Homes in city centres are still hugely popular among people living in the north-west and can be a good investment opportunity, a property agent has claimed.

Frances Jones, spokesperson for City Residential, which both sells and lets residential property in the region, commented that although it living in the heart of a busy city may not suit everyone, it comes with valuable advantages.

"For most people, a city centre apartment isn''t to buy as a family home. Potentially they will be buying it to live in for a short time while they experience the city centre lifestyle," she commented.

"Then they get to the stage where they want to settle down and move to the suburbs, they will possibly use that apartment and rent it out. They can rent them out quite easily," Ms Jones said, adding that her firm received many requests for properties in the city centre.

Yesterday, the Manchester Evening News reported that new research from business leaders had suggested that employment in the city was way below that of the national average, with house prices rising by 136 per cent in the last seven years to reach an average of £211,232.