‘Best’ town is suburban ‘utopia’...
ALTRINCHAM has been named the Best Place to Live in the north west of England.
It is top of a list of eight locations in the region chosen by The Sunday Times in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide. Manchester also made it into the shortlist, particularly for the area around Manchester Piccadilly station, which has been commended for its redevelopment.
On Altrincham, judges described the Greater Manchester market town as where “suburbia meets utopia”. They particularly admired the area’s schools, with the girls’ grammar being named the north west state secondary school of the decade by The Sunday Times Parent Power guide, while the boys’ grammar landed second place. The convenient tram route into central Manchester was noted, and so too were its open spaces such as Stamford Park, the River Bollin and the National Trust’s Dunham Massey. Most of all, though, they were impressed with the market and food hall responsible for the regeneration of the town centre.
Altrincham was named The Sunday
Times Best Place to Live in Britain overall last year, but this year that honour went to Stroud in Gloucestershire. Alongside Alty, seven other locations were selected across the region for the guide, listed in no particular order. They favoured Manchester, Saddleworth in Oldham, Liverpool, Knutsford and Bollington in Cheshire, Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria, and Arnside and Silverdale, Cumbria.
Helen Davies, The Times and Sunday Times property editor, says the guide has never been so important in 2021. The pandemic has taught us how much we rely on our homes and communities, she says, with many of us reassessing our priorities on where we really want to live. “Our focus for this year has been community, countryside and convenience,” Helen said.
“It hasn’t been a year for big cities or small villages. Instead, it is small towns that have shone: big enough to have everything you need within walking distance and small enough for everyone to feel connected. “Altrincham was chosen as our regional winner this year as it has everything you want in a suburb: parks, excellent transport links and top-class schools.”
They were impressed with the market and food hall responsible for the regeneration of the town centre