Only seven miles east of Manchester, the borough of Tameside is one of the up-and-coming areas in the Greater Manchester conurbation, thanks mainly to the investment the area is attracting, both public and private, following the completion of the M60 in 2000.
Catherine Mahoney, associate director at the Manchester office of property agent Sanderson Weatherall, points to the former mill town of Stalybridge as a good example of how the area has changed. Over the past few years the number of bars and pubs opening in the town has led some to dub the town "StalyVegas".
However, Mahoney warns that the leisure scene in the town has now reached saturation point with very few new bars opening.
An emerging hotspot is the nearby town of Droylsden, which Mahoney explains is soon to benefit from a cash injection and facelift. Tameside Borough Council has a compulsory purchase order to redevelop part of the town. Proposals are in place to form a marina with associated development, which will potentially include bar and restaurant facilities and a 40-bedroom hotel, offering opportunities for operators.
Development has also occurred in Ashton-under-Lyne, with the leisure park at Ashton Moss incorporating a cinema complex, bowling complex and associated pubs and restaurants.
Further development is proposed by Ask Property Developments at St Petersfield, which will also include a leisure element.
However, Mahoney says the deferment of the proposed extension to the Metrolink by Parliament is a blow to the area. Both Ashton and Droylsden were to benefit from the link.