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The formerly industrial Firth of Clyde town of Greenock had price rises of 29 per cent last year, one of the highest in Scotland. With the nearby Inverclyde towns of Gourock and Port Glasgow, its image has suffered from crime and unemployment, as well as poor links to Glasgow. The only road, the M8, is “always jam-packed”, says Faisal Choudhry, head of Scottish research for Savills. “But there's a feasibility study under way for a new commuter waterbus that would link the Inverclyde towns to Glasgow's centre. This would help house prices and speed up regeneration.”

Not normally thought of as a commuter town, Galashiels, in the Borders, is to be linked to Edinburgh through the restoration of the old “Waverley” Borders rail link that was closed in 1969. Work on the £155 million Waverley Railway Project is expected to start soon, and is scheduled to be finished by 2011. The link will also benefit other towns along the line: Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow and Tweedbank. The Scottish Executive has promised to invest more than £130 million in housing in the area as a direct result of the project.

The East End suburbs of Glasgow are also tipped for growth. “Prices are still very low here,” Choudhry says, “but regeneration surrounding the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the new M74 motorway to the southeast of Glasgow will help regeneration.” The new road will cost between £375 million and £500million and is scheduled to open in 2011.

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