The difference between Manchester and other growing cities in the UK is a lot easier to name than one might think. It’s the city’s success.
Simply put, Manchester’s power to innovate itself repeatedly has made it popular. And strong.
In a time where stable asset classes are difficult to find and, simultaneously, investment opportunities are plenty but not very predictable, Manchester is beating the odds. It’s offering investor’s everything they’re looking for:
• The great reinvention of Manchester
• Where to buy now for the biggest house price growth
• The North offers better opportunities, for everyone
• Manchester set to lead the UK property market for 10 years
Manchester is sprawling. Everywhere. Taking a little walk around the city – whether that’s in real life or virtual reality – you can sense the ongoing expansion everywhere:
• Metrolink: Manchester’s tramline joins Salford Quays at one end of the centre with the Etihad Campus at the other end whilst also linking popular urbanisations like Altrincham, Didsbury, Chorlton and East Manchester
• Victoria Station: the regeneration of one of Manchester’s main stations finished in 2015, saw a £44m investment and, now, serves more than 500 trains daily
• Ordsall Chord: the new connection is going to be built between Manchester’s three main train stations, reducing the travel times within the centre as well as to and from other Northern cities
• City Centre extension: Manchester’s urban centre is spreading; it now extends to Castlefield on the one side and Ancoats on the other, whilst Spnningfields creates a connection between city and Salford
With house prices going through the roof in London and less people able to afford to live there, it only seems like a natural process for other cities in the UK to become more attractive to renters and investors alike. Manchester managed to nurture that growing attraction, it managed to get ahead of other cities:
• MediaCityUK: with big companies like the BBC and ITV moving substantial parts of their business up North, Manchester is expected to gain an additional 110,000 jobs by 2024
• Fastest population growth: in 2011 Manchester was named the second biggest city in the UK with 2.55m inhabitants and is also the fastest growing UK city with a rise in population of 19%
• Londoners come: last year alone, 68,000 Londoners left the capital to move up North, the majority explained their move with better living standards and named Manchester as their future address
And if none of the above has convinced you yet that Manchester is the one place to invest, maybe it’ll help to find out who else has already done it:
• Chinese President Xi Jinping comes to visit Manchester
• The North welcomes you, China
• Hong Kong has big plans for Manchester
Featured image provided by The Digital Media Team.