Spotlight on Gatley

WHERE: About eight miles south of Manchester, leafy Gatley is just a short dash from Manchester Airport.

WHY: Built up largely in the 1930s as the nearby airport was born, Gatley has managed to maintain a village atmosphere even though virtually every available inch of land has been used. As a result, properties are highly sought after and tend to be snapped up extremely quickly.

A respected primary school and quiet atmosphere mean it is a popular place for families to settle down.

Gatley Green, a small conservation area, and a bustling high street contribute to the village feel of the place, disguising its proximity to two major motorways.

TRANSPORT: Despite proximity to the airport, residents are not plagued by aircraft noise.

Manchester is about 40 minutes away on the A34 in rush hour, around 15 minutes at other times. The M60 and M56 motorways are close by but these junctions can become extremely busy at peak times.

WHO: First-time buyers may find themselves stretched to reach the first rung of the property ladder in this exclusive area.

Unlike nearby Didsbury, there are few apartment blocks or terrace houses in this part of Greater Manchester and they rarely come on the market.

Instead, with its larger properties and popular school it is a mainly family-orientated area.

A couple of retirement apartment blocks and a number of bungalows mean it is also popular with the retired and the elderly.

AGENT'S VIEW: Bobby Shahlavi, branch manager of Main and Main in Gatley, says: "There are quite a lot of detached homes and there aren't a lot of modern properties.

"It's quite a family-orientated village, whereas in Didsbury you are looking more at young professionals. Here the cheapest three-bed semi is £150,000. It's quite an exclusive market really. It doesn't have many apartment blocks or large areas of terrace housing so the average house price is high.

"The airport is close as well but it doesn't tend to cause many problems because it isn't affected by the flight path."

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