A Hong Kong family consider moving to Warrington

[mgmismicgmic]

Hi all, we are a HK family and we are thinking of moving to Warrington next year.

Having a few questions, would be great if anyone can share their experience with us.

1. Are the good/outstanding primary schools easily oversubscribe in Warrington? Which areas they usually locate on?
   

1. Is it easy to find a short-term rent property in Warrington? We plan to buy one after landed, so need a "tentative home" with furnitures before we can move in.
   

1. Having browsed on Mumsnet and learned Chapelford was not a very recommending area in 2 or 3 years ago, is it getting better now?
   

1. How is Great Sankey? I knew it has a new railway station nearby, is it a safe place for kid?
   

Thank you all~!

[Evelefteden]

@Pieceofpurplesky

I would look at places such as Frodsham
Or Northwhich (specifically Winnington Village for houses).
I am not a fan of Warrington and find the nicer areas more expensive.

My friend lives in Winnington Village. It’s expensive but lovely. Very very manicured lawns. Not too far from the town centre but you will need a car. It’s very Stepford Housewives

[telemache]

OP, you may find it easier to settle in either Manchester or Liverpool as you are more likely to find a community and public transport is easier. What sector do you work in? - lots of jobs available in both cities.

[SunnyUpNorth]

I live in Stockton Heath which is south Warrington, very near Grappenhall, Appleton, Thelwall etc. We moved from London and we absolutely LOVE it here. We looked at moving to the Wirral but Warrington is so much more accessible. There is a fast train to London very frequently. There are two train stations servicing Manchester and Liverpool. We are so close to the motorway system so it’s very easy to get anywhere.

There are some outstanding schools. Most are good, but are really lovely schools and easy enough to get a place. Most will try and accommodate new pupils.

There is so much greenery and countryside around us. Warrington town centre isn’t the prettiest but it’s very convenient for shopping and the south suburbs have a totally different feel.

I would definitely avoid Chapelford. It has a lot of problems and crime. I would stay south. There are a lot of threads about these areas if you search.

Good luck with your move, I hope it works out for you. Oh and you shouldn’t have any trouble renting, short term or for 6 months plus. It may take you a few months to get your bearings, find an area and house you like etc, so I wouldn’t worry about that.

[mgmismicgmic]

[quote Pinkdelight3]You can get serviced apartments on shorter lets than six months. We used similar for three months when we were having the house refurbed.
These kinds of places - www.ebutler.co.uk/[/quote]
Great it seems fit my needs! Thanks a lot!

[mgmismicgmic]

[quote Pinkdelight3]You can get serviced apartments on shorter lets than six months. We used similar for three months when we were having the house refurbed.
These kinds of places - www.ebutler.co.uk/[/quote]
Great it seems fit my needs! Thanks a lot!

[mgmismicgmic]

@telemache

OP, you may find it easier to settle in either Manchester or Liverpool as you are more likely to find a community and public transport is easier. What sector do you work in? - lots of jobs available in both cities.

Thanks. We would also explore both side. How is Whitefield / Radcliffe in Manchester? These places are on my exploring list as well.

[crimsonlake]

South Liverpool is certainly not too industrial, the area is a lovely suburb of Liverpool and houses are costly.
I lived in Appleton, Warrington for many years, again houses here are very expensive but schools are generally very good. As far as being oversubscribed well you would have to make some inquiries within the schools you identify.
There are buses that run in to Warrington but they are not particularly frequent. Shopping wise, I and many others avoided going in to the town centre shopping as it is quite dire. I think the only good thing about it is that the parking is free on Sundays. Travelling through Warrington by car during the rush hour is bumper to bumper and the same after 3pm.
Warrington is conveniently situated for both Manchester and Liverpool, however after 7am the commute to Manchester is a nightmare, equally it is bad heading in to Liverpool and would be the same for both on the return journey.

[Sunshinespacecadet]

Warrington is up and coming. The town centre is being developed and it’s very accessible to Liverpool and Manchester.
The countryside is beautiful, great walks on the transpennine way and in the dingle, Stretton, Appleton and Appleton Thorn.
South Warrington is lovely with good schools and Stockton Heath has some good shops and restaurants

[Evelefteden]

Thanks. We would also explore both side. How is Whitefield / Radcliffe in Manchester? These places are on my exploring list as well

No, it’s bloody awful.

[Frazzled2207]

I would definitely look at South Manchester/Stockport and South Liverpool.
Don’t know Warrington well but it would be a challenge without a car. Stockton Heath and Grappenhall are definitely nice but expensive. Other places work looking at if you can sort a drivers licence are Northwich and Frodsham.

Best of luck. Getting into schools is difficult assuming your children are 5 and over- you will basically need to ring round and see where there are spaces and I doubt they could offer you anything until you had a fixed-ish address.
Airbnb is your best bet initially, then a 6-12 month rental. It will take you a while to figure out where best to buy and then to actually buy. It will probably be worth looking at new build estates- soulless but safe places and a bit more straightforward to buy due to no chain (you can move in as soon as it it built rather than waiting for the people living there to be able to move on to their new house). There are new build developments for all budgets.

[user67864]

Not much extra to add here than what others have said. My work is transport related though and have to agree Warrington might not be a great commute into Manchester. I think you would be better choosing an area closer to Manchester or Liverpool. I don't know Liverpool that well but agree areas of South Manchester is probably the nicest. Although it completely depends on your budget. There are nice parts and not so nice of most areas.

Really just posted as I wanted to say it must be a very sad and scary situation for you right now. I don't know a lot but I have been reading into what is happening in HK. I hope you will feel welcome here and in the long run happy.

[Ginfilledcats]

I used to live 10 mins from Warrington and I commutes by train from our village to Liverpool (40 min on slow train 20 on the quick. Ish.) and my partner commuted to Manchester (15 min quick train, 40 min slow. Ish).

We liked our quiet village (Newton me willows) but a nice village closer to Warrington I'd reccomend stockton Heath.

However Warrington itself is a bit grim. I too would recommend living in Cheshire or South Liverpool. Or indeed Lancashire: ormskirk is lovely and can get the train to both cities easy.

[NanFlanders]

I'd agree with South Liverpool - Aigburth, Allerton, Mossley Hill. Very green with lots of lovely parks and the schools are great too. Check out Belvedere Academy and the Blue Coat school

[happytoday73]

I wouldn't bother with Radcliffe. Whitefield is much better of the two.. has some very affluent areas, resteraunts, bars, better schools etc. More of a mix of people.

Yes power station shut down.. Give it 5- 10 years ti be demolished. Also a new road set up going in to ease Warrington centres horrific traffic. So long term improvement

M62 Warrington to Manchester is horrible well before 7am. Trains are often delayed and v congested.

Warrington Centre to me is slowly dying... And can only see shopping getting worse. Council has tried and some areas look better.

I'd look at South Warrington villages and areas along m56 if want this area... So Frodsham, Appleton, Stockton heath etc as others have suggested. They aren't cheap though.
Its a very white British area outside more expensive areas that doesn't have the cultural mix of Liverpool and especially Manchester.

If you are willing to say budget and size of house people will be able to help better.

I wish you every success with your move...

[Pieceofpurplesky]

Eve it is a bit Stepdord Wives but great access to good schools!

[Cowmama]

Hi, I am from Hong Kong too and is planning to Warrington this year. Have you finally gone to Warrington? I am looking Great Sankey and would like to know what do you feel on that place or Warrington if you have settled there. Thanks.

[ToryStelling]

Hi @Cowmama great to hear you’re thinking of moving to Warrington!

There are some interesting comments on this thread. I’ve lived in Warrington for most of my life and have lived in a few different areas.

Stockton Heath/Thelwall/Grappenhall are quite nice but very expensive and traffic around those areas can be a nightmare.

The north/west of Warrington is a great place to be, IMO. We’ve lived in Stockton Heath, Grappenhall, Great Sankey and even the dreaded Chapelford and all areas were absolutely fine for us. The new station near Chapelford is now fully open.

We live in Callands at the moment and it’s the perfect base for us. I’d highly recommend Callands. We have everything on our doorstep, all within walking distance, along with some gorgeous walks close by. It’s a lovely, quiet area and the traffic is definitely better than south Warrington from our experience. We’re also a 2 minute drive from the M62, and can be in Liverpool/Mcr within 30 minutes. I don’t think we’ll be moving from here for a long time!

[Subbaxeo]

I work in Warrington and think there are far nicer towns in the proximity. Warrington is quite ugly and industrial and the best thing about it is easy transport connections. Local countryside is flat and uninspiring. Someone mentioned Frodsham-very nice market town with good train connections to Liverpool and Manchester. Liverpool or Manchester would be far nicer places to live with a nicer vibe, shopping and parks. Or Chester is a great city, too.

[ShakeaHettyFeather]

For when you are looking to rent, the Shelter website has good articles setting out your rights when renting, how deposit protection works, etc. Rightmove is the main website for houses for sale, if you want to look at how much you could get for your money in different areas. But UK cities are way more spacious than HK - a mile from the centre of Manchester or Liverpool would get you a house with garden, for example, and blocks of flats over 4-5 storeys are rare.

[2orangey]

I agree with PP that south Manchester might be a better choice than Warrington.

Since you don't drive, there is a tram line which goes through Altrincham/Timperley/Sale/Stretford (all nice areas to live, on average getting more expensive the further out you get) and into the city centre, where you get links to national railway, airport, and shops (including Asian supermarkets).

There are also parks and links to green spaces along the canals. It isn't far to get out to the pretty countryside villages(eg Dunham Massey).

And schools in Trafford are well thought of.

[Tinkcat33]

I live in Chapelford! The area is nice and safe. Good schools.
There is a new train station called Warrington west which goes directly to Manchester or Liverpool.
I have seen many Hong Kong families move to great Sankey recently.
Warrington is more affordable than Manchester for properties.
Usually you can called Warrington borough council education department to ask about availability on schools. The closer you live to a school the better.
Lymm, Appleton, Stockton Heath, grappenhall, thelwall are lovely with older properties however they are usually more expensive