Manchester city centre has a lot of beautiful property, but rows of historic townhouses are extremely thin on the ground.
In fact, the neat road of St John Street is the only remaining Georgian terraced street in the centre of Manchester, dating all the way back to around 1785.
For generations, these stunning buildings have been used as offices, but in recent years they’ve carefully been returned to their former glory as four-storey homes.
And now they’re popping up on the local property market, with a couple of the houses up for rent.
They don’t come cheap, unsurprisingly, given a) their location just off Deansgate, b) the high-spec refurb they’ve all gone through and c) the fact that houses in Manchester city centre are practically non-existent.
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One of the Georgian houses on St John Street is currently on the market to rent for £15,000 per month.
Another is listed at £10,000 per month. Right.
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The Georgian townhouses on St John Street, Manchester. Credit: RightmoveSt John Street, Manchester. Credit: Wikimedia CommonsThe Georgian townhouses on St John Street, Manchester. Credit: Rightmove
They’re among the most expensive rental homes in the city currently, beaten only by the penthouse apartments in Beetham Tower and the Century Buildings.
For the top whack, you’ll get three bedrooms, three bathrooms, four reception rooms and around 3,000 sq ft of home.
The four-storey layout includes an entertainment room and bar in the basement, a huge kitchen and living spaces on the ground floor, a first-floor master bedroom with massive en suite and walk-in wardrobe, then another floor of bedrooms or office space.
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The Georgian townhouses on St John Street, Manchester. Credit: RightmoveThe Georgian townhouses on St John Street, Manchester. Credit: Rightmove
The more expensive of the two homes is currently undergoing its renovation, so pictures from a neighbouring home – finished to the same spec – are being used online instead.
Reside Manchester, who are marketing the Georgian rental townhouse, say: “The townhouse has been restored and renovated to its former glory, by utilising the highest of specification available, to include marble cloud tiling with underfloor heating to hallway and kitchen areas.
“The bespoke contemporary kitchen has been designed by Stuart Frazer and retains original fireplaces within the contemporary new kitchen.”
The listing continued: “The townhouse is furnished to the very highest of standards with no expense spared on the fixtures and fittings throughout the home.
“The basement level adds an extra dimension to the townhouse, having been beautifully converted to add a further entertaining area with bespoke bar, utility room and wine cellar.”
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You can see more about this amazing house, currently listed for rent at £15,000 a month, at Rightmove here.
Featured image: Rightmove
Property
This Greater Manchester area has just been named one of the best in the UK to raise a family
Emily Sergeant
We all know Greater Manchester is home to a wide range of neighbourhoods and residential areas to suit every need.
But one area, in particular, has just been named among the best in the UK to raise a family.
Fresh off the back of two of our region’s towns being highlighted as places that first time buyers should consider looking at to get onto the property ladder, and not long after another two local towns earned themselves a place within the top 20 ‘most desirable’ in Britain, Greater Manchester has now got another title to talk about with pride.
After the team at home security experts ADT decided to do some research into the best places in the country for those looking to raise a family, Trafford has made it into the top 10.
The Greater Manchester borough has earned seventh place on the list after a number of factors were analysed for the research – including the quality of the local schools, the general safety of the area, and the number of parks within walking distance.
The top 10 most family-friendly areas in the UK
Rank
Area
Crime Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023
Burglary Rate Per 1,000 People, Year ending March 2023
Average number of Parks, Public Gardens, or Playing Fields within a 1,000 m radius
Percentage of Oustanding and Good Rated Schools and Colleges
Median House Price, Year Ending Dec 2022
Cost of a single bus fare, adult
Family Safety Score /10
1
Waltham Forest
82
3.2
6
82.8%
£520,000
£1.75
7.23
2
Kirklees
111
3.5
6
77.6%
£181,000
£1.60
7.12
3
Havering
76
2.9
4
89.5%
£445,000
£1.75
6.99
4
Bexley
65
2.4
4
81.3%
£425,000
£1.75
6.96
4
Bromley
69
3.1
6
79.7%
£529,000
£1.75
6.96
6
Wirral
96
2.6
6
77.8%
£200,000
£2.00
6.80
7
Trafford
88
4.4
5
83.2%
£193,000
£2.00
6.72
7
Newcastle
124
3.7
8
81.6%
£178,000
£2.00
6.72
9
Hounslow
88
4.2
5
83.2%
£478,000
£1.75
6.64
9
Hillingdon
80
3.6
5
80.5%
£485,000
£1.75
6.64
Waltham Forest in London takes the top spot for the most family-friendly area in the UK, according to the research, as it ranked within the top 15 for both the lowest crime and burglary rates, and also ranked seventh for schools – with 82.8% having a “good” or higher rating from OFSTED.
Kirkless in West Yorkshire took second place, followed by Havering, Bexley, and Bromley all rounding out the top five.
As well as Kirklees placing second and Trafford being in the seventh spot, the Wirral and Newcastle-upon-Tyne are also fellow northern representatives within the top 10.
Trafford has been named one of the best areas in the UK to raise a family / Credit: ADT
Sadly, on the other end of the spectrum, the least family-friendly area in the UK was found to be Birmingham, according to ADT’s research, as despite the average house price being £221,000, with a crime rate of 141 per 1,000 people, and a family safety score of just 2.5/10, the Midlands city takes the bottom spot.
On a more positive note though, when it comes the postcode area with the lowest crime rate in the UK, the North West is representing once again, as this has come out as CW12 3 in Cheshire East.
For the year ending June 2023, the crime rate for this postcode area was just 4.7 per 1,000 people.
Featured Image – Alexandra Park
Property
Bold £11m plans to ‘reinvigorate’ Ashton’s Market Square given green light
Emily Sergeant
Bold plans to “reinvigorate” the market square area in Ashton have been given the green light by local planning authorities.
Aiming to provide a “high-quality, flexible, and modern” market square in the Tameside town, the newly-approved £11 million plans are designed to lend themselves to range of different functions, according to Tameside Council – with food, drink, culture, and entertainment among the main uses.
One of the stand-out features of the greenlit plans is an impressive new canopy, which will provide a designated undercover area for markets to include “flexible and durable” market stalls and kiosks with seating, and will also open up the space for events and activities.
Designed to “deter anti-social behaviour” with improved lighting and the installation of CCTV, the canopy and kiosks will have views over the town’s listed Town Hall and Market Hall buildings.
It will also look to improve walking routes through to the square in all directions.
Bold plans to ‘reinvigorate’ Ashton’s Market Square given green light / Credit: Buttress Architects (via Tameside Council)
The revamped social hub is also hoping to be “more inviting” to the local community and visitors.
A range of public realm improvements on Fletcher Square, Bow Street, Warrington Street, Market Street, Market Avenue, and Wellington Road are also set to improve the surrounding areas.
The plans also include additional green spaces, trees, and planting too, as well as new street furniture and informal play spaces.
📢Plans to reinvigorate Ashton’s Market Square have been given the green light with planning permission granted to move forward.
The green light this week comes after Tameside Council and project team have been engaging with residents, market traders, and businesses in the town for more than a year now through a number of engagement workshops and events in order to “shape the plans”.
Their feedback throughout the process was said to have highlighted the priorities of many residents and visitors.
“The plans for the Market Square will help unlock the potential regeneration of the town centre and work will start on the square early next year,” commented Councillor Vimal Choksi, who is the Executive Member for Towns and Communities at Tameside Council.
The plans will provide a “high-quality, flexible, and modern” social hub / Credit: Buttress Architects (via Tameside Council)
“We have listened and responded to residents and businesses feedback and will continue to engage with local traders and businesses as we move forward with the exciting plans and bringing in high quality public realm will create a better space for events and help to bring in more visitors to the town centre.”
The £11m revamp is being funded by Levelling Up money awarded by the Government in October 2019.
Daisy Jackson -
24th February 2023 
