The city exodus that was triggered by the pandemic will bring long-term economic activity to British coastal towns, which will be further boosted by a rise in staycations, according to new study by Cornerstone Tax. 

A study revealed that in the past year, 10% of Brits have moved away from a city or urban area (3.3m people). It also found that 44% of Brits (16.5m) feel that the impact of coronavirus has made living in a city less appealing and that 24% of Brits will no longer commute into a city for their job post-pandemic (4.3m people). 

David Hannah, principal consultant at Cornerstone Tax, said: “The findings from our report confirm what we have thought for much of the past 12 months, that living in a city has undergone a permanent shift in appeal. The clients we have advised during the pandemic have almost exclusively been looking for more space, both inside and outside the property. Many too are looking for greener and more natural spaces, either in rural areas or within Britain’s coastal regions. 

“It is a trend that we see increasing in the future as it becomes more normal to work away from cities without the need to be in a ‘commuter belt’, which will either cease to exist or expand dramatically. The fact that a quarter of workers are already planning to stop commuting shows the effect is here to stay.”