Let's move to Moss Side, Manchester

Let's move to Moss Side, Manchester

What a difference 20 years makes

Moss Side, Manchester: It's changed. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

What's going for it? There was a time, not so long ago, when the very mention of the words "Moss" and "Side" in one sentence could chill the blood. This was Manchester's Southside, a place where lurked monsters, where the police and ambulance sirens were the nearest you got to birdsong. I'm not going to say everything's ended up happy ever after, but it's definitely changed for the better. Memories linger, of course, of the 1981 riots, of all the gang-related deaths, and you always get some dolt – Chris Grayling, I'm looking at you – demonising the place. But so much energy has been poured into the area, it's a shadow of what it was 20 years ago. It's had only a fragment of the investment pumped into the new Emerald City of glass, but enough to turn it around, to build better relations with the police, as well as places like the Powerhouse library and family homes, to allow locals to tend the flowers in Cranswick Square and to tempt wannabes who can't afford Didsbury. Indeed, 2011's census has Moss Side's population up 30% in a decade, mostly young families. Plus, crime's lower than in Didsbury.
The case against Still has more than its fair share of community tensions. This is Student City, which might not make for the finest neighbours when you're winding the baby at 5am and they're rolling in from Curry Mile. Hope a future of austerity doesn't undo all the good work.
Well connected? You won't want for buses plying Princess and Wilmslow roads – almost one a minute, taking you to central Manchester in 10 minutes. Good cycle network, too.
Hang out at… Curry Mile, or, for the select among you, a quiche at the café at the Whitworth Art Gallery.
Schools Good. Primaries: Webster, St Kentingern's RC and St James CofE all "good", says Ofsted, with Holy Name RC, Heald Place and Wilbraham "outstanding". Manchester Academy, William Hulme's Grammar and Trinity CofE High "good". Xaverian College and Loreto College "outstanding".
Where to buy Moss Side is roughly the wedge of inner city bordered by Wilmslow Road, Princess Road and Wilbraham Road; it's mostly Victorian terraces, having escaped a lot of the postwar rebuilding of Hulme, with plenty of 1960s-1980s terraced infill and a smattering of hefty Victorian semis. Lots of recent new-build, too, often quite nice, such as The Maine Place, on the old Manchester City football ground.
Market values Semis, £140,000-£200,000. Terraces, £75,000-£180,000. Flats, £60,000-£120,000.
Bargain of the week To be honest, you'll be hard pressed not to find a bargain here.

From the streets

Laura Webber-Gant A lively, diverse place that's great for cycling and a short walk from both the university and hospital. But would I choose to live there again? Maybe not.
Sarah Irving One of the interesting developments in recent years is the appearance of a few Somali cafes. A lot are definitely men-only coffee affairs, but Merhaba, opposite Claremont Road Primary School, serves fantastic food for £4-5 all in. And for fresh, local organic veg, Moss Side Community Allotment is the place to be – an active group of residents who have cleared up several derelict allotments and now have chickens, vegetables, a mini-orchard, fruit bushes and plans for beehives.
• Live in Moss Side? Join the debate below.
Moss Side, Manchester: It's changed. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

What's going for it? There was a time, not so long ago, when the very mention of the words "Moss" and "Side" in one sentence could chill the blood. This was Manchester's Southside, a place where lurked monsters, where the police and ambulance sirens were the nearest you got to birdsong. I'm not going to say everything's ended up happy ever after, but it's definitely changed for the better. Memories linger, of course, of the 1981 riots, of all the gang-related deaths, and you always get some dolt – Chris Grayling, I'm looking at you – demonising the place. But so much energy has been poured into the area, it's a shadow of what it was 20 years ago. It's had only a fragment of the investment pumped into the new Emerald City of glass, but enough to turn it around, to build better relations with the police, as well as places like the Powerhouse library and family homes, to allow locals to tend the flowers in Cranswick Square and to tempt wannabes who can't afford Didsbury. Indeed, 2011's census has Moss Side's population up 30% in a decade, mostly young families. Plus, crime's lower than in Didsbury.
The case against Still has more than its fair share of community tensions. This is Student City, which might not make for the finest neighbours when you're winding the baby at 5am and they're rolling in from Curry Mile. Hope a future of austerity doesn't undo all the good work.
Well connected? You won't want for buses plying Princess and Wilmslow roads – almost one a minute, taking you to central Manchester in 10 minutes. Good cycle network, too.
Hang out at… Curry Mile, or, for the select among you, a quiche at the café at the Whitworth Art Gallery.
Schools Good. Primaries: Webster, St Kentingern's RC and St James CofE all "good", says Ofsted, with Holy Name RC, Heald Place and Wilbraham "outstanding". Manchester Academy, William Hulme's Grammar and Trinity CofE High "good". Xaverian College and Loreto College "outstanding".
Where to buy Moss Side is roughly the wedge of inner city bordered by Wilmslow Road, Princess Road and Wilbraham Road; it's mostly Victorian terraces, having escaped a lot of the postwar rebuilding of Hulme, with plenty of 1960s-1980s terraced infill and a smattering of hefty Victorian semis. Lots of recent new-build, too, often quite nice, such as The Maine Place, on the old Manchester City football ground.
Market values Semis, £140,000-£200,000. Terraces, £75,000-£180,000. Flats, £60,000-£120,000.
Bargain of the week To be honest, you'll be hard pressed not to find a bargain here.

From the streets

Laura Webber-Gant A lively, diverse place that's great for cycling and a short walk from both the university and hospital. But would I choose to live there again? Maybe not.
Sarah Irving One of the interesting developments in recent years is the appearance of a few Somali cafes. A lot are definitely men-only coffee affairs, but Merhaba, opposite Claremont Road Primary School, serves fantastic food for £4-5 all in. And for fresh, local organic veg, Moss Side Community Allotment is the place to be – an active group of residents who have cleared up several derelict allotments and now have chickens, vegetables, a mini-orchard, fruit bushes and plans for beehives.
• Live in Moss Side? Join the debate below.
Do you live in Totnes, Devon? Do you have a favourite haunt or pet hate?

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Ditulis oleh: Unknown - Saturday, September 8, 2012