In one of Britain’s most renowned seaside locations, a street has become highly sought after by homebuyers, with properties being sold about six weeks quicker than the national average.

People looking to buy are flocking to the fashionable town of Margate in Kent, eager to purchase property in the quaint coastal town, which counts among its famous residents British indie rock icon and co-frontman of the Libertines, Pete Doherty.

Westbrook Gardens, just a few yards from the beach with stunning sea views, is the towns fastest selling street.

Research by estate agency Upstix reveals that homes in the area sell in just 102 days, nearly one and a half times faster than the national average of 147 days.

After enjoying decades as one of Britain’s favourite seaside destinations, Margate went into a period of decline.

But in recent years – especially post pandemic – it has become a fashionable magnet for Londoners, even nicknamed ‘Shoreditch-on-Sea’.

Nearly 6,000 people from London relocated to Thanet in the three years following the pandemic alone.

The great boom of DFLs (Down From London) has given Margate a new identity, with average house prices set at £348,571. 

Across a 10-year period, from 2013 to 2013, average asking prices in the seaside town more than doubled, up a staggering 102 per cent.  

Locals believe that, along with beach and sea views, facilities, good transport links and cheaper properties than the capital, have resulted in Londoners snapping up second homes and Airbnb rentals en masse.

Richard Thomas, 54, bought a property on the street within just 40 days of seeing it advertised last year.

The facilities manager said: ‘I came from Canterbury to be closer to the sea and better views. I’ve always loved the sea. I thought it would take a while.

‘It was so quick. I was warned the demand was big and I would need to act quick. So I did. I didn’t hang around, I couldn’t afford to.

‘It’s the sea air I think. People are laid back. They take pride in the town. It’s beautiful. It’s had a negative reputation in recent years but u think that’s moving on.

‘I know a couple and it took them just a month to buy. It’s incredible.’

Rory Waitt, a retired teacher, lives in the postcode, and runs a community project called Wilderness to Wonderland, to improve the area.

He believes that Margate’s ‘attractive’ nature and ‘real vibe’ is behind the town’s incredible popularity, with the 68-year-old adding: ‘We’re a group of volunteers and we want to make things better.

‘The fact the houses here are selling so much quicker than the national average shows that.

‘It’s such an attractive place. We look after it. You’ve got the beach, the sea, great facilities. It’s created a real vibe.

‘It used to be rundown. There was drug use and the things associated with it. It shows what happens if you give an area some love and attention.’

Samuel Welling, 54, bought his house within 60 days of putting it an offer in 2023.

Describing the process as ‘smooth’, He said: We wanted to live here badly. We came from Maidstone.

‘On our street there were three other families who moved in the same week. Once something goes up here, it sells.’

Milton Avenue, CT9 1TT, is the seaside town’s second fastest selling street, with properties taking an average of 113 days to attract a buyer.

The third fastest is Ethelbert Road, CT9 1LA, with its properties sold within 127 days, on average.

Andrew Miller, 53, took just weeks to move into his Margate property nearby several years ago.

The volunteer gardener said: ‘It’s such a buzzing place. There’s a very quick turnaround, it’s fantastic.

‘Westbrook Gardens is amazing. We get the afternoon sun and we don’t get the wind.

‘It’s right next to the sea. It’s also a tourist spot but not dominated or overrun by tourism and that’s important.’

Meanwhile, Linda Laslett, 82, has lived in the Margate area all her life and said homes sell ‘like hot cakes’.

She said: ‘They always have and always will. It’s a lovely area. I’d highly recommend it to anyone.’

It took Phillip Horton just one month to move into his Margate home.

The 77-year-old said: ‘I love it here. We’re getting so many new families come in. There’s a quick turnaround. The figures don’t surprise me.’

However, while some locals have spoken favourably about the influx of buyers in the seaside town, others have become increasingly frustrated with the gentrification of the once relaxed seaside getaway.

The town has become home to some of the UK’s most popular stars, including Tracey Emin, who purchased a derelict seafront building in Margate in 2023, with plans to transform it into a community hub.

Even secretive graffiti artist Banksy has made his mark on the town – literally – by spray-painting his latest artwork onto the side of a house two years ago, before it was unceremoniously wrecked by the local council.

But the skyrocketing attention towards the resort, dubbed the ‘Camden of the south-east’, has come at a cost, many residents insist.

Sections of the old town are now basically East London according to the mouths of locals through gritted teeth, who say they have been forced to watch as hordes of yuppies flock about with soy lattes and pedigree dogs.

Local resident Pauline Kirkwood, 72, who has lived in Margate for 50 years, previously told the Daily Mail that residents in the seaside town had become ‘abandoned’. 

The retired shop worker said: ‘There’s a lot of noise about everyone coming down from London and it all being a great thing. They bang on about the new cafe’s, art galleries and how it’s trendy.

‘But it’s just driven up the house prices of the homes around here, making it much harder for locals to buy. People who have lived here all their lives can’t afford to buy. So they rent or have to rely on the council, even though they work. It’s really sad.

‘Surely they should be the priority? There are also deep routed issues here. It’s rough. You can make it look as nice as you want but I feel more unsafe now than in the last 50 years of living here.

‘So what’s being done about that? If you go one street away from the coast, there’s drug dealing and drug taking everywhere.

‘People are hammered quite often and causing big problems. This is in the day.

‘It’s scary.’

Meanwhile, other locals spoke of being priced out of the housing market due to the unprecedented invasion of second home owners and Londoners.

Property in Clinftonville West, for instance, costs now double what it did in 2010.

Jessica Scott, 19, has lived in the town all her life and previously told The Daily Mail of her frustration at Londoners dominating the once idyllic coastal haven.

She said: ‘The trouble is getting somewhere to live. I still live with my parents because it would be impossible for me to even rent somewhere here.

‘There’s not enough houses. Most get turned into Airbnbs and sit empty most the year. For those who have lived here all their lives it is quite annoying.’

Pauline, who lives in Cliftonville, said: ‘It doesn’t feel like a holiday destination anymore and doesn’t have that seaside feel.’

Kate Stuart, 85, who originally moved to Margate from London 14 years ago, also said that she is fed up with the influx of people from the city, adding that it has ‘gone too far’. 

She added: ‘I didn’t move because I wanted to be trendy. I moved because I had nowhere else to go really. It was all I could afford.

‘They are now coming here because they like it and they want to change it.

‘I have a lot of friends with children and grandchildren here, but they would not be able to afford to live here now and get a house.’

Ms Stuart also said there had been a lack of respect shown towards the town.

She added: ‘The newer residents quite often play loud music and cause problems on the beach. They blast it out of their phone speakers. It’s really annoying.

‘That never used to happen. There’s just a lack of consideration for others now.’

Meanwhile, other locals argue that Margate’s transition to an arts hub for former Londoners has brought harmful drugs to their doorstep. 

In July last year, a bad batch of MDMA killed a 17-year-old schoolgirl and hospitalised 21 others after a gig at the town’s Dreamland venue.

Emily Stokes, 17, died after a suspected MDMA overdose during a drum ‘n’ bass gig on June 29 at Dreamland – which has now been dubbed by some locals as ‘Drugland’.

Another 21 youngsters fell ill after suspected drug use – with one left in an induced coma.

Margate stalwart Ray Voss, 78, has lived in the coastal town since 1966 and slammed the influx of ex-Londoners.

He told The Daily Mail: ’60 or 70 per cent of the people who came down here take drugs.

‘When you walk around you can smell it. They smoke cannabis.

‘It’s bad when the gigs are on at Dreamland too. It’s more like Drugland, Margate.’

Frederick Jones, CEO of Upstix, said: ‘How potential buyers feel about your home itself is just part of the selling story.

‘They also need to imagine themselves living in your street and enjoying the surrounding area.

‘So, if you’re looking to market a property in Margate in the coming months, don’t overlook that bigger picture.

‘Write a list of what’s to love about where you live in the area and communicate that to your agent, if you’re using one, or to a property-buying company like ours who can use that data to help decide what we can offer you.’