South Manchester is among the most desirable locations to live in the country, connected with ease to Manchester city centre and within a short distance of major national and international gateways, including Manchester International Airport.

South Manchester is an important area of the city-region of Greater Manchester and is a key contributor to the success of the North West region.
A range of distinct and characterful communities provide a broad range of choice for people looking for somewhere to live.
South Manchester is a largely residential area and is home to approximately one third of Manchester’s population (around 137,000 people).
Perceptions of South Manchester are typically of an affluent professional population, living in high quality housing in leafy tree-lined suburbs, working in the city centre and making use of a network of vibrant centres, including Chorlton, Didsbury, Fallowfield, Levenshulme, and Withington. Bordering South Manchester and Cheshire are further attractive residential locations, including Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Macclesfield and the Four Heatons.

Almost two thirds of South Manchester is green space (including gardens). The area benefits from access to the Mersey Valley and many parks, such as Fletcher Moss (above) and Platt Fields, as well as 11 conservation areas. Many streets are also tree-lined and leafy.

South Manchester Neighbourhoods

The six neighbourhoods of Chorlton, Whalley Range, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village, East Didsbury, Levenshulme and the eastern part of Withington (around Withington district centre) are all high-quality neighbourhoods in South Manchester. They offer good-quality housing, a range of centres and services, and strong areas of heritage value and open space.

•Didsbury Village and Chorlton are focused around their district centres, which are largely covered by conservation areas. They offer a mix of large traditional properties and newer apartments, set in leafy streets and close to a range of facilities and good public transport. The housing is extremely popular in these neighbourhoods.

•West and East Didsbury lie at each side of Didsbury Village. West Didsbury is set within a conservation area and has developed a popular centre renowned for its speciality shops and independent restaurants. East Didsbury offers larger interwar housing at each side of the busy Kingsway road and rail corridor. The local shops and Tesco store at Parrs Wood provide a focal point.

•Whalley Range is another neighbourhood within a conservation area, reflecting its planned layout of large detached houses on tree-lined avenues. The area has in recent years hosted high levels of private renting and houses converted to Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO). It has however, become a popular housing area with visible investment and refurbishment.

•Levenshulme and Withington neighbourhoods are focused around their respective district centres and similarly to Didsbury and Charlton they have developed around traditional settlements that are now conservation areas. They are typified by larger Victorian semidetached homes and terraces.

•Fallowfield and northern Withington largely comprises private rented and student neighbourhoods, where the housing is typified by smaller terraces and student flats. Fallowfield District Centre provides a focal point within this area and much of its retail and leisure offer is tailored to meeting student needs.

•Large-scale social housing estates dominate the neighbourhoods of Burnage and Chorlton Park, as well as the western parts of both Withington and Fallowfield. The nature of these neighbourhoods is typically interwar garden suburb-style council housing, although Nell Lane in Chorlton Park is characterised by a 1960s Radburn-style layout.

•Cheadle is a village in the Metropolitan borough of Stockport.Historically in Cheshire, it borders Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Heald Green and Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and East Didsbury in Manchester. A popular place to live, house prices in Cheadle have increased by an average of 10% in the last year, fuelled in part by business investment including the £1bn development of Manchester Airport. A number of significant new housing developments will increase availability, including development of the Grade II listed Barnes Hospital.

•Cheadle Hulme is in the south of Greater Manchester. Stockport Metropolitan Borough straddles the Cheshire Plain and the Pennines, and Cheadle Hulme is in the west of the borough on the Cheshire Plain. The area lies in the Ladybrook Valley next to the Micker Brook, a tributary of the River Mersey which flows north–west from Poynton through Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme, joining the Mersey in Stockport. Cheadle Hulme is situated 2.3 miles (3.7 km) south-west of Stockport town centre, and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south-east of Manchester city centre. The majority of buildings in the area are houses from the 20th century, but there are a few buildings, landmarks, and objects that date from the 16th century, in addition to Bramall Hall which dates from the 14th century. Cheadle Hulme has a railway station and lies near both Manchester Airport and the major A34 road. The 1930’s semi-detached house is the mainstay of the market. The estate agent says that homes in Cheadle Hulme continue to be in high demand. Its collection of outstanding schools, including Cheadle Hulme High School and Bradshaw Hall Primary School are one of the main attractions of the area. Many households relocating into the area are therefore in search of a family-sized home and are often upsizing from an apartment in neighbourhoods closer to Manchester city centre, such as Didsbury, or are first-time buyers.

•Wilmslow is a town and civil parish in Cheshire, England, that is 11 mi (18 km) south of Manchester. It is one of the most sought-after places to live in the UK after central London, and falls within the Cheshire Golden Triangle. Wilmslow is 11 miles from Manchester city centre and seven miles from Macclesfield. Wilmslow is one of the most sought-after locations to live outside London, with the towns high end boutiques, car dealerships and restaurants catering for the wealthy and famous.

•Once the world’s largest producer of silk, Macclesfield is a pretty market town and civil parish in Cheshire, England. Macclesfield is in the east of Cheshire, on the River Bollin, a tributary of the River Mersey. It is close to the county borders of Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east and Staffordshire to the south. It is near the towns of Stockport to the north, Buxton to the east, and Congleton to the south. It is 38 miles (60 km) to the east of Chester, the county town of Cheshire. To the west of the town lies the Cheshire Plain and to the east lie the hills of the Peak District.

•Alderley Edge Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish in Cheshire. It is six miles (10 km) north west of Macclesfield and 15 miles (24 km) south of Manchester, at the base of a steep and thickly wooded sandstone ridge, Alderley Edge, which is the area’s chief topographical feature and overlooks the Cheshire Plain. Alderley Edge is known for its affluence and expensive houses, falling inside Cheshire’s Golden Triangle. Alderley Edge has a selection of cafes and designer shops and has attracted numerous Premier League footballers, actors and multi-millionaire businesspeople.It is one of the most expensive and sought-after places to live in the UK outside central London.

•Four Heatons is the name of four neighbourhoods, Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey, Heaton Moor and Heaton Norris, which form a suburban area of Stockport bordering the city of Manchester. The four neighbourhoods each have their own high street and centre, but share a common retailing theme, with bars, delis and independent music and cinema. The Heatons are attractive to young professionals and families, with attractive green spaces and red brick Victorian villas.

Sources: Manchester City Council, Wikipedia, Bridgfords

SaveSave