Property report: Noisy neighbours drive demand

High-demand hotspots are appearing in Lancashire’s housing sector, thanks to their location on the doorstep of its big city neighbours.

Paul Walton, director at PWA Planning, says: “We’re seeing a big Greater Manchester influence on Lancashire’s development hotspots. Areas with a relatively easy commute into Manchester are popular.

A similar phenomenon is also taking place in towns and villages in West Lancashire.

Stuart Carter, associate director at Anderton Gables, agrees that developments with efficient connections – especially around the M6, M61 and M55 – are being boosted by the commuter market.

Demand for new residential development in the Ribble Valley and Preston areas is high, according to Caroline James, director at Trevor Dawson. “Ribble Valley’s popularity continues to deliver quality schemes which remain popular,” she says.

“Preston, while slightly behind in completions, is catching up quickly with improvements in infrastructure – particularly to the north, with unprecedented levels of new build. South Ribble and Pendle continue to be popular destinations and I expect this to continue over the next few years.”

We find it hard to successfully develop in towns when better sites are close to the greenbelt

However, some experts are concerned that popular areas may not have the services and facilities to cope with the rising demands of ongoing development.

“If all these are completed you could question whether there will be the infrastructure to cope in terms of schools, highways and general services.”

“Proximity to good schools and a range of leisure facilities are always main attractions for new housing developments for us,” says Andrew Darbyshire, land director at McDermott Homes.

Paul says: “In the short term, I think the current hotspots will remain popular.

“The new road and transport infrastructure in the county could also have a big impact, particularly the new M55 junction planned at Bartle, which will make parts of East Fylde much more desirable because of the quicker journey times,” adds Paul.

“We are seeing initial high levels of interest, with large developers and other residential providers already developing north of Preston, and looking to expand their portfolio into what is becoming a booming city,” he adds.