Planning consultant Claire Shannon moved with her partner, a science researcher, from Cambridge to the tiny city of Ely during the early stages of the pandemic. The 13-minute train ride meant an easy commute and a bigger home for their budget. “We’d come for day trips to Ely and loved the river, the easier access to open space and independent shops,” says Shannon, in her early thirties. “With a budget of £350,000, we couldn’t get much in Cambridge. In Ely we got a three-bedroom house with a garden.”
Cambridge’s research and life sciences sectors might make it one of the UK’s fastest-growing employment hubs, but sky-high property prices mean those priced out have been looking to Ely, with its historical centre and the Great Ouse running through it. In the Ely area, the average price for a property hit about £326,000, a third lower than Cambridge’s £511,000.