Local information & Ward Plan

Brief History of Moston & New Moston

Moston was incorporated, with neighbouring Blackley, into the City of Manchester in 1890 and currently has a resident population of around 13,900. The name Moston seems to refer to two simple old English words "moss" and "ton", where moss usually referred to a place that was mossy, marshy or peat bog, and ton signified a settlement or farmstead. The place was already named by the early 12th century having grown into a recognisable community near to the district known as White Moss.

Lying as it does on the northern limit of Manchester; it would have been open moorland and well away from the city. and well away from the city. This distance enabled Moston to avoid much of the Industrial Revolution, and it continued as pleasant open countryside until well into the 1850s, with no more than a few manor houses and farmsteads within its district. At that time it was a place of choice for wealthier residents and a much sought after area to live in away from the filth and squalor of central Manchester. Even as late as the early 20th century Moston was essentially a rural settlement.

By the 14th century the Moston family had built and occupied Moston Hall, and the Bowkers, (hence nearby Bowker Vale), the Chaddertons, the Chethams and the Egertons had houses within the district. These great landowning families are still remembered in local place names today.

By the 16th century, washing and bleaching of linen had become a major local cottage industry - carried out in local streams - and there is a record of a wadding mill in the district by 1714. By the early 19th century, dyeing had been added to to its textile skills and the Moston Print & Dye Works was set up in 1820, with Dean Brook Dye Works following soon after. Moston Mill was built in 1910, and nearly two centuries behind the rest of Manchester, Moston caught up with the Industrial Revolution.

Open seam coal mining had also been carried out in the district since the 16th century and in 1840 Moston Pit sunk its first pit shaft. Despite several new shafts, the pit suffered regular flooding and had a fairly short and unfortunate history. It finally closed its gates and sealed the shafts in 1950.

The arrival of industry in the area was accompanied by a population explosion, from around 50 residents in the 1831 census to over 1000 within the next half century. This saw much of its hitherto rural nature disappear under housing developments and the associated services and utilities that accompany urbanisation - schools, churches, pubs and shops. This rapid expansion of population inevitably brought with it severe sanitation problems, which as much as any other factor hastened its incorporation into Manchester, where a (then) advanced sewage system had already been constructed.

Local Moston celebrities have included television historian Michael Wood, social reformer and political reformer Samuel Bamford and Ben Brierley the local dialect poet and playwright.

Moston & New Moston Today

Location

The ward of Moston is situated on the North Eastern side of Manchester and is bounded by the Manchester Wards of Harpurhey, Charlestown, Newton Heath and the borough of Oldham. The ward is split into Moston and New Moston with many residents seeing these as 2 distinct neighbourhoods. The ward also takes in some of the former Lightbowne ward which disappeared under the 2004 boundary changes.

Population

Moston has a population of 13,957, with a higher than city average concentration of over 60’s. It has a high white ethnicity make up and higher than Manchester average percentages of economically active persons aged 16 to 64. Car ownership is relatively high with over 62% of households having access to personal transport.

Education

Good quality education is key in securing the long-term sustainability of Moston. The provision of well performing schools will make the ward an attractive location for families and encourage new families into the ward. Simultaneously good education will provide the residents of Moston with the skills and qualifications to succeed in a rapidly changing economy.

Early years provision is also of the utmost importance in helping children develop the skills that will enable them to get the most from education as they get older. Currently, Moston has three Adult & Toddler groups, one day Nursery and two Play Groups. It is anticipated that the new Sure Start Children’s Centre on Lightbowne Road in the Lightbowne area of Moston will be opening in September 2005. However, a further Sure Start Children’s Centre in New Moston is needed to provide for that part of the ward.

Moston is home to five Primary Schools. All the primary schools are performing at national average and above, although there are indications that there are falling roles in two of the schools. All of the primary schools have strong links with the local community.

NorthManchesterHigh School for Girls is on the Moston/Charlestown border. The school displays an upward trend in attainment and this is reflected in the over subscription for places at the school. The new city learning centre at St Matthews school is a fantastic resource for local people - it boasts the very latest technology and is equipped with 120 state-of -the art computers. Facilities include fast Internet access, video conferencing and video editing. It offers a range of courses - from beginners to advanced. There is also an adult learning centre at North Manchester High School for Girls. See detailed map

Find out more about this area's schools and how well they perform. Go to Manchester Schoolfinder.

Health

Health statistics for the ward indicate that the death rate in Moston (standard mortality ratio) is lower than the average for North Manchester as a whole. However, the North Manchester rate is significantly higher than the national average and higher than the average across Manchester as a whole.

Moston has two doctors' surgeries and 9 dentists. The Primary Care Trust (PCT) which makes arrangements for community health services also provides many other community services such as district nursing, and therapy services. At present the PCT is working with GPs (local doctors) and hospital clinicians to increase the range of services that can be provided out of a hospital setting.

The PCT is also looking at its Estates Strategy and is carrying out an assessment of areas of need for capital developments with partners as appropriate. The Zest healthy living network (partly funded and supported by the PCT and Manchester City Council) has been set up to encourage local people to make choices to lead healthier and happier lives. Zest works with local communities and statutory agencies for example, to encourage exercise, healthy eating, giving up smoking, etc.

Culture

The development of an arts and cultural programme, as part of the work of the Cultural Regeneration Officer, aims to create sustainable communities in Moston through the active participation of local people in cultural activities. This community engagement initiative aims to build capacity, commitment and pride in the heritage and diversity of the area.

Events such as the Moston Archaeological Dig, which explored the rich history of Moston and the annual Moston Christmas Lights event, also promote the continual use and preservation of Moston’s parks and green spaces. Partnership working with organisations such as Manchester Museum, Groundwork, Surestart, Leisure Services, The University of Manchester, Zest and voluntary and community organisations aim generate the development of further projects and strengthen the long term impact of the programme.

Crime

The Ward suffers from pockets of crime, anti-social Behaviour and youth nuisance. There has been a co-ordinated approach to tackle this issue by Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Police and the local community.   Much work been done to engage with young people but there is still a perceived need for additional diversionary activities. It is imperative that this good practice continues to be supported through partnership working such as the Youth Action Group.

Employment and Economic Development

Moston has the lowest unemployment rate in North Manchester at just 2.3%, below Manchester, North West and UK average. However this does disguise pockets of deprivation and worklessness within Moston with one Super Output Area (SOA) in the worst 1%, one in the worst 5% and three in the worst 10% in England in terms of deprivation and worklessness.

Almost half the population have no qualifications, however 16% are qualified above Level 3 (A Level equivalent), the level anticipated to be required for half of all new jobs. Residents tend to work in lower level occupations in traditional sectors. Although, Moston has a relatively small business base, it is adjacent to areas of significant employment opportunities at Chadderton Industrial Estate and CentralBusinessPark, which is anticipated to create 4,600 jobs over 10 years. Moston residents are well placed to access employment opportunities in the city as well as other parts of the region thanks to good access to the motorway network. Moston also has a relatively high rate of self-employment.

Community Character

There is a strong sense of community pride and cohesion within the area. The sustainability of the community is reflected in the number of active community and resident groups, who have driven forward significant social and physical change in the area by accessing funding sources and partnership working with the City Council. This must be continued and supported by the City Council and partners.

Housing

There is significant home ownership at over 66%.   The area has a sustainable mix of large terrace and semi detached housing, however, there are pockets in the southern section of the ward that are dominated by pre 1919 terraced housing that suffers from low demand, negative and low equity.

The private rented sector has increased in these areas and often involves unscrupulous landlords. House prices have risen approximately 13% since 1999 which is well below the Manchester average of 55%.   There has therefore been substantial intervention with some demolitions and facelift schemes. It should be noted that these areas sit alongside more sustainable neighbourhoods offering wider housing choice, which is reflected in the prices which rose by approximately 90% in the same period.

Moston is well placed to build on the economic success of the area and the stability of both the public and private sector housing markets. The recent private sector development on St Mary’s Road is a good indication of the confidence in the area.There is an opportunity for the City Council to engage with its partners in the private sector with the aim of identifying and developing sites to deliver high value, low density family housing.

Manchester will be one of the first cities in the country to take advantage of new legislation allowing local authorities to operate a system of landlord licensing and Moston will be one of the first wards in Manchester to benefit. The legislation will be used to promote good practice in the private rented sector, push up standards and weed out unscrupulous landlords.

Alongside private housing there are several council estates made up of primarily family housing. There has been considerable investment in these estates and this combined with a robust strategy to deal with anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood nuisance, has led to an increase in demand for property. These estates were transferred to an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) known as Northwards Housing in December 2005. The Northwards Housing will be able to access substantial funding to invest in the properties and ensure the decent homes standard is met by 2010.

Transport

Moston benefits from direct links with the M60 ring road and motorway network. Moston is located adjacent to the main radial route from Manchester to Oldham A62) and the area is well served in terms of bus network, particularly into Manchester City Centre.

The ward it served by its own unmanned railway station on the direct Manchester to Rochdale line.   The proposed Metrolink line will not directly serve Moston; however, the proposed Failsworth stop would be reasonably accessible from the Broadway area.

This established Transport Network combined with the high car ownership means that Moston residents are well placed to access employment opportunities within the City of Manchester and the neighbouring authorities of Rochdale and Oldham. In addition to this, the close proximity of the CentralManchesterBusinessPark will provide Employment and Training Opportunities for the local communities to exploit.

To support the local community clusters and improve access to leisure facilities and parks, it is necessary to look at pedestrian movements and road crossings. A Ward Transport Plan is currently at draft stage.

Parks and Open Spaces

The Ward has a number of established parks and green spaces that make attractive location for residential population. There are many opportunities to use the area’s open spaces for events and activities that will promote these spaces.

Shopping

Moston does not have a clearly defined centre but is well served in terms of clusters of shops and services. These are to be found at Broadway, Hollinwood Avenue, Moston Lane and at the Fourways; all of which are easily accessible for the local community. However, some shop units suffer from lack of investment and appear neglected. These locations are all on main roads within the ward and are highly visible. For many people the quality of local shops is one of the factors considered when choosing to live in an area and it is therefore essential that local retailers are encouraged to invest in their premises.

There has also been a growth in the number of hot food takeaways. These are often closed and shuttered during the day and so do not attract shoppers. There is concern that the growth of these businesses could therefore make local shopping areas less attractive and thereby make it harder for other businesses to flourish. New licensing laws require hot food takeaways to be licensed in order to trade after 11pm and this will provide the Council with an opportunity to regulate and reduce takeaways causing nuisance late at night.

There are no major supermarkets in the ward but there is a Morrisons just over the boundary in Chadderton and an Asda store in the Northcity Shopping Centre in Harpurhey. These are easily accessible by car.

DOCUMENTS

Extensions to Manchester City Boundary 1838 to 1931

Old Parish Map of Manchester

New Moston Map