Rural areas, villages and market towns came out as the most desired living environments at 23.3%, 22.9% and 17.0% respectively.

Walking distance to the shops (under 1 mile) was crucial to 49.2% of people.

For the second year in a row, lifestyle change was the biggest motivation for moving (49.3%), followed by access to shops and amenities (39.3%). A new category for the survey this year was broadband connectivity, which has shot in as the third motivation at 35.8% and highlights the desire to be technologically connected.

According to those who plan to move within five years, the ideal home will be a detached house (65.7%), either a farmhouse or in a cottage style. It will be 1,500-2,499 sq ft and have a minimum of three bedrooms. The least desired home was a terraced house (6.0%). A flat, regardless of whether it was above a shop or a penthouse, was the second least desired option (9.0%).

The survey didn’t just focus on where respondents were planning to move to – it also looked at what homebuyers were looking for in a new home in terms of style, features and accessories.

For the respondents who intended to move, a remarkable one in five said they wanted an AGA oven in their new home (20.5%). This was closely followed by a kitchen island/breakfast bar (15.9%). Outside of the kitchen, a wet room/rain shower was coveted in third place (13.4%). Completing the top five were a cinema room (9.3%) and a wine cellar (8.7%). The most popular interior design style was ‘Traditional British’ followed by ‘Rustic’ and then ‘Modern’.

The majority of homebuyers wanted their new home to feel ‘cosy’ in terms of ambience, whilst ‘calm’ and ‘bright’ also scored highly.

Outside, the majority of respondents wanted a small private garden – and when it came to the dream outdoor item for a new home, one in five respondents chose a walled garden (21.6%), with a near tie for second place between outdoor entertainment terrace (12.7%) and a swimming pool (12.3%). Tennis courts, vegetable patches and orchards were also high on the wish lists. Insulation and glazing featured as the most important environment requirements.

The survey sample of 2,000 respondents is a combination of Strutt & Parker registered buyers, sellers, tenants and lettings applicants from the past three years, and a balanced general UK population sample conducted by OnePoll. The respondents came from across the UK with a balanced gender split.