It seems unlikely Fallowfield will lose its reputation as a student suburb anytime soon.The former Owens Park tower visible from Platt Fields Park(Image: Adam Vaughan)

Their presence in Manchester has long been a divisive issue.

Some say Fallowfield’s students ‘add to the vibrancy’ of the city. While others are not so keen on the noise they bring and say the overcrowded suburb reached saturation point years ago.

Town hall chiefs have been working to corral this population towards the city centre for some time.

In the last few years several purpose-built blocks have been thrown up in town to accommodate those who move to the city for its world-renowned universities.

In fact, 42 per cent more students moved to the city centre between 2016 and 2022. And the number of students living in Fallowfield dropped by a fifth in the four years from 2018.

The exodus is an idea many of the long-standing Fallowfield residents – tired of rowdy parties on their doorstep – have embraced.

Many students now live in the city centre(Image: Manchester Evening News)

But the area’s reputation as a student village is far from over.

The University of Manchester is investing millions into new halls of residence divided into five ‘neighbourhood clusters’ – replacing several blocks marked for destruction.

That neighbourhood atmosphere is what appeals to many.

Speaking to students on a sunny April afternoon, they told us Fallowfield is about more than just drinks deals, late night off-license and cheap terraced housing – it’s about the ‘community vibe’.

And they balked at the idea of prohibitively ‘expensive’ city centre living while living on a student loan.

‘The only people I know who live in town are loaded’Alex Machell

Alex Machell, who is in his final year of a Business degree at the University of Manchester, has lived in Fallowfield for two years, like most of his friends.

The 21-year-old says it’s the social life that first convinced him to move there and stay.

“The social life is alright,” he says, speaking outside the big Sainsbury’s on Wilmslow Road.

“There’s lots of stuff going on. Lots of pubs. And there are good house parties.

“If I had a full-time job I think I might like to live in town but as a student it would be about £300 more expensive.

“The only people I know who live there are loaded and their parents pay for it.”

Community vibes

As the sun beams down on what was a record-breakingly hot April day in Manchester, the signage of the takeaways, pubs and bars along Wilmslow Road glisten.

They’re all amenities Ruby Searle, 21, says drew her to Fallowfield in the first place. But beyond that, she says the area ‘feels like a community’ and that’s why she’s stayed.

“It’s expensive in town. It’s just not as community vibes, the city centre is so big,” she says. “Here we know a lot of people who live on our road, like housemates from last year and there are parties.

“That’s a big part of the appeal – especially in first year. Not that we go to them much now, we stay inside.”

A man enjoys the sun in Platt Fields Park(Image: Adam Vaughan)

Her housemate Luned Evans, 20, agrees. She says there’s always something going on in Fallowfield, but the city centre can feel isolating.

“It feels like there is more choice here, whereas town seems a bit soulless,” she says. “It’s more isolated.

“My friend is in accommodation in town and says there is nothing really going on. Whereas Fallowfield is like a proper community.”

The girls – both University of Manchester students – live in a house closer to Withington. They have a big garden so don’t see the need to relax in Platt Fields Park like many do sunny days.

“I think it would be really hard to move the students to town because all the student pubs are still here,” says Luned.

“People don’t want to live in high rise buildings. And students can’t afford it.

“If the only option was to live in accommodation in town I would not have come to Manchester for uni.”

Demolition work at the Owens Park site

Ruby says she can’t see Manchester’s student population ever abandoning Fallowfield for the city centre. And living among longer-standing residents is also part of the appeal.

“The students play a big part in the community and things are tailored to students,” she says.

“Both our neighbours on each side are non-students but we’ve never had any problems with them.”

Fallowfield lore

As the girls wave goodbye and drag big bags of shopping down the road, an echo of the past suddenly zips by. A Magic Bus – once a fixture of the student suburb – parks up at the junction near The Friendship.

These giant blue sheds on wheels became a thing of the past when Andy Burnham’s yellow Bee Network buses took over earlier this year. But it’s still possible to spot one in the wild as they wait for their new livery.

Passengers on a Magic Bus gesture to our photographer during the pandemic(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Offering £1 bus fares along the Oxford Road corridor for decades, the Magic Bus is part of the rich tapestry of Fallowfeld lore. One that speaks of perfect kebabs, celebrity alumni like Rik Mayall and the Chemical Brothers and house parties so rowdy they were once debated in Parliament.

Eighteen-year-old Chelsey Vushe was certain she wanted to live in Fallowfield while studying for her Maths degree. But why?

“There are lots of students everywhere. There’s plenty of places to eat. And people are friendly,” she says.

She also thinks the residents of Fallowfield are more sociable than students living in the city centre. It’s a perception her friend Fynlo Horn shares.

Fynlo Horn and Chelsey Vushe

The 19-year-old says Fallowfield is home to some great parties in Freshers’ Week.

“I would definitely prefer to live here while I’m at uni,” he says.

Times they are a-changin

Both Chelsey and Fynlo live at the University of Manchester’s Oak House – but could be among the last residents there.

It’s one of several halls of residence earmarked for destruction to make way for new purpose-built accommodation.

How the new halls of residence in Fallowfield could look(Image: Sheppard Robson for University of Manchester via planning documents)

The totemic 1960s Owens Park tower was razed earlier this year and now stands as a pile of rubble.

It’s a startling site after the iconic building stood tall and proud for decades on a skyline otherwise populated by crowded terraces and Victorian semis.

There are big plans for Fallowfield and city centre student accommodation which will change the shape of university living for future generations.

But one thing is clear – the students really like it here and they won’t be leaving any time soon.