Discover The Latest Property Statistics and Sold House Prices In Carlisle, Cumbria.

Sitting at a confluence of three rivers, the Eden, Caldew and Petteril, Carlisle is in the northwest of England in Cumbria. Known as the Great Border City due to being only 8 miles from the Scottish border, it was founded as a settlement by the Romans to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it grew as an industrial city with a focus on textiles, engineering and manufacturing but declined during the second half of the 20th century along with a lot of British industry. Today, Carlisle’s economy is mostly retail, agriculture, light manufacturing, wholesale, logistics and public services. And, although not necessarily considered a popular tourist destination, its proximity to the Lake District, Hadrian's Wall and the Solway coast mean it receives a lot of visitor footfall which is only increasing due, in no small part, to the opening of the Carlisle Lake District Airport in 2019. Carlisle is very important for shopping, being a major retail hub, serving a wide area across both Cumbria and the Scottish Borders. The biggest shopping centre The Lanes, with over 60 shops in one complex. It is a regional cultural centre. The Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, opened in 1893, is an independent arts hub and gallery space that boasts a collection of zoological and botanical exhibits. There is The Old Fire Station, a multi-purpose arts venue, badly damaged during Hurricane Desmond but subsequently restored. There is the Roman Frontier Gallery, the Guildhall Museum, the Solway Aviation Museum and Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life. And Carlisle has a lively nighttime economy too, in part due to its large, resident, student population and in part due to the willingness of revellers to travel into the city from the surrounding areas to enjoy a night out. However, it would be a lie to suggest that the city is without its challenges. The number of young people aged 16-24, living in the district, has fallen by nearly 20% in less than a decade there is a lack of skilled jobs and high wages in the local economy, which is unquestionably over-reliant on retail. Such demographic and economic realities require action. So, in 2021, Carlisle City Council started putting together a long-term economic strategy to unlock the city's growth potential, with the development of 10,000 new homes at St Cuthbert's Garden Village and 9,000 new jobs, whilst looking at the role the University could play in retaining the younger population. The strategy also recognises that access to nature is one of the city's primary strengths. It should however be noted that Carlisle City Council will be replaced in 2023 by the newly-formed Cumbria City Council, which as well as Carlisle, will administrate for Allerdale and Copeland. Carlisle is a small city with a population of only 110,000 in 2021. As such, in terms of housing, there are very few apartment blocks that one would normally associate with city living. Terraced housing is more common but there is also an abundance of grander, older housing, particularly to the east and south of the city, many of which have had flat conversions or have been modified as student accommodation. In comparison to national house prices for homes, Carlisle is cheap for a city: a typical four-bedroom house will cost as much as a typical one-bedroom London flat. And as is true for many cities in the UK, demand for property is high. While local authorities and central government are at least accepting of the issue, not enough is being done, in Carlisle or elsewhere, to address the issue that when it comes to housing, there is a chronic shortage.