The last time I was up at Prospect GB’s site at Pimhole in Bury the development was just starting to take shape.
The first couple of rows had been done and they had turned the corner into creating a nice looking courtyard of tall terraces with first floor balconies overlooking the central square.
They have cracked on since then and the courtyard and the fronting street is finished and they are now progressing further along the site giving a new mass and a new feel to this area just outside the town centre.
The jagged roof lines reflect the roof of a nearby Victorian mill but whereas that was designed to let in more light today they accommodate PV panels to heat the hot water.
I have not seen quite such a busy building site for some time, with tradesmen all over the place, but the activity reflects demand.
This is Prospect GBs busiest site by a long mile with 39 completions so far, another 16 in the pipeline and seven more buyers signed up this week. With 104 houses planned in total they are about half way through.
Sales manager Collette Riding said: “It is just buzzing. Now we have the first phases complete and lived in people can see just how good it looks and they love the modern design and the space and the value for money.
“It is just a roller coaster as more and more people hear about it. Come and buy, then spread the word.”
It’s a good location. Possible to both walk in to the town centre with its open air market and newly developed shopping centre and in the other direction head for the green spaces of Openshaw Park. You can commute into Manchester by Metrolink or it’s a 20 minute drive down the M66.
But the really big draw has been the value.
You can currently get a three storey, five bedroom house for £139,950. Ok one of the rooms is really only a nursery or a study but the other bedrooms are good, there is a shower room on the first floor and a bathroom on the second and on the ground a separate kitchen and living room with a downstairs cloaks of the hall.
There are no garages but the driveway accommodates a car and the street scenes look good.
You can see floor layouts and designs here.
Prices start at around £85,000 for a two bedroomed mid mews called the Kay or you can get an end mews Ferris for around £87,000.
Prospect are good at reacting to the market and responding to demand.
At Maine Place at Moss Side in Manchester they have recently reduced the price of the apartments and seen a consequent upsurge of interest as buyers, keen to get out of rented, look for value on the edge of the city centre.
Neil Waddington, Prospect GB managing director, said: “You have to be reactive in this market. At Pimhole I believe we are creating a desirable new area and a new community and I am delighted with how sales are going.”
Collete is on site Thursday to Monday from 10am to 5pm or check out the website www.prospectgb.com
