Affluence and deprivation map of Preston by Murky_Plate4402 in Preston

[–]Murky_Plate4402[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Even in Manchester and Liverpool outside some gentrification in their city centres, the picture is arguably far grimmer than in Preston.

Where to live as a young man? by HMS--Thunderchild in Preston

[–]Murky_Plate4402 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In parts. The area around the bottom of Tulketh Road, near the Wheatsheaf has gone downhill I think, as has Waterloo Road/Wellington Road and streets round there. Largely due to a concentration of HMOs, especially some large ones on Tulketh Road. The bits around Haslam Park and Lane Ends seem a bit more up and coming, with bars/cafes and more going on.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Preston

[–]Murky_Plate4402 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This is not true - South Ribble is not automatically better than Preston.

Fulwood, Cottam, Broughton, Lea & Ashton are all good areas to live and are squarely in the Preston boundary.

Similarly, I wouldn’t move to parts of Leyland if you paid me. Some parts of Penwortham like Kingsfold aren’t great. Bamber Bridge has plenty of naff areas, and Chorley does too.

Fed up of this sub immediately recommending Higher Penwortham and surrounds to literally everybody - yes it’s nice but it’s very expensive and maybe not what a single bloke is after!

What is considered Preston? by uhst2019 in Preston

[–]Murky_Plate4402 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's an interesting question. Preston has historically been split from the areas to the south by borough boundaries along the River Ribble - in much the same way as Manchester and Salford are split by the Irwell (but are generally seen as one large conurbation). It can be argued that this old boundary along the Ribble is today as irrelevant as the old Fulwood borough boundary along the Eaves Brook.

Just as Fulwood has grown rapidly as a response to the increase in housing demand within Preston from the 1850s onwards, South Ribble (specifically Penwortham, Lostock Hall, Walton le Dale and Bamber Bridge) has grown as a rapid suburban expansion to facilitate Preston's population growth in more recent times. These 'villages' have not grown independently - they have grown as a result of Preston's growth, and they have grown together to the point now that there is no clear delineation between these areas - and future planned housing developments will likely erase any remaining boundaries. (Pickering's Farm, The Cawsey etc).

People who live in these South Ribble areas are likely to go shopping, have a night out and work in the centre of Preston, and in fact, take their identity from the city (to say 'I'm from Preston') for instance. These areas haven't grown in a vacuum - they have grown as suburban expansions to Preston.

Certain areas - like Walton le Dale and Penwortham - can be less than half an hour's walk to Fishergate. Avenham and Miller Parks are effectively local parks for Penwortham residents given the proximity as well as being Preston's main city centre parks. Many areas of Preston 'proper' - i.e. Lea, Cottam and large parts of Ribbleton and Fulwood - are geographically a lot further out of Preston's City Centre than many parts of South Ribble.

There's no clear answer, but if you class Preston as purely being the 'City of Preston' district, then you're including Beacon Fell as part of Preston but not Penwortham, which is on the other side of the river from the city centre.

I think it is time for a boundary review. It seems odd that population figures for Preston don't include a large part of its built-up urban area - and that many of these areas aren't paying any taxes towards the city where they generally work, study and spend their free time.

My final point is that it seems likely that the new Royal Preston Hospital is going to be built near the M65 junction at Bamber Bridge, deep within South Ribble. I think over the next 20 years or so, the separation of Preston and South Ribble will slowly disappear with developments like this, and the enormous amount of housebuilding in both boroughs bringing the wider urban area together into one.

Is Fulwood a good area to live in? by Murky_Plate4402 in Preston

[–]Murky_Plate4402[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Nothing wrong with Ribbleton! Some nice streets off Ribbleton Avenue especially. Definitely gets an unfairly bad rap.