Spotlight on Little Lever

WHERE: Nine miles north west of Manchester, off junction 3 of the M61

WHY: Originally a close-knit little village on the border between Bolton and Bury. A massive building programme in the late 1960s saw the creation of large housing estates, both private and council and an influx of new people. There has been little new-build in Little Lever recently but the site of a large plastics factory is ripe for redevelopment. The main shopping street has a slightly down-at-heel shopping arcade and a couple of supermarkets. Moses Gate Country Park is a walk away.

WHO: Still very much an area with its own identity despite the increase in size. The improving local high school has meant more families moving here in recent years. The relative affordability of the smaller terraced houses means it is also first-time buyer territory.

TRANSPORT: The nearest train station is Moses Gate at Farnworth with services to Bolton and Manchester. The journey by road into the city takes 15 minutes outside of the rush hours.

SCHOOLS: Little Lever High School, which is a specialist language, college gets 47 per cent of pupils through five or more GCSEs grade A-C.

AGENT'S VIEW: Paul Clarke from Eric Clarke Estates in Farnworth said: "It used to be a real village - no-one wanted to come and live here and those who did live here did not want to leave! Then the new housing got built and people would come because they could get really good cheap bungalows.

The local high school has really improved and is now a big attraction for families who need to live in the catchment area. It has a good reputation which has pushed up prices of family-sized houses. The bungalows that were cheap now have dormer bedrooms to make them family size. It could do with some more new-build and hopefully that may happen."

RESIDENT'S VIEW: Archie Semple said: "I came to Little Lever in 1969 from Glasgow and it was real snobby. It took quite a while for me to be accepted but I did a bit of singing in the local pubs and people got to know me. It was nice and quiet then and surrounded by fields. Things have changed a lot and people come and go a lot more. The main shopping centre is an eyesore and the kids hang round there at night causing a real nuisance. I bought my house off the council for £7,500 about 18 years ago. I don't know what it would be worth now - a bit more than I paid for it I dare say."

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