Rise of the Supersubs

Half of the "supersubs" are within zones three and four, while the rest are enclaves at the furthest reaches of London.

The study was carried out by estate agents Savills and is based on the proportion of properties in each area selling for at least £1 million.

At the top of the list are traditionally popular areas within zones three and four such as Hampstead - where one in three homes sells for a seven figure sum - and Highgate, where a quarter of properties cost at least £1 million.

But it also highlights less established areas like Cranley Gardens, which is home to a swathe of period properties north of Muswell Hill.

In the outer areas, Totteridge - the far flung northerly district favoured by footballers - is named as a top suburb. Also popular is Pratts Bottom, which lies in south-east London, close to Biggin Hill Air Field.

Savills head of research Lucian Cook said the areas were enjoying an unprecedented boom.

"We believe that this is happening because the prime suburbs combine the attributes most valued by home-buyers," he said.

"These are safety and security of neighbourhood, access to good schools, quality of the environment and proximity to amenities.

"In addition, as central London prices have rocketed to unheard-of levels, and passed the £3,000 per square foot mark in some areas, the suburbs offer buyers much more space, both in terms of the size of the house and the grounds in which it sits."

Homes in the super-suburbs are mainly being sold to British buyers, while wealthy foreign investors dominate sales in zone one.

Mr Cook added: "High ranking executives now account for 50 per cent of all buyers in these locations. And almost half of buyers in the suburbs are employed in investment, finance and business services, which means that City money is now piling into these areas.

"This demand is supplemented by high levels of interest from developers, as some 8.5 per cent of properties are bought with an intention to redevelop them, making the most of the relatively large plots."

A map of London's top residential areas shows that the hotspots are concentrated in north-west and south-west London.

But there are exceptions including parts of Dulwich, where around a third of properties sell for £1 million, and Bickley, in Bromley, where the average house price is more than £420,000.