MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE

41%

44%

(out of 10)

(out of 5)

(out of 5)

Description:

Over half of the households in the city centre are single occupancy, and males outnumber females by two to one. 42% earn over £20,000 per annum, 60% own a car and 59% work in the city centre itself. Main attractions to residents are sited as the lifestyle of city living, leisure facilities and the nightlife offered by a city centre.

Research has shown that an estimated 20,000 people will live in the city by 2005, compared to just 1,000 in 1990.

Luxury apartments and penthouses, in styles ranging from Manhattan lofts to converted warehouses are in constant demand. Many of the apartments, both new build and converted/renovated, are centred around the Canal Basin area. In recent years, more and more people have chosen to move into city centre Manchester. House prices in regenerated Northern areas are set to outstrip rates in London as the finance, IT and service sectors expand.

Manchester City Council's housing strategy aims to build on the successful partnerships which are transforming the Hulme and East Manchester areas. In Hulme, 2,800 flats were demolished and replaced by 1000 desirable new homes and flats available for rent and for sale, in and around the Stretford Road area. Hulme has been transformed by these new developments, and the area now attracts investment and people from around the country who wish to live in Manchester. A further 1000 homes are being constructed by private sector firms, such as Bellway.

Elsewhere, housing ranges from stone terraced cottages on the West Pennine moors to half-timbered houses along the banks of the Bridgewater Canal. There are modern family houses close to all amenities available in all parts of Manchester. To the north of the city lie Bolton, Bury, Rochdale and Oldham, once thriving centres of the cotton industry, now busy and vibrant local shopping centres with excellent leisure facilities.

The east of the city, soon to be connected to the centre by Metrolink as well as road and rail, is home to the Commonwealth Games City of Manchester stadium and has seen a rise in popularity by home-hunters as a result. In the south lie the more traditional affluent areas such as Altrincham and Hale. Closer to the city centre are older suburban residential areas such as Withington and Didsbury, and the predominantly student 'villages' of Fallowfield and Rusholme.

Despite the rise in the number of homes being built, supply still appears to match demand in the city centre. Salford however has seen slowly rising prices as demand begins to grow, and in Stockport, the lack of supply has seen a sharp rise in bulk land values. Stockport has also seen a mini jobs boom as more firms move into the borough, collectively creating over 500 new positions in 6 months.

Property in the North West is still considerably cheaper than further south. It is possible to pay under £30,000 for a property closer to the centre or pay over £500,000 for a detached house in Bowden, just 10 miles outside the centre. Average house prices vary considerably from postcode to postcode; for example the lowest priced houses in 'M11_4' are under £15,000 whilst the highest priced houses are located in 'WA14_3' at an average cost of £350,000. The city's first £1,000,000 property in Century Buildings, Parsonage Gardens, was sold in late 2000 and a second is due for completion in 2002 in Deansgate.

33 miles east of Liverpool

6 miles to M62