Housing in Cheshire West

Housing data has been used to inform the development of the Housing Strategy providing an evidence base to inform decision making.

This section of the strategy provides an overview of the key data used to inform the development of the strategy; further information can be found in the following documents:

• The Homelessness Review 2024
• Housing Market Report 2022-23
• Residential Market and Private Rented Sector Intelligence Report 2023
• Compendium of Local House Prices 2023
• Cheshire West and Chester Council Performance Management Framework
• State of the Borough dashboard
• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
• Census 2021

The borough of Cheshire West and Chester covers approximately 350 square miles and is the fourth largest unitary authority in the Northwest. The area is characterised by attractive countryside, varied landscapes, and diverse settlements. This includes the historic City of Chester, industrial towns, market towns and rural hamlets.

361,994 people lived in Cheshire West at the time of the 2021 census. The population is forecast to increase by more than 10% by 2038, with the greatest increase expected in those aged 65 or over.

Whilst Cheshire West is an affluent borough the overall picture masks stark gaps between areas of prosperity and deprivation. The median local household income is £35,100 per year but, 17.7% of local households have an annual income of less than £20,000 compared to 17.5% nationally. Some 24,670 local people live in neighbourhoods ranked in the most deprived 10% in England.

The local housing market has continued to evolve since the last Housing Strategy was published, but there have been no significant changes in the borough’s overall tenure and housing stock profile over the last decade.

According to the Census 2021, there were 163,876 dwellings in Cheshire West and Chester compared to 147,600 in 2011. Of these, 39.9% were owned outright, 29.8% were owned with a mortgage or loan, 15.4% were privately rented, with 15% being social rented.

The data also shows that there were 155,156 households of which 41,018 households had dependent children, 25,605 with one person aged under 66 and 21,284 with one person aged 66 or over. A further 67,249 households fell into ‘Other’ (couples with no children, lone parents and multi-person households).

The average property price in the borough in February 2024 was £265,000. Across the Northwest, the average house price in February 2024 was £214,000. This means that Cheshire West and Chester had the fifth-highest average house price in the North West. Local house prices remain more than seven times local annual earnings. The average monthly rent for a ‘room’ in the private rental market is £433 compared to £495 in England. The average local authority rent in the borough for 2024/25 is £98.95, equating to £4,947.50 per year.