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RESIDENTS living on an estate in a millionaire’s town full of Premier League players and soap stars say a huge issue will affect their kids.
The leafy Cheshire town of Knutsford is home to England stars Jordan Pickford and John Stones – as well as Corrie legend Barbara Knox.
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It is also where Manchester council built the Longridge estate as part of its inner-city slum clearances in the 1960s.
The estate offered poor Mancunians a better life in proper homes, but it was nicknamed “Ratridge” by snobby locals.
Now families in Longridge say that they are being priced out – because the estate is too small and they can’t afford to live anywhere else in Knutsford.
Pat Marney told the Manchester Evening News: “The main problem now is Longridge is not big enough – we need houses for the next generation.
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“There are lots of people living with parents or grandparents because they can’t afford to move anywhere else in Knutsford.
“Their only choice is to move away to cheaper places, but that’s hard if you have a young family – you lose that family network.”
A three-bed home on the estate is currently on the market for £190,000 – more than many young locals can afford.
The average asking price elsewhere in Knutsford is a whopping £577,000.
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Longridge resident Sarah Pownall said: “It’s a town of two halves. You have the rich and the well-off parts – but then you have Longridge which is one of the poorest pockets.
But she added: “We have three or four generations of families living on the estate.
“Everybody knows everybody – it’s that type of place. I live and work here and I love it.”
Residents who have lived on another estate for 40 years are devastated now that their homes are being demolished – but they won’t give them up.
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