TWO Oxfordshire towns have been highlighted by estate agents as new housing hotspots for London commuters, and they predict property prices in both will rise.

Online estate agency eMoov identifies Bicester and Didcot as two areas in the county where property is in high demand, but prices are still affordable.

The town centre redevelopment, new rail links to Oxford and London via Bicester Village Station, and planned improvements as part of the East West rail project, which will link Bicester with Milton Keynes and Bedford, along with new housing had attracted buyers to Bicester, it said.

A survey showed the average house price in the town was £312,460 and the value of residential properties had increased by £12,000 in the past six months.

In Didcot, the firm’s research showed houses had increased by £18,000 in the last year, while the average house price was £293,625.

David Weeks, an estate agent at Thomas Merrifield, in Market Square, Bicester, said the rail links – 43 minutes to London and 12 minutes to Oxford – were a major attraction to people looking to move to the town.

He said “There has been a 10 per cent rise in property prices this year and an increase in activity.

“There have been two main groups of buyers – there has been an increase in investment purchasing, they seem to think this is an area to invest in.

“Both the value and rental value of properties has gone up in the last three years.

“And a lot of people are coming out of London because they can get better value for money.”

Estate agent Martin Drew, of Quadrant, said: “At Quadrant we are finding that we are selling to people who can’t afford Oxford, more than London, the prices have already increased massively in the last year.”

He also said that people from Bicester were moving just across the border to Northamptonshire where property prices were cheaper.

Chairman of Bicester Chamber of Commerce Peter Cox said one of the advantages of more people living in the town was more local spending that would support local businesses.

Maidenhead and Bishop’s Stortford were other locations hightlighted in the eMoov survey.