Manchester’s Piccadilly East neighbourhood is set to grow once again as plans for a new £28 million development are given the green light.
In what is another prominent milestone for the renowned social impact developers, Capital & Centric have announced that Manchester City Council has approved plans for the new ‘Ferrous’ block in the vibrant neighbourhood, which will feature a total of 107 design-led rental apartments on Chapeltown Street, just a stone’s throw from Manchester Piccadilly station.
Ferrous will act as a neighbour to Capital & Centric’s existing projects in Piccadilly East, which are the historic Crusader Mill restoration, and the new build Phoenix community.
As well as 107 new homes over 15 storeys, according to Capital & Centric, Ferrous will also boast a rooftop residents’ garden, two café-bars, lush pocket parks on the ground floor, and most-notably, The Cabin – a new space for pop-up events.
The 20,000 sq ft site was once protected as part of the expansion of the Metrolink line, but has since been left empty for years.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s official there’s a new kid on the block…Meet Ferrous 👋🏻
Not only are we bringing 107 beautiful design-led rental apartments to Piccadilly East but we’re also adding shared garden and a cabin set to become a community hub to the area. pic.twitter.com/kzddaIJOXJ
The green light for Ferrous will see more street-level spaces for residents to hangout, with the shared gardens, and The Cabin set to become a social hub.
Speaking on the green light, Tim Heatley – co-founder at Capital & Centric – said: “It’s no mean feat establishing a new neighbourhood in a city centre, but Piccadilly East is becoming an awesome place to live and Ferrous is the next part of the story, bringing more new homes with our trademark design-led finish, but crucially more spaces that’ll breathe life in the area.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There’s a genuine community forming across Crusader Mill and Phoenix, with owner occupiers forging friendships and making the most of the awesome location, and Ferrous will deliver a new social hangout space, with lush planting and The Cabin – a space for indie pop-ups and one-off foodie events to get people spending time there.
“That, plus the two spaces for café bars or shops should really help foster that close-knit neighbourhood feel, right round the corner from Piccadilly station.”
Construction on Ferrous is planned to start this autumn, and complete in late 2024.
Featured Image – Capital & Centric
Property
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester named ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home
Emily Sergeant
Two towns that are around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home.
It’s all according to the latest analysis by consumer choice company Which?, and Lloyds bank.
Getting onto the property ladder remains a struggle for many first time buyers, especially following increases to mortgage rates since the start of spring – but where you buy can make a huge difference, according to Which?, and now new research from Lloyds has revealed the cheapest areas to buy your first home.
Some of the locations on the list are even averaging less than half the price of homes in London, proving the North West is where you want to be to get your foot on the property ladder.
According to research from Lloyds Bank, the most affordable place for first time buyers in the UK is East Ayrshire in Scotland.
But when it comes to the North West, Blackpool is not only the most affordable area in region – ranking at number three on the list – but it’s also the cheapest in the whole of England too, beating Kingston upon Hull by just a few hundred pounds.
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott | Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
The average first time buyer price in Blackpool is £150,780, according to the research.
Following Blackpool, ranking at sixth place on the list, is Hyndburn in Lancashire – which is actually a local Government district with borough status, that encompasses towns like Accrington and Great Harwood – with an average first time buyer price of £155,911.
Along with the most affordable areas for first time buyers, Lloyds has also calculated the areas with the youngest first time buyers too – and the North West also takes that title,
In the UK as a whole, the average age of a first time buyer is now 32, however buyers in some parts of the country are getting onto the property ladder much earlier than others, particularly in more affordable areas outside major cities.
The area with the youngest first time buyers is the Ribble Valley, according to Lloyds.
The largest town in this Lancashire district is Clitheroe, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and in less than 40 minutes by car, you can get to Preston, Blackburn, and Burnley, so it’s a pretty well-connected place for also being so affordable.
Featured Image – Stuart Wilding (Geograph)
Property
Four North West towns named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026
Emily Sergeant
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 ‘property hotspots’ by the sea for 2026.
You may already be familiar that, every year, leading property listing website Rightmove takes a look at all the cities, towns, and residential areas across the UK where house prices saw a significant hike on average last year, and puts together a top 10 list.
The ‘hotspot’ table is made up of a variety of locations where prices rose the most, when compared to the end of the year prior.
But now, they’ve done a special seaside version too.
Of course, “Manchester‘s got everything except a beach” so it won’t come as a surprise that no Greater Manchester towns are featured on this list, but that isn’t the case for the rest of the North West though, as Merseyside and Cumbria are well represented.
In fact, it’s actually the North West that’s taken the top spot, as Bootle in Merseyside has been named Britain’s top seaside house price hotspot, with asking prices having risen 11% in the past year alone, and that’s even with an average house price still way below the national average at £141,680.
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026 / Credit: James Feaver | Gabe Fender (via Unsplash)
Second place can be found just 10 minutes further up the coast in the town of Crosby, where the average asking prices are up 9% compared to last year, reaching £330,900.
Wallasey comes in at sixth place on the list, with house prices rising 7% to £200,753 on average, while Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria ranks at number nine with house prices increasing 6% to an average of £185,169.
Rightmove says the data shows that coastal living remains ‘relatively accessible’ in several areas, with nine of the top 10 fastest growing seaside locations still priced below the national average, and across more than 100 coastal areas analysed, more than 80% also have an average asking price below the national average (£378,304).
“The fastest-growing seaside markets this year show that demand for coastal homes in many areas remains resilient, even as overall price growth across the UK stays more modest,” commented Colleen Babcock, who is Rightmove’s property expert.
“While some locations are seeing strong price increases, there are still many areas where living by the sea is more affordable, giving buyers a wider range of options depending on their budget.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th March 2022 
