New property hotspots to watch: the top 10 Tube stations for London home hunters

On the Piccadilly Line, in Zone 3, Park Royal Tube has been targeted by a record number of house hunters in the past year, putting it to the head of the property buyers’ Top 10, according a survey by online estate agent eMoov, which charts property demand near each of the 280 Tube stops on the London Underground.

The findings show demand for property near north-west London’s Park Royal has risen by a staggering 113 per cent in 12 months.

Park Royal offers a direct connection to King’s Cross in less than 40 minutes. But journey times to central and east London will be slashed further when Crossrail opens at nearby Acton in 2018.

With average house prices of about £380,000, the cost of buying a home in Park Royal is significantly less than the London average, making it more accessible for first-time buyers and young families looking to upsize.

Zone 3 hotspots

The promise of quicker commutes and the benefits of regeneration near Crossrail stations is why Park Royal’s neighbour, Hanger Lane, in Zone 3 on the Central line, is also seeing a huge uplift in demand — rising 73 per cent in a year.

"It will be interesting to keep an eye on the parts of London due to benefit from Crossrail, particularly the pocket of Park Royal and Hanger Lane up to the Ruislip area,” says eMoov’s founder, Russell Quirk.

“I expect homeowners in the area will see a significant increase in the value of their property over the next few years and those looking to sell should certainly consider holding out until Crossrail is up and running.”

While Zone 3 stations dominate the list, Colliers Wood is the only station in south London to make the Top 10. On the Northern line, demand has risen 57 per cent in a year.

Says Quirk: “Colliers Wood is certainly benefiting from having more expensive neighbours. The average house price in Tooting will set you back about £500,000 and £650,000-plus in South Wimbledon. In Colliers Wood it is still under the £400,000 mark.

The Crossrail effect: outer London

The Metropolitan line is by far the most in demand of all lines on the Tube network, the survey says, largely due to it’s far reach from central London — all the way into the capital’s greenbelt.

"With outer London firmly on the radar of most developers, the level of new house building has seen some outer boroughs begin to lose their suburban label," Johnny Morris, head of research at estate agent Hamptons International. "By the time Crossrail opens in 2018, cutting many journey times in half, the line between central London and the suburbs will be more blurred than ever before."

Demand for homes is also rising in East London's Chigwell, in Zone 4, and Upminster Bridge, in Zone 6, with both stations offering swift journeys to nearby Crossrail hubs.