Published in July, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) threatened, the Trust believes, to put short-term economic gain ahead of all other considerations, including impact on local communities and local green spaces.

The signatures were collected online, in local communities, and at National Trust properties throughout England.

The Digital Property Group is owned by A&N Media, the consumer division of Daily Mail and General Trust.

Key benefits to househunters will include greater coverage of property listings and enhanced features, which will enable them to make better-informed decisions in the current difficult UK residential property market.

According to the index, prices of prime London property rose 0.9% in June 2011, contributing to annual growth of 8.3%. They have increased by 34% since their post-credit-crunch low in March 2009, and are now at a record high, 2% up on their previous peak in March 2008. Demand is holding steady as new supply looks set to surge.

The UK residential property market’s pre-Christmas slowdown is now well underway. We look at the latest house-price indices and bring you some expert predictions for 2011.

All the major house-price surveys are currently reporting an underlying slowdown in prices, despite divergences caused by their different survey methods.

According to Nationwide’s latest House Price Index, prices edged down further in November. The average price of a home is now £163,398.

“The recent trend of modestly-falling house prices continued during November, with the price of a typical UK property declining by 0.3%, on a seasonally adjusted basis, between October and November," comments Martin Gahbauer, Nationwide's chief economist. "The three-month-on-three-month rate of change – a smoother measure of the recent price trend – rose from -1.5% to  -1.3%. This remains well above the deeply-negative rates of -5% to -6% that prevailed during the most severe phase of the downturn in 2008. The annual rate of change – which compares house prices to their level 12 months ago – fell from 1.4% to 0.4% and suggests that house prices are essentially unchanged from a year earlier.”

A new survey from Lloyds TSB has found that homes in some of England's traditional market towns command a premium of up to around £30,000 compared with homes in other parts of the same county.

The survey found that house prices in market towns are, on average, £29,319 (or 14%) higher than their county average. The average house price in market towns, at £231,163, is 7.1 times average gross annual earnings.

More than two-thirds of market towns have higher house prices than neighbouring towns, and 69% of market towns have a higher average house price than their county average. Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshire, has the largest premium, with houses trading at 145% above the average house price in the county. The average house price in Beaconsfield is £736,585.

Eighteen other market towns have an average house price exceeding £300,000. All ten of the most-expensive market towns in England are in the south. Wetherby is the most expensive market town outside southern England, with an average house price of £311,140 – 99% above the West Yorkshire average.

Those looking for a cheaper market town should head for Ferryhill, in County Durham, which, with an average house price of £98,799 in August 2010, is England's least-expensive market town.

Comments Lloyds TSB‘s Martin Ellis, "Homes in market towns command a significant premium over their neighbouring towns, with the quality-of-life benefits often associated with living in such locations still proving popular among homebuyers. Market towns are often particularly attractive for those looking to move into more-idyllic surroundings without sacrificing many of the important amenities they currently enjoy."

Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank, commented, “While house prices in central London have been falling since July, rents are still very much in the ascendancy – rising for the fifth consecutive quarter in the three months to the end of September. Although prime central London rents have risen 16% since their recessionary low in June 2009, they are still 7% below the peak level they reached in March 2008, when the London economy and employment market were yet to feel the effects of the credit crunch and job losses in the City.

“Looking back further, we see that rents in central London have performed modestly over the past decade when compared with capital values. While average earnings in central London rose 42% in the ten years to the end of September 2010, average rents only rose 13.5% over the same period, a fact which ought to give landlords confidence regarding the sustainability of the market.

“Landlords should not become overly confident regarding the potential for rent rises in the short term. While further growth is possible, there are signs in the lettings market that the demand and supply balance is becoming less favourable for investors.

“The volume of properties available to rent is still lower than it has been historically. The number of newly-available properties fell by 6% year on year in September, and by a massive 36% compared with September 2008. This was when the lettings market faced its most turbulent period, with a huge oversupply of properties resulting from the wave of ‘forced landlords’, which, in turn, forced down rents during the recession.

“Demand for rental property has been very strong, with new applicant volumes between May and August running at around 10% above the levels seen in either 2009 or 2008. September saw this level decline, with new applicant volumes falling back noticeably by 14% compared to the level in September last year. The same was true of viewing figures, which again fell back in September, after strong results throughout the summer period.”