The average sale price of detached homes in Richmond rose by almost £260,000 in 2021 to a just under £1.7million.

The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), suggest these family homes rose in value by an average of £5,000 per week throughout the year.

The new ONS figures show the annual rate of house price growth for the Richmond borough hit 12per cent in December – way above the London average of 5.5per cent.

It was also ahead of the average for the whole of England at 10.5per cent, confirming the fact that Richmond remains a highly desirable place to live.

The ONS figures confirm Richmond property sale prices are much higher for all types of home than London as a whole.

• Average sale prices for detached houses rose by 16.6% in 2021 – going up by £258,201 to £1,694,192.

• Average sale prices for terraced houses rose by 13.7% in 2021 – going up by £124,066 to £890,326.

• Average sale prices for flats and maisonettes rose by 8.5% - going up by £50,102 to £508,679.

While the figures may put a smile on the face of home owners in the borough, they make clear that it is becoming increasingly difficult for young people born and brought up in the area to get a foot on the housing ladder.

The increases are racing ahead of any rises in incomes, which means buyers are having to borrow ever larger sums to get the keys to a new home.

One reason for the sharp rise is the fact that Richmond borough is among the most desirable places to live in the country with its Royal parks, riverside walks, culture, and historic buildings.

It placed top of a number of measures, such as education and life expectancy, which are being used by the government to set the standards for its new 'levelling up' agenda.

Another factor is the shortage of property for sale, particularly larger family homes, which means there is fierce competition among buyers.

There are very few detached properties currently being advertised in the £1.6m-£1.8m price bracket on the Zoopla website. This small group includes a four bed house in Netherton Road, St Margarets, at £1,800,000.

ONS figures for home sales completed for the first 10 months of the year show the figure peaked at 738 in June, but then fell away to just 70 in October. It has not yet published details for the final two months of the year.

Richmond Borough Council has recently published a Local Draft Plan which outlines significant house building.

Its ten year housing target is 4,110 homes with up to 1,200 in each of Richmond and Twickenham; 900-1,000 in Teddington and the Hamptons; 800-900 in Barnes and East Sheen; 250-300 in Ham and Petersham; and 100-200 in Whitton.

The Council says the new Local Plan is built on the concept of creating '20-minute neighbourhoods'. It said this is 'the idea that our places should be complete, compact, and connected neighbourhoods where most of the things we need for shopping or visiting are an easy walk or cycle away.'