A CHESTER address has been identified among some of the most desirable roads in Britain.

Even when the housing market is faltering and property prices falling, an unwavering desire to live at that address means homes on Britain's gold-plated streets hold their value.

A study by Knight Frank and The Telegraph takes the top slice of the deprivation index to identify the best places to live by region (based on crime levels, employment opportunities, quality of the public realm and proximity to schools and transport) before honing in on the highest value LSOAs.

Then, through interviews with leading estate agents, it reveals arguably the best streets in the land with a bias towards family-friendly pockets and properties in suburbs and towns, rather than down-town inner city spots or rural villages. These addresses boast period housing stock, are near the right schools and next to green or blue space.

People will rent for two to three years waiting for the right house on the right street, says buying agent Jonathan Bramwell, and when one finally comes up it will often sell in secret.

"These homes don’t go anywhere near Rightmove. Our clients specify the house, I approach the owners discretely and they ask for a laughable price," says Bramwell, boss of The Buying Solution.

And, in most cases, the buyers pay it.

"This why NDAs [non-disclosure agreements] are becoming more commonplace – the purchaser does not want to be known as the person who paid the record amount on the street," he explains.

In Chester, St George's Crescent is the most desirable street. Over the River Dee from the city centre, it has easy access to green space. Chester Meadows runs alongside the river and is mostly the preserve of dog walkers, runners, people paddling and picnicking and wildlife.

Charlie Kannreuther of Savills says St George's Crescent has a "strong community and a range of different housing in terms of both scale and architecture".

The average house price in Cheshire West is £250,134, but houses around St George's Crescent cost an average of £341,973.

Elsewhere in Cheshire, Hawthorn Lane in Wilmslow is also listed among the 'best in Britain'. Hawthorn Lane is within four conservation areas and has Victorian houses. Hawthorn Lane and surrounding areas sit well above the average house price for Cheshire East (£282,387) at £780,626.

For some, buying the 'worst' house on the best street is the only way in to these desirable neighbourhoods.

"It’s still a shrewd move. You can gain access to a desirable area packed with the characteristics and amenities that keep buyers coming back (and prices going up) but you can upgrade the home over time," says Chris Druce, research director at Knight Frank.

The other way to benefit from the associated wealth of a 'best street' is to buy on outlying roads for a much lower price.

The study also shows the disparity between prices on the best streets, their immediate neighbourhoods – known in data terms as LSOAs (lower layer super output areas), and the wider local authority.

For example, there is a six-bedroom house for sale on Runnymede Road in Ponteland (Northumberland) for £2,750,000, whereas the average house price of the LSOA is £790,299, and £193,601 for the wider local authority.

"It’s a question of studying the concentric circles of the best streets to find best value," says Druce.