Most Brits have spent the past year watching the value of their properties plunge and the prospect of future investment vanish.

But a handful of areas across the country have bucked the trend - with the price of houses located inside Britain's coveted national parks soaring.

One of the areas with the biggest contrasts between county and park prices is the New Forest where families are willing to pay at least £300,000 extra to live in the park. 

Estate agents believe this comes down to three main factors - a disdain for 'dangerous' urban areas, strict planning laws and no 'tacky' newbuilds.

'First and foremost obviously you've got supply and demand, there's a lot less properties spread around the forest,' Neil Flaherty, Managing Director of The New Forest Estate Agents told the Daily Mail.

'Secondly you've got building control, there are a lot less properties being built in the forest, which will in turn feed the supply and demand scenario even further because of planning permission, restrictions and national park rules.

'Another factor that has instigated an increase in house prices is since Covid people don't want to be living in built up areas for fear of that kind of scenario being repeated.

'Immigration, that has also taken a toll, people want to get out of the built up areas where immigration is more apparent.

One of the areas with the biggest contrasts between county and park prices is The New Forest where families are willing to pay a 95.6 per cent premium. Pictured: Beaulieu village in The New Forest

National parks are ruled by their own independent local authorities, who require extremely high levels of planning permission for development. Pictured: A holiday tent in The New Forest

Maya Holcroft, 22, (pictured) said The New Forest is extremely different to the rest of the county

'And simply and solely most of the properties nowadays, which you find in the forest, have plenty of land around them, it's holiday land for some, if you can live in it you're going to pay a premium.'

National parks are ruled by their own independent local authorities, who require extremely high levels of planning permission for development.

This results in the areas appearing quaint, polished and traditional - a look that homeowners believe exudes exclusivity.

'I've lived here 33 years, we originally lived in the main part of Southampton and when my daughter was six months we moved here because it's a nicer area,' Shawn Phillips said.

'At the time where we lived was more congested that's the issue with urban areas. Whereas here you have a forest on your doorstep. We only ever go back there to go shopping.

'There were people who thought at the time we were stepping up when we moved. Our home is worth five times what it was the market had gone mad.