Halton Borough Council - Quality of Life
Within an hour’s drive of Runcorn and Widnes, you can be amid the beautiful scenery of North Wales or the Lake District.
Within less than half and hour, the cultural, sporting and retail hubs of Liverpool and Manchester can be explored.
Halton is known for its sporting history, the home of Runcorn Football Club, and Widnes Vikings (the 2nd most successful club in rugby league history.) Runcorn Ski Centre is world-renowned, located next to 800 acres of parkland, and offering two slopes for all levels of skier.
Major regeneration schemes are underway in the town centres of Widnes, Runcorn old town and Runcorn’s Halton Lea. An additional 215,000 sq ft of new commercial and retail space is to be developed over the three centres.
The Trident Retail Park has a nine screen multiplex cinema, and the Brindley, a £5.8 million new arts centre in Runcorn town centre, has a large auditorium and a smaller studio for performing arts. The centre also offers an exhibition space and multi-media educational facilities.
The Brindley won Best Performance Venue at the Mersey Partnership Tourism Awards in 2008.
House prices are approximately 36% lower than the national average.
Average Widnes and Runcorn house prices compared to national average
| Type of property | Halton | England and Wales average |
| Detached | £176,668 | £245,765 |
| Semi-detached | £97,483 | £148,227 |
| Terraced | £60,166 | £123,137 |
| All property types | £100,621 | £158,377 |
Source: Land Registry September 2009
Recreational Activities
Widnes will soon boast its own ice rink, bowling alley and cinema. In Runcorn, there is a cinema, ski slope, and cultural attractions such as Norton Priory and Halton Castle.
Runcorn and Widnes has an active Tourism Business Network, with local hotels and tourism businesses working in partnership to promote the tourism offer of the Borough. The sector is celebrated with the annual Halton Business & Tourism Awards.
