City Centre Living (Manchester)

[Pistonho]

The city area has seen a tremendous change in the last 10 years or so.There is no shortage of properties to rent.

I know the centre quite well - in terms of shopping and eating out etc. However when it comes to finding a suitable place to live I have little knowledge of the good/bad areas and knowing the pros and cons of living in the city centre.

This will be a temporary arrangement for no longer than a 6 month period.

I prefer to stay in a relatively 'quiet' area if such a place exist !! I have not lived in an apartment/flat before so have concern with the issue of 'NOISE' from adjoining properties. Are these modern apartments build with decent sound insulation/walls to minimise the impact of noise.

I look forward to hearing your views and recommendations.

[craigjm]

Cant offer help on where and where not to live in Manchester centre but I have to say that there isn't an answer to your question about noise travel within flats. I have lived in and rented many over the years and its pot luck whether noise travels or not. It has nothing to do with age even if you try somewhere converted from a warehouse type place and you think to yourself that the nice thick walls will help you could be wrong because its all about the internal divisions.

Good luck.

[tsinc80697]

I lived in the Green Quarter, near Victoria Station, and never had issues with noise. New build apartments and even being on the 9th floor I never heard anyone else making a noise. Well priced as well for renting when compared to Northern Quarter or Salford Quays.

[jaik]

I lived in the Langley Building in the Northern Quarter (opposite Lammar's) for about 18 months. There was never any noise from the other flats, but we were on the north side of the building and did get a lot of noise at the weekends from drunken folk shouting their way down the road outside. The problem with the old converted buildings is that a lot of them are listed which means the original windows are retained. They usually have secondary glazing, but it's a long way off double glazing in terms of sound (and heat) insulation.

I'd recommend checking out places you're looking at on a Saturday night to see if it'll get noisy then.

Otherwise, the NQ was a great spot to live, it's got a bit of community spirit and almost felt like you were living in a small town a lot of the time rather than a big city.

Will you need parking? That will knock a good chunk of the potential places out of the running.

[Pistonho]

Thanks for all the replies.

I had a walk round the city centre area today to gauge a sense of what it would be like to live there.

Being close to bars and pubs is not a priority for me. As stated peace and quiet but still within walking distance of the bus/train station is my main priority. As regards to parking I will require 1 parking space.

Has anyone lived in the 'estate' by the canal to the south side of Ancoats oppoite the retail Park? Looks relatively safe and peaceful too??

Another area is Castlefield opposite the Museum on Liverpool Road.

[ceebmoj]

How about one of the new buildings of Great Ancoats Street / new Islington i.e. chips. A 5 minuets walk to Picadilly or the Northern Q. It should be a good bit quieter and parking is allot cheaper.

[3sixty]

I cant speak for internal noise, but I used to do deliveries around Manchester for 4 years so I have been into many apartments and areas.

Of them all, I would say Spectrum off Blackfriars is the quietest area I have been to. Its too far south for people to venture walking round drunk from town.

Chips / Islington / Picc Basin were very rough when I was driving / walking round. A little cliche as its next to Miles Platting, but thats my honest opinion.

[Pistonho]

Chips / Islington / Picc Basin were very rough when I was driving / walking round. A little cliche as its next to Miles Platting, but thats my honest opinion.
[/quote]

I did noticed the 'locals' were using the short cut into the city by the side of the canal adjacent to the New Islington Development. The glass windows at ground floor level of the Sales Team Office for the Development was given a good 'kicking' although well smashed but safety glass held in the broken window.

I think the apartments will be quite secured but walking back to the apartment after dark may be an issue!

[3sixty]

Yes, unfortunately that seems to be the case.

Try Skyline Central on Rochdale Road, that was quite nice.

Avoid The Edge, the communal areas and corridors have real wood flooring, which is nice. But walking around on it makes a hell of a noise and echoes around the whole corridor. I was dropping off a takeaway once to find the customer opened the door before I even got there. Apparently he could hear me on the floor below as I took a wrong turn! (For anyone that's been in there will know its a maze as to get to any floor above six and an odd number you need to go to floor 2 and walk across to get a lift....)

[Pistonho]

Will be contacting letting agents to make appointments to view properties over the next few weeks.

Hope to narrow down my choice of area before committing to a tenancy agreement in July.

Thanks for all the comments so far. Keep them coming.

[craigb84]

What about Castlefield? Always struck my as being fairly quiet. The newer ones atvst George's Island should be pretty quiet and it's only a 5 minute walk to deansgate station.

[Pistonho]

I like the Castlefield area especially the 'older' development off Liverpool Road.

Not sure about Georges Island - crossing Mancunian Way is not ideal especially during the busy periods.

Have looked at a few places but still not found anything we like. There are so many properties out there for rental. It's just making sure the location is right for the family.

[3sixty]

You've got longer legs than I have to get from SGI to Deansgate station in 5mins!