A small village on the outskirts of Glasgow - that only has a population of some 5,000 people - has been revealed to be the most desirable place to live in Scotland.
Neilston, in East Renfrewshire, has taken the top spot in a new report put together by the Royal Mail - after two years - into the areas of the country people really want to move to the most.
Some of the village folk couldn’t quite believe the results and took to Twitter to express their astonishment today:
My wee home town of Neilston has been named the most desirable place to live in Scotland!
— Lou Hickey (@LouHickey) March 1, 2017
Other comments included: “Go Neilston!” while MP for East Renfrewshire, Kirsten Oswald, added: “Brilliant news about fantastic Neilston! Honourable mentions for Eaglesham, Giffnock and Newton Mearns too.”
Other areas surrounding the city to have made the cut include Bishopbriggs, Lenzie, and Milngavie.
Overall, in the top ten, three-quarters of the most desirable places to live and work in the whole of Scotland are around Glasgow.
“Shorter working hours and shorter commute times, as well as access to local services, better schools, and lower crime rates, helped boost these locations’ desirability,” the Royal Mail said.
Top ten most desirable places to live in Scotland:
1. G78 – Neilston, East Renfrewshire
2. G64 – Bishopbriggs
3. G66 – Lenzie/Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire
4. G76 – Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire
5. G62 – Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire
6. G46 – Giffnock, East Renfrewshire
7. G61 – Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire
8. G77 – Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire
9. HS1 – Stornoway, Isle of Lewis
10. KW15 – Kirkwall, Orkney Islands
Newcomers in the remainder of this year’s top ten include HS1, Stornoway and KW15, Kirkwall which are both located on islands in the far north.
“They make an appearance thanks to a good work-life balance and high employment rate,” said the report.
This year’s results have seen an absence of Edinburgh postcodes altogether; in 2015, there were three compared to zero in 2017. “This is partially due to housing affordability concerns,” cited the reason behind the change.
Steve Rooney, head of Royal Mail’s Address Management Unit, described how the report builds on a study the postal service commissioned two years ago and provides “unique insight into the most desirable places to live and work, through the lens of the postcode.”
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