Moving with Beeb relocation to Salford quays... Anyone else?

[topsmart]

Okay, here goes, I am initiating my first proper thread.

DP's job is moving from london to salford quays next year. We finally have a move date of march 2011 (after signing up in sept 2010...) So it's all suddenly real and I have to shift our lives and get a nursery then school for DD who turns 5 next academic yr.

MN has proved invaluable for my manc research on areas to look at, so I wanted to thank anyone who's given anyone else advice on here as I have poached it all!

Now I'm wondering who else might be moving up as I'm sure some of you must be - or already have done. And I need heartwarming tales of how easy it has been to settle in. Or how much you need a new friend to go for a large glass of wine with!

Just wanted to pop in and offer my opinion. Lived in London about 10 years ago and have been in Manchester since. Spent a long time in Worsley and have recently moved to Sale.
Worsley plus points are access to nice woods and good links to city, liverpool, leeds and lancashire, downsides are that it's in Salford, there's absolutely NO coffee culture (unless you count the big Tesco in Walkden as a coffee house) and whilst people are maybe cash rich there isn't much intellectual wealth (I know that makes me sound like a hideous snob but I found it quite depressing after a bit that I was surrounded by Daily Mail readers). It's very white and still quite (quietly) racist.

The M60 J13 is an absolute nightmare in the morning and makes a journey that should be 10 mins be over an hour from around 7;30am onwards. Journey's home on the M60 at rush hour are hideous and soul destroying and there's no sneaky short cuts.

Oh and you can hear the M60 everywhere.
Monton looks pretty from a quick drive through but is scary at night and the sort of place that serves goats cheese with chinese dipping sauce and thinks that it's cutting edge (if it was a london suburb it'd be crammed full of cutting edge local shops and delis, as is it's got Fabric for wannabe wags and fellicinis pizzeria which serves goats cheese with....)

Sale on the other hand i love. It's not the prettiest town centre but it's well used and the people seem to have a real community spirit. There are walks and cycle rides a plenty and although the water park is not as nice as Worsley woods to look at, it's well maintained and a great place for a run.
Plus there's the tram, easy and quick way to get into Manchester. Sale leisure centre is busy and popular, great classes and much used pool.
There's a real mix of houses but if you like old victorian/edwardian houses there's loads of them so you don't have to be in a new suburban box.

Stretford and Old Trafford are at the minute around 10-15 years away from being places that I'd live in. There's a lot of casual car crime in Stretford and not much to do and Stretford Mall is one of the most depressing places I have ever set foot in. On the plus side it's close to Chorlton and to town.

Chorlton's fab if you're in your 20's and childless. Don't think the schools are great and there's a level of grime that would annoy me after spending the premium it costs to live there.
Whalley Range is like Stretford and not quite there yet, don't know if I'd choose to be there with children although I've already shown what I like by choosing to live in Sale.
Altrincham nice too although Hale and Bowden nicer (and pricier).

Thanks, salvadory.

There are so many of us in Sale now I think we could start our own website.

salvadory, your post made me laugh. We are moving to Stretford - luckily we don't have a car.

sarahfreck dp cycles.

topsmart how is the settling in going? have you got any further with primaries?

sarah - that wasn't meant to sound snappy btw - I used to live opposite Christie Hospital, I totally get the hospital employees parking problem!

Cheers iskra, it's going well here in sunny old Trafford

• all unpacked! (well, most stuff shoved hastily into loft as my parents visited at the weekend)

LEA have told us they'll use our new address as basis of school application, hurrah! So we're in with a fighting chance of Seymour park... Think we find out mid-April. Back to work for me tomorrow, managed to keep my job but do it from our Bolton office. Possibly not as glam as Westminster but hey, I get to drive rather than tube. Have to say my main feeling is that it all feels terribly normal, living here. So I think that means we made the right decision :) What's happening with your stretford place? Watch out for car insurance price hike :)

Welcome to Old Trafford Topsmart! It's not a bad old area at all!!

Salvadory
I use M60 between Stockport and Eccles. Never a problem. Was last year but traffic lights at one of the junctions has sorted it.
Can't hear motorways here. Monton has a deli with Barbakan breads collected by owner every morning, every type of cheese, cured hams etc. Monton Coffee House is independent, food a bit run of mill, but proper coffee so no need for a Nero. I don't know ant Mail readers. Every passing me on a sun morning is carrying an Observer.

It's a long shot, but does anyone know any single parents who are coming up with the BBC move? I know how hard it can be to afford a decent house in a good area when you're on your own and I'm trying to find like-minded parents who might be interested in discussing a house share in Old Trafford / Firswood / Chorlton or possible Didsbury. I currently live in Swinton with my 5 year old. This area has been good to us, with beautiful parks, low crime levels and a wonderful house on a quiet street for next-to-nothing (it also has a primary school that's in the country's top 1% - but my son didn't get in!) Now he is of school age and it's difficult because children play in the street on their own and there's a real 'toughen up' attitude to little boys which IMHO is much too premature. (I don't want to smother and stifle my son, nor do I want to shave his head and let him play violent video games etc.) It's really hard to articulate any of this without sounding snobby, but I have read snobbier comments than mine in this thread so thought I would be bold(!) I work in media and earn enough to prevent me from being entitled to benefits, but not enough to rent a property in a decent area. I am currently looking at paying an extra £200 a month for a flat above a shop in Chorlton, which would make leaving our lovely little house a real wrench, if even possible.
The other thing I am interested in doing is finding a reliable lodger who wouldn't mind living in a family home. I could rent a 3 bed with a garden in Firswood / OT for £700 a month and could afford £500 towards that, so it would be a real bargain for someone - but unfortunately I'm stuck in catch 22 as I can't afford to make the leap to £700 a month without a lodger in place and I can't advertise a room that doesn't exist yet(!)
This is really taking it out of me, I desperately want to raise my son in an area with like-minded parents and space for him to run around, but right now it feels like an impossibility. With two incomes, I could afford to share a substantial family home in a great area with another single parent family (not without complications, but also potentially very beneficial in terms of quality of accommodation and sharing childcare duties etc.) If you are single or know a colleage who is and might be interested in this, please do get in touch.
(Sorry for crashing this thread - clutching at straws here!)

Hi everyone!

Well, I've got some news. I'm heading up to Manchester for a "chat" about a runner's position within a fairly big post production company (want to keep it anon at the moment). They asked for my CV, I sent it ia email and within 10 minutes was invited up for a chat about the position, all after making an initial phonecall. Now, my lecturers have told me to act like it's a job interview, but they're just saying a chat. Is this an interview by another name? What should I expect? The lady I spoke to went through what the job entails, so what else could there be to talk about?

Confused, bit nervous and a bit excited too :)

Hi, just wanted to ask if anyone has any views they want to share about central kind of areas in manchester? I'm thinking maybe rusholme or anywhere that's fairly central really, is there any central places people would recommend looking at?
We're not with the bbc so hope you don't mind me butting into the thread, just dh's work does have another office in manchester so we started thinking of the possibility of transferring (because we will never be able to afford a house down here) and I feel quite keen on the idea now, although would not be able to do it straight away but I just want to research a bit.
What's important to me is facilities for children, children's centres etc, okay schools, parks/playgrounds, decent transport links, easily accessible to shops and necessities (currently dont drive but want to learn,ideal if can get to most stuff by walking though)& mixed diverse community (non racist area)
I read the other thread but not seen many of the more central areas seem to be mentioned that much so would be good to have any input if any local people can share
thank you!

Cheers mrsmackie! Loving old trafford. Fancy a meet up?
Firawla, can thoroughly recommend it. I think it counts as central-ish! (less than a tenner in a cab from piccadilly).
We're halfway between city centre and Chorlton. So you get bigger houses for your money but you're still very near everything. Nice parks. Trams and buses everywhere. And it's definitely diverse! Let me (or Mrsmackie, if she doesn't mind me speaking for her) know if you spot any nice houses on rightmove or similar and we can advise on streets. Daughter about to start school in september, so we hope the one we've got is good (seymour park, hurrah).
And sorry Alrightmum and Lollipopviolet, wish I could offer any useful advice/contacts but i've got nothing! good luck to both of you

Topsmart - definitely up for meeting up. Let me know when is good for you. I am on mat leave at moment so quite flexible! So, you got Seymour park school - great news. I know of a few local mums with children there and have only ever heard good things. We will be putting it down as first choice for my daughter (who will start 2012). Firawla - OT is very handy for the city centre and has improved lots over the last few years. It is walking distance to chorlton and has really good bus-routes into the city. Topsmart is right in that you get a lot more house for your money than you do in other areas. Also, you get Trafford schools which are generally very good. It is a very diverse area and generally very friendly where we are. Happy to give you pointers on different roads etc if need be
Re Rusholme, don't know it that well and for me it is probably just a little bit too close to the city. I think there are some nice houses up towards platt fields park though which is a bit further out. Fab place to get a curry though!

What about Urmston and Flixton? Never mentnioned on these threads but lovely areas, great schools and quite affordable with a mix of Edwardian houses and lots of 1930s type semis. Nicer than OT, less anti-social behaviour and stuff. On a train route into town. (10 mins) It isn't 'bohemian' like Chorlton but there is stuff going on there.

Near Trafford Centre if you like shopping but avoidable if you don't and also near motorways.

Advise checking it out.

Just noticed someone HAS mentioned Urmston! Good!

thanks for your replies, will have a look at old trafford

Hurrahh, thanks fifitot, we're house-hunting in Urmston & Flixton this weekend, nice to get some reassurrance! Can I pick your brains re; specific roads etc (if we see something we like)?

Yes please do. Happy to help.

Been in OT for 5 years and never really experienced any anti-social behaviour. Guess it may depend whereabouts you are ( we are just a few mins from Chorlton). I would agree that Urmston is nice - lovely property and quite a nice town centre, with all the good Trafford schools close by of course. Have some friends who live in Flixton - they like it there although they have commented that it is not a very mixed community in terms of ethnic groups etc (compared to Chorlton where they moved from) so if you are looking for an area that is culturally diverse then perhaps this isn't the right place for you.

Sorry didn't mean to be ignorant. Some parts of OT are quite rough but the bits near Chorlton are very nice. Firswood is nice and think the area around Victoria Park is good.

how mixed/diverse is stretford? is it just flixton which is not? seen some nice big & cheap houses in stretford when searching. most of the stuff available is soo nice, makes everything here look like crap in comparison
also what are these areas like for children's centres and that kind of thing, do they all have it?
thanks

Old trafford is Trafford yes - so we get Trafford schools. Whalley Range is where it becomes Manchester. Like in a lot of places, Stretford has it's good bits and bad bits. Lovely houses around Victoria park and my brother in law lives just off Sandy lane in a lovely street. The Sure start centre in stretford (poplar rd) is pretty good.

thanks mrs mackie :)

iskra, how're you getting on with your stretford house?

Still loving Manchester. The mummies up here are a marvellous bunch! what would I have done without mumsnet and all of your contributions?