21 March 2008
Efforts to regenerate large swathes of northern England are being held back by poor public transport, according to the Centre for Cities think-tank.
Its report, published on March 18, says more people would buy homes in towns such as Burnley if they could travel to large regional centres with the same ease as people living in the south of England.
Less than 3% of Burnley residents commute the 18.6 miles to Manchester because the average train journey takes more than one hour. By contrast, 10% of people in Reading travel 37.3 miles each day in just 30 minutes to work in London.
House prices and average earnings are far lower in Burnley and neighbouring towns, whereas Warrington, which has better rail links, has higher house prices and earnings than Manchester.
The report, City links, based on research by Salford University and partly funded by the three northern regional development agencies, calls on the government to improve public transport and link isolated towns with regional hubs.
Transport is seen as a key factor in raising demand for homes in areas covered by housing market renewal pathfinders, which were recently granted a further £1bn until 2010/11.
PFmar2008
