Moving from London to Manc - please help

[Talkingofsunshine]

Yet another thread on this!

We currently live with our two small children (3 and a young baby) in SE London. My DH has been offered a job in Manchester. He’s originally from the area and we’ve always wanted to move back up.

For various reasons we will probably be looking to rent in Manchester initially until I can get a new job as can’t do my current role remotely and we don’t want to get a mortgage on a single income. Once we both have jobs our budget to buy will be around £450k max but would like to spend less if possible. Would love a garden and 3-4 beds. Would rather be in a villagey area as have spent years in very urban London but willing to consider anywhere.

Our priority is schools as our oldest child will be attending school from Sept 2022. DH will be working in an office on the tram line in east Manchester so being near a tram would be great but not essential, a good train service though would be handy as don’t want to drive to commute.

We have close family in the Midlands so ideally would be looking at south Manchester to make it easier to visit them (nothing against north Manchester at all as we know some lovely places there and would certainly get more for our money! But really want to be closer to family after years of isolation in London).

I know the Trafford area is highly recommended but not sure we’re fussed about grammar school system so don’t want to pay through the nose for the sake of it.

Would people recommend the Heatons/Cheadle Hulme etc for schools?

Panicking slightly as want to be in somewhere by schools app deadline to give my DC a chance!

Any advice very welcome. Thank you

@CatsForLife

Whitefield/Prestwich don’t offer a village feel. They are the outer suburbs of Manchester. Too built up and lack of coherent central facilities IMO. You need to look north Greater Manchester, like Bury. Ramsbottom has loads of restaurants/cafes, swimming pool, nice shops, library and the steam train. Areas like Holcombe Brook, Greenmount and Tottington are lovely too but not as well equipped in terms of facilities. The default on these threads is south Manchester. It’s not easily commutable to Failsworth and close to London prices. Didsbury and Chorlton always rolled out. See above. Saddleworth is lovely but bad in winter (snow and ice) and also not an easy place to get in and out of in terms of access.

It’s literally called Prestwich Village!

@Soontobe60 just because it's called a village doesn't mean it feels like one. Prestwich doesn't have a community type village feel like Ramsbottom, Bramhall, Chorlton Green, Heaton Moor. I've always considered Prestwich as busy nearby extension of the city centre.

It’s called Prestwich Village... . It’s has never been a village. It’s a city surburb. And I’ve never heard it called that. Might have stuck a sign up to make it sound less city-like, but seriously! I’ve lived in Greater Manchester all my life. I’m still giggling over that.

I know that area quite well and Prestwich is definately not a village or even urban village in the same way as Heaton's or Didsbury's etc

@CatsForLife

It’s called Prestwich Village... . It’s has never been a village. It’s a city surburb. And I’ve never heard it called that. Might have stuck a sign up to make it sound less city-like, but seriously! I’ve lived in Greater Manchester all my life. I’m still giggling over that.

Prestwich is part of Bury Council - one of the 6 towns that make up Bury. Those of us who live there, or very near by, do think of it as an urban ‘village’. Not in the sense of a cutesy village with a green and one local pub. It’s a lovely place to live anyhow.

Gosh thanks everyone for your super helpful comments. It’s been hugely useful

I think we’ll definitely take a good look at Prestwich and Whitefield. Really good to know about traffic problems etc in Marple and although we’re both enchanted by Saddleworth really helpful to know about the ice and snow situation.

May have to let go of the village dream as in reality I guess we have to prioritise the commute and good schools! Appreciate advice also on the tram. I’m not sure where I’ll end up working…

If you are looking at areas in Stockport, catchment areas are in place for most of the schools so you would probably need to check that any house you're interested in is matching up with the school that you're interested in. I have friends in Heaton Moor/Mersey and there have been quite a few housing developments built over recent years, not sure if school places have been increased in line with this. I know Cheadle Hulme High School is in high demand and oversubscribed, their academic achievement figures are very good. Friends have children at Priestnall high school in Heaton Moor and I think they seem happy with that school. Tithe Barn primary school in H Moor also extremely popular (and both are oversubscribed). House prices in Heaton Moor have increased a lot in the last few years. It's near to the East Didsbury tram line and also the Heaton Chapel railway station.
I have colleagues who have moved to Bramhall and have lovely houses with gardens at a far better price than they would have found in the "trendy" South Manchester suburbs (which are often mostly terraced properties with small back yards, so prices there are at a premium for semis with gardens) but they don't have children yet so I don't have any feedback on schools in Bramhall. I did find with travelling into Marple that the traffic was often quite heavy getting in and out of the town as there aren't a lot of alternative routes to use so the traffic tends to back up at pinch points.

Some of my work colleagues live in the Saddleworth area and I think you would definitely get more for your money in that area, the winters there can be harsher though with more snow than in South Manc

Bramhall has some ok priced areas and some eye wateringly expensive roads. Primaries are decent. The high school fell out of favour after a poor ofsted but the area would suggest it cant really be too dire and there's plenty of other good schools about.