Seeking 'middle class' communities/market towns in Midlands/north

[Silversky70]

Hi. We are desperate to move to a nice community in the north or north Midlands. Probably a market town as we're sick of the city and probably not ready for a village. We want somewhere that feels safe and friendly which is the opposite of what we have now. We'd need good schools. Can anyone suggest anywhere so that I can start my research. We really want to get out of where we are. Thank you.

Budget for a detached property of £250k max which is the problem!

Don’t move to Chesterfield! The council have made it very deceiving, the outskirts are lovely and well pruned, nice houses and middle class. Once you get into the town there’s years worth of rubbish strewn everywhere, antisocial behaviour is so rife it’s a rarity to walk into town without seeing anything ‘kick off’. It has some nice parts but the state of the central town is not worth it at all. I’ve had a bag full of dog shit hung near my house for over a year now as the council are horrendous at keeping up the highways. It’s honestly vile and I’m shocked at the fake reputation the town has managed to uphold. I’m ashamed to be from here really! The amount I spend on council tax just for the town to be a constant shit tip is ridiculous. I’ve outed myself now but I just thought I’d warn you. There are lots of nice places around us though like Holymoorside or Walton, but then you’ve still got to go into the centre I suppose

Ripon - just about doable on £250k.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-59847261.html

Plenty going on, fantastic schools, beautiful countryside.

www.theguardian.com/money/2019/apr/26/lets-move-to-ripon-north-yorkshire

East Leake, Loughborough, Ashby de la Zouch?

I live extremely close by and I wouldn’t call any of those places ‘middle class’! Obviously all of them have nice parts but none have the middle class feel that the OP seems to be looking for.

Northern Ireland, north coast Portstewart / Bushmills area

Yeah, really not Harrogate - you’d be lucky to get a 2 bed semi on £250k budget!! Maybe Knaresborough?

Worth having a look at Lincolnshire for semi rural and affordable (my parents live there). There are some lovely market towns like Louth and Market Rasen but I am not sure how “middle class” they are. And also where you’d work. Fascinates me what people do other than farming in the area!

Not sure I would call Ripon (or Harrogate for that matter) middle class either soy, neither are rough, both are pleasant.

Selby or Ripon. I think you should try to increase your budget op, can you save any more? It’s really hard to find all the things you want. Some semis are pretty good on soundproofing and you’d get a better area.

How far north?

I was thinking Bournville but £250k won’t get you much. Maybe a small terrace on the edge of Bournville. Access to excellent schools but your kids will need to be super bright to get into the best grammars.

If you go north west, you could look at Lancaster but you won’t necessarily get detached. But you could buy a modest and very well built Victorian terrace for your budget. Lancaster grammars are amongst the top in the UK. But very competitive to get into.

I was also thinking of Kendal but I’m not sure your budget would stretch.

Don’t know why you want a detached house - in midlands and northern towns the best quality properties tend to be stone (in the north) or brick (midlands) Victorian terraces which have been well looked after. Far better built than most 20th century house construction.

You might look at places between Liverpool and Manchester - glossing, or over towards Hebden Bridge.

You could also look around Leicester, but again your budget would limit you.

sure you'll find something in Beverley, its a beautiful place.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E146&maxPrice=270000

Alcester - it even has a grammar school

Don’t think you’d get much for £250k there, though. Well, not anything nice or well-built.

Second Lancaster. Good luck.

Beverley is nice, but very mixed. DD lived there for a while before escaping back to Hull.😁

Harrogate is like Beverley imo Lady, genteel, lovely old buildings, naice shops for folks with plenty of cash to spend. But on the OP’s budget you wouldn’t be living in the nice part of town .

Don't rule out semis/ end of terraces entirely OP if your wanting to live somewhere like Kendal/Cumbria. There are lots of old stone built properties with really thick walls and it's not much different to living in a detached but you get more for your money.

How many bedrooms, OP?

Absolutely agree @TheCumbrian And if the OP lookS carefully, without prejudice or preconceptions, she’ll find good quality northern stone terraces which are sturdy and well built in comparison with modern detached houses. But I’ve always owned big old stone houses at least 150 years old.

I could suggest Morecambe - the OP would get a lot for her budget. But not quite the middle-class was she seeks.

Kirby Lonsdale is a possibility, but again the budget is tight. Near to Preston would suit the budget, but I think the OP might’ve a bit tender for Preston itself - although I really like Preston - a great museum, a fab market, and super shopping for the area. And a superb bus station (local joke).

I don't know if middle class is how to sum it up really. We're quite frightened for our dc where we are and want them to have a better quality of life.

I suggest you look at a village in close proximity to a bigger area with lots to do in that case. You won't get a house in the sort of area you're talking about on your budget but you might do on the outskirts of it.

You could get this in Alcester for 240k.

you'd have more choice over the border in Worcestershire

lovely barn conversion

project house

Malvern

Lichfield/Armitage/Yoxall/Kings Bromley/Alrewas/Abbots Bromley/Uttoxeter. All lovely. You might just get a detached for £250k if you're lucky. I'll sell you mine 😂😂

Would you look at Scotland, OP? You'd get a 3 bed detached for £250k in some quite nice places in/around Glasgow I think, and it really is a brilliant place to live.

Or change your job and move to Wales. Your budget will go a long way here! Good luck with your move.

I haven't got chance to look at these today, but thank you! Dh can't leave his job as he is on a good salary and wouldn't necessarily earn so much elsewhere. We would love either Wales or Scotland: maybe for retirement instead!

Uttoxeter, Leek, Stone or Cheadle in Staffordshire. Barton under Needwood if you would like it to be smaller.

OP, where does he need to commute to?