The latest house prices for neighbourhoods across England and Wales have been published, revealing the areas where house prices are rising fastest.
The average house price in one part of the North West has soared by more than 50% in the space of a year, putting it in the top 10 nationally based on percentage increase.
Such is the demand for homes in the Heywood, Hopwood and Siddal Moor district of Rochdale, just eight miles north of Manchester, that the average house is now worth £275,248 - 52.1% more than just a year earlier.
Heywood, once a major centre of the cotton industry, is undergoing significant regeneration, having secured £20 million of funding.
It boasts a thriving community and a popular park with a lake, a Victorian bandstand, a BMX track and much more for visitors to enjoy.
Heywood has its own train station, on the East Lancashire Railway heritage line, and it is perfectly located to explore the surrounding countryside, including the stunning Ashworth Valley.
It’s also home to a highly-rated indoor market, with many independent traders, including a great bakery and sweet shop.
But perhaps Heywood’s biggest selling point is its friendly locals.
One resident called the people of Heywood ‘welcoming and friendly’, while another said it was the only place that made them ‘feel happy and content like I’m in a small village’.
Heywood, Hopwood and Siddal Moor is one of nine neighbourhoods across the North West where the average house price rose by a third or more between March 2024 and March 2025, the latest date for which localised figures have been published by the Office for National Statistics.
The other areas include parts of Bolton, Burnley, Salford, St Helens, Stockport and Trafford, in Greater Manchester.
The average house price in those neighbourhoods ranges from £120,000, which is well below the £270,000 UK-wide average, to £480,000.
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5. Firswood
The average house price in Firswood, Trafford, has risen by 36.1% in the last year, to £381,000. That's the 5th biggest percentage increase in the North West, and the 41st biggest in England and Wales. | Google Photo: Google
6. Heaton and Deane
The average house price in Heaton and Deane, Bolton, has risen by 40.6% in the last year, to £232,000. That's the 4th biggest percentage increase in the North West, and the 24th biggest in England and Wales. | Google Photo: Google
7. Moss Bank
The average house price in Moss Bank, St Helens, has risen by 42.7% in the last year, to £213,998. That's the 3rd biggest percentage increase in the North West, and the 19th biggest in England and Wales. | Google Photo: Google
8. Colne Waterside
The average house price in Colne Waterside, Pendle, has risen by 43.0% in the last year, to £140,000. That's the 2nd biggest percentage increase in the North West, and the 18th biggest in England and Wales. | Google Photo: Google