Maenclochog in Pembrokeshire. See BBC news for more detail or ITV News.
Criteria the judges consider for such a title include schools, transport, broadband speeds, mobile signals, access to green spaces and the quality of the High Street. They said: “Saffron Walden was chosen for its knockout historic looks with excellent state schools, a rich cultural offering and an exploding foodie scene. The genteel market town used to have a reputation for being stuffy, old-fashioned and expensive. If the traditional High Street is dying, Saffron Walden is reinventing it for the 21st Century.”
Availability of other amenities is often foremost in the minds of residents who can be in Cambridge within half an hour, at Stansted Airport in even less time, or London in an hour.
Local shop owner, Karen Oakley, said she “absolutely agrees” with the decision. She added: “Saffron Walden has been in [the shortlist] every year for as long as I can remember. We’ve been top in Essex a few times. “It’s a massive achievement.”
However, with an average house price of just over £440,000, – well above the national average of £292,000, – it is also one of the least affordable for those looking to get on the housing ladder. For more information on property prices & living in the Town go to the latest BBC news report here.
Despite claims that Saffron Walden is an expensive place to either buy or rent property, trustee of the King Edward VI Almshouses in Saffron Walden, Peter Gibson, wants to raise awareness among young people about the housing service they offer.
Almshouses are traditionally a volunteer-run housing option for those in need, but Mr Gibson said the service can be wrongly stereotyped as exclusively for the elderly. He said you have to be aged over 18 with a connection to Saffron Walden in order to apply & people who were unable to get a home through other means could be eligible to apply to live in an almshouse. He explained it was targeted at “people who cannot afford to rent privately” or those who “wouldn’t be at the top of the priority list” if they applied for council housing.