Across the country there are hundreds of quaint chocolate box villages and historic market towns full of character. These destinations draw visitors from far and wide with cosy tea rooms, welcoming pubs and beautiful green spaces.
11.09.2023 - 13:35 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Two towns in Greater Manchester have been recognised as being amongst the best places to buy your first home in the UK. A report from The Times has named 12 locations that are ideal spots for first-time buyers, taking into account factors from good-value properties to future prospects and investment in the area.
Both Stockport and Prestwich have made the list as two areas which are beneficial to get your foot on the property ladder. Stockport, which has previously been named by The Times as one of the 'best places to live' for all types of buyers, regularly gets attention for the transformation of its reinvented town centre.
Prestwich, which is nestled between Bury and Manchester, is often dubbed the 'new Didsbury' but with cheaper house prices and its up-and-coming £100m re-development, it's been picked as a top choice for first-time buyers.
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Other areas across the UK which were featured on the list include Stirchley in Birmingham, Bedminster in Bristol, Coventry, Dundee, Liverpool, Barking in London, Tottenham Hale in London, Heaton in Newcastle, Reading in Berkshire, Sheffield,
Here's what The Times had to say about both Greater Manchester areas:
Average house price: £374,100
Average price for a two-bedroom property: £240,400
The Times said: "Hats off to Stockport for a spectacular transformation. Once just another mill town, famous mostly for its hat museum and massive brick viaduct, it has reinvented itself as a funky alternative to Manchester's hippest quarters.
"The arrival of a host of exciting independent shops, bars and restaurants, many in the Underbanks area, is all the more welcome as Manchester's
Across the country there are hundreds of quaint chocolate box villages and historic market towns full of character. These destinations draw visitors from far and wide with cosy tea rooms, welcoming pubs and beautiful green spaces.
Five towns in Greater Manchester are being promised £20m over the next decade to help regenerate their high streets and tackle anti-social behaviour.
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All of the following businesses have paid to feature in this listicle: Soughton Hall, Hilltop Country House , Cheshire Woodland Weddings, Sparth House, The Saddleworth Hotel, Didsbury House, and Edgar Wood Victoria Park.
A milkshake combining strawberries, Nutella spread, Oreos, marshmallows and white chocolate shavings might sound extravagant, perhaps even a little indulgent, but at a dessert parlour in Rochdale, literally anything goes.
A stunning tower in North Wales is giving people the chance to live out their Disney princess dreams. Brynkir Tower is nestled inside Snowdonia (Eryri) National Park in Llanfihangel-y-pennant, just over a two-hour drive from Greater Manchester, and it’s the sort of place you could imagine Rapunzel unravelling her long hair.
House hunters looking for a property full of character world away from a city centre apartment or new build are best searching around the outskirts of Greater Manchester. In the region's rural villages in the boroughs of Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside you can often find homes with an array of traditional features as well as stunning countryside views.
A threatening email which sparked lockdowns at schools across the the north west was sent to six schools in Greater Manchester, police have said. Manchester High School for Girls, Manchester Grammar and Withington Girls School were among those to receive an email which 'made threats to pupils and staff', the Manchester Evening News understands.
A spike in 'excess deaths' in Stockport could be down to the government's handling of NHS strikes, a councillor has suggested.
Police officers and social workers raised fears that more than 500 children from Oldham were being sexually abused last year - the highest in nearly a decade - a Manchester Evening News and Local Democracy Reporting Service investigation has found.