Liverpool vs Manchester Regeneration

Again, drawing the sphere of influence and power away from the south and giving property trends in northern cities the opportunity to have a greater impact in the broader population, MediaCityUK has provided the Salford area of Manchester with a huge digital hub that has become a massive draw for young people, students and entrepreneurs wanting to work in a digital sector.

As expected, property with ease-of-access to this state-of-the-art facility is in high demand from those who want to potentially work there, and so if you’re an investor with property in the surrounding area, it’s a huge bonus.

Today, of course, MediaCityUK is home to the television studios of the likes of BBC and ITV.

With direct opportunities for the students of Salford University to get into this industry, it’s no surprise that Manchester is a popular student city – with one of the biggest student populations in the entirety of Europe.

In terms of regeneration for the future, MediaCityUK is a great place to be within the vicinity of if you’re a student/residential property investor seeking to benefit from surrounding growth.

Peel group recently revealed that they had successfully secured £292m worth of funding to go into the construction/expansion of the hub over the next ten years.

The £800 million NOMA scheme is one of the most notable and impressive developments to happen in Manchester, with a handful of amazing buildings and projects seated just north of the heart of the city centre.

Aimed at attracting more businesses and enterprises to come to the area and inspired by San Francisco’s SOMA, the space includes notable buildings such as One Angel Square and grade II listed Hanover Building, which is undergoing renovations to give the stunning architecture a new lease of life while allowing it to stay within the city.

For an investor looking at Manchester, projects such as NOMA are incredibly reassuring and promising, as they support the flow of employees into the city via job opportunities, making property investment more viable and, again, more profitable, too.

With the North West generally receiving much more investment and promise going forward, there are also investment projects within the Greater Manchester area that make the city an exciting place to be in and around.

The £1.4bn Mayfield regeneration project, for example, which aims to transform the 30-acre piece of unused land behind Piccadilly station into a large park for urban residents to escape to, something that the urban landscape doesn’t really have in terms of green space to get away from the hustle and bustle.

These plans indicate that regeneration in Manchester shows no signs of slowing down, and that there’s always something interesting and innovative being added to the already multifaceted city by developers.

Forming the central commercial retail district in the heart of Liverpool’s city centre, Liverpool ONE has become a must-visit spot in the city and often where many begin when visiting.

Since opening post-regeneration in 2008 (the same year that Liverpool was named the European capital of culture), the hub has provided facilities such as a cinema, bars, restaurants, and many high-street giant retail stores for shopping opportunities.

With a modern, open-plan design, the area acts not just as a collection of excellent retail stores but also as a jump-off point into the many varying sectors the city offers.

Only a short walk away is the Albert Dock, again with plenty of different attractions (from museums to music venues, etc.), and just another walk in the opposite direction will set your sights on the business district, which has plenty of exciting Liverpool property investments in the pipeline.

A city known for its rich football heritage and legacy, Liverpool attracts thousands upon thousands of visitors each year just for the beautiful game, with legendary Premier League sides Everton and Liverpool sharing the city in a fierce rivalry that is only matched by their combined disdain for Manchester football clubs.

The latest stadium development plans are for a new Everton ground. Known as Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, the new site will replace Goodison Park and relocate the Merseyside Blues to a state-of-the-art waterfront venue.

Not only will the park have better seating and a fan area outside of the ground, but facilities inside will compete with the best that the football world has to offer, all while retaining the historic, classic look and feel of the city with its respectful architectural design.

In terms of current world champions Liverpool F.C’s regenerative effect on the city of Liverpool, their home ground at Anfield is constantly growing and expanding in order to encompass and include new fans that are desperate to watch the team play and the season ticket waiting lists are years long at this point.

The stadium expansion and growth have spilt over into the community surrounding the ground, too, with retail and fan experiences, cafés, bars, restaurants, and community centres all feeling the benefit of the team’s success.

Speaking on football’s success and its impact on the city of Liverpool, former Mayor Joe Anderson said in the news when Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019 that it would be worth around £150 million to the city in terms of tourism and growth (and that’s coming from an Everton fan!).

Again, from an investment standpoint, this just goes to show the effect that some of the cultural surroundings can have on a property, its demand, and ultimately its value.