We enjoy living and working in Manchester, or Greater Manchester. There’s a warmth about the people, real friendliness and though the weather leaves something to be desired, we’re generally happy with our lot.
Who wouldn’t be?
Manchester is home to two famous Premier League clubs, has a city centre that has been rejuvenated over the past twenty years as well as a road and public transport city that is one of the best outside London. It’s also a city (or area) that is growing in size and that’s great for businesses like ours. Birmingham is Britain’s second largest city after London, but Manchester is seeing the highest inward migration of any city in the UK.
London is seeing outward movement, Greater Manchester is expanding.
Instead of turning this into a GCSE Geography exam question, though, we should explain why expansion matters. Greater Manchester is home to 4 million people, and, you’ll know from a quick glance at any local news items, that houses are in short supply and high demand. When that happens – as we’ve all seen with the shortages and panic buying of petrol and diesel – prices rise. Diesel is now £1.50 per litre and climbing, which is what has happened with property prices in Manchester and around.
If you’ve memories of Manchester in the 80s, it will probably be unrecognisable to you now, if you were dropped on Market Street today. The old Arndale Centre is now a fairly swish mall, the Daily Mirror building near Victoria Station is the Printworks and if you head north and west after leaving the Arndale, you’ll stumble into the NQ, or Northern Quarter, an area that has perhaps changed most.
Oldham to Manchester
if you’re familiar with the route from Oldham, you’ll know the sequence of landmarks – the Roxy cinema in Hollinwood, now gone for the M60. Failsworth and its pole. Newton Heath, original home to Manchester United. Miles Platting which is being gentrified and at the very end, unloved and unlovely Ancoats. Not now though. Ancoats is a very bijou area to call home, with places like “New Islington” opposite and the chic bars, boutique shops and independent restaurants clustered around Oldham Street and Stevenson Square, now a conservation area.
Manchester has all changed and with a growing population, a healthy employment rate and increasing property prices, we’re finding that people are moving and staying here. They are also heavily investing in their homes, including their kitchens, as the last two years, with furlough and working from home, have made workers look afresh. Home isn’t a place to sleep and spend weekends at, no more. No. For many, it’s a workspace and living space.
Lee and Bryan have lost count with Revitalize Resprays of conversations with people who’ve realised they can work remotely or can go self-employed and work from home. Many want more space and a better quality of life at home and they’re investing in extensions, conversions and kitchen resprays, as well as new kitchens.
The problem – as with homes and petrol – is that prices have risen and it’s difficult to find tradespeople to carry out improvement work in a reasonable timescale.
Now, we’re the same, we’re busy. Demand is high for our expert services of respraying kitchens in Ashton, Altrincham and Ashton.
