Greater Manchester
Main towns: Greater Manchester is broken down into ten boroughs. They are the City of Manchester, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton, Wigan, City of Salford and Trafford.
Demographics: Greater Manchester has a black and minority ethnic population of 9%. The percentage varies across the county, from 1.3% in Wigan to 19% in the city of Manchester.
An estimated 495,000 residents in Manchester are aged 15 and under, whilst approximately 490,000 are aged 60 and over.
The employment rate in Greater Manchester stands at about 73%, which is significantly lower than the national average, which stands at 78%. Art, tourism and sport account for 16% of all jobs in Greater Manchester. On a government index of the most deprived areas in the country, all areas in Greater Manchester fall within the 33% worst affected areas.
The proportion of the population collecting benefits is 2.8%, which is slightly higher than the national average of 2.5%. Car ownership levels have risen significantly in recent years and currently stand at approximately 1.17million.
The county is home to a huge transient student population and experiences high numbers of tourists as well.
Population: Greater Manchester has an estimated residential population of 2.5million people living in 1million domestic properties.
Places of Interest: Manchester has a rich cultural history and the county is famous for sport and interest. Famous theatres include the Manchester Apollo, the Salford Lowry, the Oldham Playhouse – one of Britain’s oldest theatres - and the Palace.
The county is also famous for two of its football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United. Their home grounds – the City of Manchester Stadium and Old Trafford – attract tourists and football fans alike.
Manchester is not so famous for its countryside, but north of the city lays 500 square miles of woodland and greenery. Areas of the Peak District fall within Greater Manchester as do several famous waterways. The Haigh Country Park in Wigan offers 40 miles of ‘secluded woodland trails and canal towpaths’.
House/Flat Prices: The average price of a property in Manchester today, including houses and flats, is £175,000. The average price five years ago, in February 2009, was £135,000.
Planning issues: 1,000 new homes are to be built in the Miles Platting district of Manchester. Plans were confirmed after Hazel Blears approved a compulsory purchase order.
The compulsory purchase order was necessary in order to privately owned land and buildings which will need clearance. The scheme will involve the building of 1000 homes for sale, several small parks and a brand new neighbourhood centre at the junction of Varley Street and Oldham Road. New shops will also be built, as will be a joint services centre including a library, housing office and health services for residents.
Elsewhere, plans have been approved for a major refurbishment of Manchester’s town hall complex. The £165million scheme could take up to five years to complete and an options appraisal, which looks at the potential for including the construction of new homes in the scheme, is currently being carried out.