Could Sheffield's street art be influencing house prices?

Street art’s growing popularity seems to be leading to a continual flow of content seeking out the UK’s mural hotspots. Earlier this year, Betway named Sheffield as one of the best cities in the UK for street art. Two years before that, South Western Railways put Sheffield in its top ten street art cities. Now the Steel City has been named again, this time in research by Bromleys Art Supplies.

This latest study makes the interesting claim that street art has a positive impact on local property values. Bromleys compared the number of street art murals against average property prices around the UK. They found a positive correlation between higher numbers of murals and higher property prices. Apparently, Sheffield emerged as one of the cities closest to this overall trend.

number of street art murals vs average house prices — How street art impacts property prices in the UK

It sounds like a rather grand claim!

Laureen Pattison, Marketing Director at Bromleys Art Supplies said: “While it might surprise some, these findings make perfect sense to us when we think about the broader impact that art can have on a community. Street art resonates with people because it’s accessible, unpretentious, and profoundly connected to its community, and murals can transform neglected spaces into something much more vibrant and lively that fosters a sense of pride. It’s no wonder that places adorned with street art draw people in and make them desirable to live in.”

Many seem to agree with Laureen Pattison’s comment about street art making neighbourhoods more desirable to live in. Over the last few years, Sheffield has seen various community groups organise new murals to brighten up their local areas. Examples include Walkley, Manor, Nether Edge, Hillsborough and Gleadless Valley.

Collage of murals — Artworks by Florence Blanchard, Faunagraphic, Peachzz, Fem Sorcell and Alastair Flindall

The study does mention that other factors, like healthcare facilities, employment opportunities and transport options, will play a significant part in influencing house prices. However, they go with the argument that the local cultural and art scene makes an area more desirable to live.

Bromleys ranked Sheffield’s street art scene sixth in the UK (their analysis included 76 cities). This was based on how Instagrammable the cities’ street art was. Similar to past studies, some eyebrows may be raised over how valid Sheffield’s position in the top ten is. However, as a city we’re clearly doing an amazing job of shouting about our murals on social media.

Whether you agree with Bromleys findings or not, this is further great publicity for Sheffield. We have some incredible artworks, and any recognition of these should be cause for celebration.

To discover Sheffield’s street art scene for yourself, check out our map. If you’re looking to move, perhaps it will help you find the best neighbourhoods for your new home!

One last thing. Street Art Sheffield is fast approaching its tenth anniversary. To mark this major milestone, we want to know what are your favourite murals from our shortlist of some of Sheffield’s most iconic murals: please vote.