Arnt we great?

[Liverpool is The Best Place]

Liverpool is the third best city in the country to live in, new research has revealed.

And Liverpudlians are the third happiest city dwellers.

Good entertainment venues and sporting facilities have led to the city being rated the third best urban place to live by its residents.

Its quality of living is beaten only by that of Leeds and Birmingham according to the report, carried out by Henley Management College, London.

However, it is a happier city than its neighbour Manchester.

More than 1,000 residents of the eight major English cities were questioned about their views on a range of lifestyle issues which were used to determine the best place to live.

The study found that 63pc of Liverpudlians were happy with their lot, compared with 65pc of Leeds residents and 64pc of people living in Birmingham.

Research author Michael Hulme, director of the International Centre for the Study of Media, Technology and Culture at Henley Management College, said that on issues such as public transport, amenities, cleanliness and entertainment, 63pc of 15 to 35-year-olds living in Liverpool rated their city as excellent.

He added: "Of particular note is how the research clearly draws attention to the changing roles of men and women and the tensions that exist between work, social and home life."

Lord Mayor of Liverpool Ron Gould said: "I am delighted that our Capital of Culture is in the top three best places to live but it is not a surprise.

"Liverpool is a brilliant city. We have the biggest increase in jobs outside London and the North's top property spot.

"Liverpool is a vibrant place with so many wonderful things to see and do. Combine this with the unique and charming people and it just goes to show why 'Livercool' is a great place to live." Henley's research divided people into five categories, according to what makes them happy.

Transitory Balanced people manage to maintain a balance between their work, their home and their social lives.

Live to Work people are driven by their careers so that working becomes the most dominant part of their lives in terms of mental and physical time.

Party Animals think of work solely as a way to fund social activities. Hearth Lovers are happiest when spending time with friends and family and Have it Alls are either home and work driven or social and work driven.

The research will now be used by marketing companies to profile potential customers in targeting 15 to 35-year-olds.

Other cities surveyed, in descending order starting with the fourth happiest, were Manchester, Sheffield, London, Leicester and Bristol.

[Kev]

[glow=red,2,300]House prices soar up to 70% [/glow]


HOUSE prices have risen by up to 70% since Liverpool won the Capital of Culture title.

Estate agents say Kensington, Tuebrook, Broadgreen and Old Swan are leading the price boom.

Philip Lawton, partner at Sutton Kersh estate agents, said: "This is the best market I have seen in 20 years of being an estate agent.

"Capital of Culture has given a great confidence to the city and great confidence to investors. More employers will come to the city with people needing homes."

Research company Hometrack say Liverpool prices have increased by 11% since the Capital of Culture announcement in June, compared to 3% in Birmingham, 2% in Manchester and none at all in Leeds.

Hometrack economist Mark Lane believes prices will continue to rise in the run-up to 2008 and beyond.

He said: "Liverpool is now one of the fastest growing cities in the country and the reason is Capital of Culture.

"I think the price rises will be sustained in the long term because of the large amounts of planned investment."

The Halifax say the average price of properties its estate agents are selling in Liverpool has broken the £100,000 barrier and currently stands at £110,827, compared to £99,730 in January.

That's an average increased of £11,097 since January, and the figure since the culture announcement in June stands at £7,345.

Some of the highest price increases can be found in Kensington, traditionally one of Liverpool's most deprived areas.

Estate agent Gary Denholm recently sold a three bedroom room home in the Kensington Fields area for £70,000. Last year the property was valued at £32,000.

Mr Denholm said: "Prices in pockets of Kensington have increased by 70% since June. Two things are pushing up prices in the area, Capital of Culture and the massive regeneration efforts.

"The area is near the city centre and is one of the city's gateways."

An estimated 66% of home buyers in the city are investors hoping to either buy and then let or sit on the property before selling on for a profit.

Giulio Canetti is a director of Duke Street-based Cuddly Bears, which matches investors to new-build properties in the city centre.

He said: "The price for a new build is currently £250 per square foot. A year ago that figure would be between £150 and £180.

"The city property market is self-fulfilling. People look to the area which will be the focus of development. As more developments spring up in that area, then the prices continue to go up."

He believes the city's next boom areas will be Bridgewater Street, the Vauxhall Road area and London Road.

City target for capital investors

HUNDREDS of wealthy London and Irish-based based investors are splashing out this year on Liverpool properties.

Estate agents say investment has soared since the Capital of Culture win put Liverpool back on the map.

Crosby-based Blue Property has made £1m profit in the past 12 months after attracting 350 high-flying London investors to the city.

Each month Blue Property advisors travel to top London hotels to hold presentations on what Liverpool has to offer.

They also run Merseyside property tours which attract around 30 investors to the city every month.

Blue Property manager Ken Metcalf said: "We show clients Liverpool's cul-tural highlights and the different kinds of property on offer.

"We get clients ranging from footballers to people owning their own business.

"They come here because Capital of Culture has led to a lot of national press coverage and because prices are 25% lower than places like Leeds and Birmingham.

"We take them to places like Canning Street and they are blown away. They see town houses which would cost £3m in London, valued at £300,000."

Around 10% of Blue Property's clients are Dublin-based investors who have spotted good property deals from across the Irish Sea.

Hot-spot prices go through roof

TUEBROOK, Old Swan and Broad-green are Liverpool's property hot spots, according to leading estate agents.

The three areas make up what valuers are calling Liverpool's collar suburbs, where prices have jumped by more than 50% in only 10 months.

A three-bedroom mid terrace home in Bankburn Road, Tue-brook, cost £37,495 last July.

Last week a similar size home in neighbouring Craigburn Road reached £56,995 - a 52% jump.

Meanwhile, in nearby Windsor Road, five bedroom terraces costing £59,999 in January are now going for £89,999 - a 50% increase.

Steven Beilin of West Derby Road-based estate agents BE Property Services said: "The three hot-test areas at the moment are Old Swan, Broadgreen and Tuebrook in that order.

"In all these areas you are close to the city centre and have good links with the Queens Drive ringroad and the M62.

"Broadgreen and Old Swan benefit from being close to Childwall, which boomed last year but has now peaked.

"Tuebrook benefits from having a varied stock of homes. There are the standard two bedroom terraces but then huge detached five bedroom houses near NewshamPark.

"Young people are now faced with a situation where they have to pay £100,000 for a small apartment in the city centre. Instead they are looking for good quality homes in Liverpool's collar suburbs."

He said the three suburbs received a huge boost after June when investors jumped on the back of the Capital of Culture bandwagon.

He added: "Places like Woolton and West Derby have hit high prices and are now only increasing by about 10%.

"What we are now seeing are the poorer areas going through their own boom and catching up."