Ipswich has been hailed as a ‘property hotspot’ to watch in the next decade, after experts predicted house prices could soar in the area.

A recent study by online estate agents HouseSimple has mapped out the country’s 10 areas where untapped potential and lower house prices could spark a boom in demand, with Ipswich among the most promising areas.

Among some of the town’s key features that experts believe will increase the value of house prices are the growing student population, development plans for more than 15,000 homes and strong public transport links, with some experts believing the town could replicate the success of Cambridge.

Sharon Newman, sales negotiator at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents in Ipswich, has already noticed the demand outstripping supply in the town’s key postcodes.

“It has gone in an upwards direction,” she confirmed. “We have seen a big boom in the IP3 and IP4 postcodes from last year and the year before, so Ipswich is very desirable.”

In March, a survey found IP5 to be the second most desirable postcode in the UK, covering much of Kesgrave, Rushmere St Andrew and Martlesham Heath, with low levels of crime, good quality schools and availability of green spaces all helping to make IP5 a popular postcode.

While the autumn is considered a quiet time for estate agents, property experts are looking to see how much the market will increase in the new year.

Mrs Newman added: “The demand is far greater than the supply at the moment, and while all estate agents see it level out before Christmas, the spike in January and February will really tell us which way it is heading.”