![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1_141125ancoats6.jpg\")
Weybridge Road in Ancooats(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\nSausage butties cost \u00a311, but for some, echoes of the old Ancoats still remainWeybridge Road in Ancooats(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n
\u2018Oh god, you\u2019re not moving to Ancoats are you?\u2019<\/p>\n
Margaret Lightbown was born and raised in neighbouring Miles Platting. She can still remember her mother\u2019s reply when, in the early 1960s, she told her that she had secured a council house with her new husband just down the road.<\/p>\n
Back then, the 78-year-old says, the area had a \u2018bad reputation’. Now, that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth.<\/p>\n
Rapid redevelopment has seen Ancoats and New Islington become one of trendiest and most desirable areas to live anywhere in the city.<\/p>\n
And new data shows it has undergone the biggest ‘gentrification’ of any part of England since 2019 – experiencing the largest improvement in deprivation score of any area in the country.<\/p>\n
Join the Manchester Evening News <\/strong>WhatsApp<\/strong> group <\/strong>HERE<\/a><\/p>\n The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government calculates scores for each area based on analysis of income, employment, education, health, crime, housing and the state of the local environment.<\/p>\n The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are regarded as the most definitive method for identifying disadvantaged and poverty-stricken areas in the country, with the latest figures released earlier this month.<\/p>\n But in some corners of this part of the city, the figures tell a different story.<\/p>\n The neighbourhood that\u2019s home to Manchester City Football club is among the most deprived in the country. Officially referred to as \u2018Manchester 062B\u2019 in the government database, it stretches from the Etihad Stadium down to New Islington.<\/p>\n It is ranked 865th in the country. Whereas \u2018Manchester 062D\u2019 which contains the trendy new flats along Isaac Way is only ranked 26,699th.<\/p>\n According to the data, the freshly well-heeled neighbourhoods of Ancoats rub shoulders with some of the region’s most deprived.<\/p>\n Pollen Bakery, Flawd natural wine bar and Cask at the marina have become something of a symbol of the area\u2019s ‘gentrification’. In the former, a sausage and egg butty will set you back \u00a311.<\/p>\n Yet they lie, officially, within the borders of \u2018Manchester 061C\u2019 – which is more deprived than 89 per cen of neighbourhoods in the country, ranking 3,763th overall out of nearly 34,000.<\/p>\n Oddly, the flats to the left of Pollen fall inside \u2018Manchester 061D\u2019. This is among the city\u2019s more well off places, being less deprived than 69 per cent of neighbourhoods in the UK, ranking 23,291th.<\/p>\n It has seen a dramatic turnaround. Back when deprivation scores were last released in 2019, \u2018Manchester 061D\u2019 was in the 10 percent most deprived. Only five other areas have seen bigger improvements – one in St. Helens, another in Croydon, one in Lambeth, one in Stoke-on-Trent and another in County Durham.<\/p>\n Nowhere is the change the area has undergone more visible than on Weybridge Road, just behind New Islington Marina. Council houses dating back to the 1960s sit next to brand new apartment blocks and terraced, modular homes.<\/p>\n Margaret can still remember the date she moved into her ex-council house. It was February, 4, 1970.<\/p>\n She paid \u00a312,300 for her property in he early 2000s, which was valued at \u00a335,000, under the \u2018right to buy\u2019 scheme.<\/p>\n \u201dNow they\u2019re going for \u00a3230,000\u201d she says. \u201cEven these old ones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt has changed enormously\u201d she adds, looking at a recently built apartment bloc directly facing her home.<\/p>\n \u201cThere used to be a pub there,\u201d she says. \u201cThe Crown. It used to be fun and games on a Saturday night. Now we have to look at those new flats.<\/p>\n “We have got used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n The area across the road was once known as the \u2018Cardroom Estate\u2019. According to urban historians, in the 1980s and 1990s, it was a place \u2018where the police wouldn’t go, where mail-order vans wouldn’t deliver, and where taxis wouldn’t drop off.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIt was rough, really rough,\u201d Margaret concurs. \u201cThere used to be big problems there with crime.\u201d<\/p>\n The estate nestled behind the old Central Retail Park was slowly replaced through the 2000s and 2010s with the centrepiece of the redevelopment being New Islington Marina and Cotton Field Park.<\/p>\n New apartment blocks and rows of houses continue to spring up as demand soars, contributing in no small part to the area’s turnaround in the government deprivation data.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is a nice part of it,\u201d Margaret says of the marina. \u201cIf you go down there it\u2019s lovely.”<\/p>\n But, she adds, many of the longer-standing residents feel it’s “all young people”.<\/p>\n Pointedly, Margaret adds: “We don\u2019t feel it’s for us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just feel as if we\u2019re being overshadowed with all these things they are building. We have got facilities we didn\u2019t have at that time, the tram stop, that kind of thing.<\/p>\n “But we have a lot of parking problems. It’s so handy for town that people leave their cars here and walk in, we never had that before.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso when people buy these apartments, they don\u2019t want to pay for a parking spot inside so they leave it on the street and it creates havoc.<\/p>\n “Overall, I would say it’s changed for the better” she says. “Life itself hasn\u2019t changed much. We have a good community here. I\u2019ve got neighbours I\u2019ve been friends with for 40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Patricia Mason, 53, moved into her council property 26 years ago, after being born and bred in the Cardroom estate.<\/p>\n Of the redevelopment of the surrounding area, she says: \u201cThis is the place to live now. I think it’s the location more than anything else.<\/p>\n “But the way they have been building has divided the community. There used to be a real sense of community here, but not now, it’s too different.<\/p>\n \u201cGenerally I\u2019d say it\u2019s got better, for crime and what have you, even though there\u2019s still some car crime.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like we\u2019re getting penned in, though, they\u2019re building so much around us. There\u2019s no space. They\u2019re joining Ancoats to town, that\u2019s what they\u2019re trying to do.<\/p>\n “All the new shops and bars and stuff that have opened are far too dear for us.”<\/p>\n Pointing to New Islington Marina, she adds: \u201cI do go down there sometimes to walk the dog. But on a summer\u2019s day when they\u2019re all sat out and looking at you, it\u2019s a bit like we don\u2019t belong there.<\/p>\n “When I have been here 53 years!<\/p>\n \u201c[The newer residents] complain about a lot of things but we have seen it much, much worse. It\u2019s not too bad and they are improving it. I\u2019ve lived here all my life and I feel comfortable here.\u201d<\/p>\n Neil Tate, 77, who lives on Saltford Avenue, also says there is something of a divide between those who have lived here decades, and those to have recently landed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt used to be really bad\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I moved into my house in 1990, it was full of drugs and needles the last tenants had left behind.<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s very quiet. Most of the flats have young people in and they\u2019re working all day so you hardly ever see them. So there\u2019s not much interaction. We just kind of co-exist really.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of them have dogs they walk around, but they walk around with their headphones in and they don\u2019t look particularly happy. They seem quite lonely to me.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people who were here before may have been rough, but they knew who you were and they\u2019d talk to you. It\u2019s definitely lost a bit of its identity.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rents they are being charged are ridiculous. I spoke to a Dutch girl once who was paying over \u00a31,000 a month, and that was a good few years ago now. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s changed for the better or what. It\u2019s pricing us out. It\u2019s too expensive for us if we want to go out for a drink.<\/p>\n \u201cThere used to be a load of pubs and they\u2019ve all gone. We\u2019re not able to go to town as we can\u2019t pay town prices. We wouldn\u2019t go to the marina either, it\u2019s not for us, its not for the older people. Its out of our league as pensioners.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city centre is moving out\u201d Neil adds. \u201cI think it will eventually move out past us but I will be dead and gone by then.\u201d<\/p>\n Former city council worker Lillian Heathcote, 72, says: \u201cEveryone wants to live here. I\u2019m not sure why. There\u2019s too many properties, and not enough green space. You can\u2019t get a dentist, it’s hard to get a doctor’s appointment.<\/p>\n \u201cIts nice to walk around. The people are nice enough. I have no problem with them. I just think there\u2019s too many people.\u201d<\/p>\n She says she shares Neil\u2019s fears the remaining properties dating back decades \u2018will eventually go\u2019 but that \u2018it will be after my time.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI think it would be a massive shame,\u201d she says. \u201cBecause once they leave Ancoats, they won\u2019t be able to get back in. And this is the real Ancoats. They will do anything for you.\u201d<\/p>\n George, 33, moved into a new home near the marina last weekend on a short-term let.<\/p>\n A City fan who was born in Rochdale<\/a> and grew up in Salford<\/a>, he saw the area\u2019s change first hand whilst walking back to town from matches at the Etihad.<\/p>\n \u201cThe houses have always looked lovely, I love the quay and the cafe\u2019s around here,\u201d he says. \u201cMy mum was terrified when I told her.<\/p>\n “Ancoats used to be a \u2018no go zone\u2019 for her.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s kind of funny seeing how things change. I imagine there is that tension between development and injecting new life into spaces, but people feeling ostracised and the demographic changing as well. Because it does feel a bit separate.<\/p>\n \u201cHow it used to be clearly wasn\u2019t tenable. But it\u2019s getting that balance right between developing a place, and it being gentrified so people feel excluded from it. There\u2019s hopefully a helpful middle ground there.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can\u2019t all be coffee shops and wine bars because not everyone can afford that. So have more parks and community spaces would help I think.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean, 37, moved to his home near the marina from a converted warehouse near Piccadilly. He says: \u201cIt\u2019s really nice. It\u2019s near the city centre and has bars and stuff, but is quite quiet.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen me and my partner came to look at this place we just really liked it. We\u2019re right next to a bakery and some green space. Its a nice neighbourhood.<\/p>\n \u201cWe take walks down the canal so we walk past the estates. We know the area has changed loads over the past few years.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately I think it\u2019s good they are building a lot more houses and that a lot more people can live in Manchester. I\u2019d like to see the council do more though to help the poorer parts of Manchester.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sausage butties cost \u00a311, but for some, echoes of the old Ancoats still remainWeybridge Road in Ancooats(Image: Manchester…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":573570,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[8830,108093,748,23940,393,4884,2465,8086,24072,101945,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-573569","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-ancoats","9":"tag-beswick","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-east-manchester","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-manchester","15":"tag-manchester-city-centre","16":"tag-miles-platting","17":"tag-new-islington","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115557969941545324","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_141125ancoats4.jpg\")
New Islington Marina(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_IMG_6241jpeg.jpg\")
Margaret Lightbowne(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_141125ancoats5.jpg\")
New homes have sprung up around the existing council properties(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_IMG_6243jpeg.jpg\")
Patricia Mason(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_141125ancoats1.jpg\")
Some locals say there is a ‘tension’ between longstanding and newer residents(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_IMG_6239jpeg.jpg\")
Neil Tate(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_141125ancoats3.jpg\")
The popular Pollen bakery situated on waterside at the marina(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_IMG_6238jpeg.jpg\")
Lillian Heathcote(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_IMG_6240jpeg.jpg\")
A longstanding home next to a new apartment block(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n