The housing market is finally showing signs of slowing. But in one corner of Greater Manchester, property prices have plummeted more than anywhere else – seeing asking prices drop by almost £40k.
Back in June, Kersal and Broughton had average house prices of £295,046, making them Salford's most expensive areas. But according to Rightmove, both areas saw a £39,637 decline last month, the average cost of a property now standing at £255,409.
That means house prices in Kersal and Broughton have fallen more than anywhere else in Greater Manchester, followed by Heaton Moor in Stockport and Ardwick in Manchester.
But what’s life like for those living in Kersal and Broughton? The Manchester Evening News took a visit to find out – and got mixed reactions from neighbours in the areas.
“I like the fact it’s quite close to the centre of Manchester and not far from the airport,” Desh Afshrai, 28, told the Manchester Evening News.
“What I don’t like is quite a lot of littering. The traffic is okay, I don’t find that too bad. It’s mostly the littering. We’ve never had any problem with people. We did have a burglary here five years ago but apart from that I’ve not noticed much else.”
Peter Brown, 86, was born in Kersal and has lived in the same house since 1960. He says he loves living in the area – although it could benefit from a better bus service.
“I’ve lived here since 1960, and it’s not changed during that time,” he said. “I like living here otherwise I’d move. We’ve never had any trouble with the neighbours at all. It’s friendly. It could do with a better bus service. It gets busier on match days, but the stadium is in the wrong place.”
A 29-year-old, who did not wish to give her name, says while she enjoys living in Kersal, she admitted the area can often be “rough”.
“It’s fine, it’s good,” she said. “I mean, sometimes it can be a bit rough. There are some rough people that walk from up the road here. I’m glad we have good alarms and security systems.
“We’re Jewish and there’s a big Jewish community here so we find it nice in that respect.”
One 76-year-old, who did not wish to give her name, says she has lived in the area for 22 years and would never choose to live anywhere else.
“It’s lovely here,” she said. “I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I think it’s convenient for everywhere; you can go into Swinton, Cheetham Hill, Prestwich and Manchester. I work as a district nurse in Salford so it’s convenient for me.
“It’s very friendly. I’ve been around here for a long time. I went to school here and I was brought up in Lower Broughton. As a child, my mum would walk us up here and take us on the moors. We all walk our dogs on there.”
Neighbour Marla, 77, who did not want to give her last name, described Kersal as “living in the country but not living in the country”. “I can’t walk anymore, but when my kids were little we used to walk down the back where the river is. It’s beautiful and tranquil.
“There’s a lack of a bus service. We used to have a regular bus which was brilliant. You could get to any part of Manchester or to Salford.”
Another 49-year-old neighbour, who did not wish to give her name, added: “I like the area here on this cul-de-sac.
“Sometimes I experience loud noises on evenings and people drive very quickly on the road. There are drunk people at night sometimes.
“There are also a lot of parking problems from the football. But apart from that, I like everything else. The people are nice and you can always ask for help.”
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