Hull is named one of UK's most 'up and coming' places to move to by The Sunday Times thanks to docklands regeneration

The port city is the only Yorkshire location to be featured in the accompaniment to The Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide, published the same weekend, that highlights areas that did not meet the criteria for the main Guide but which have potential.

Hull has actually been in the Guide before, making a solitary appearance in 2017 during its City of Culture year, but writers felt it did not ‘push on’ and build on its time in the spotlight and enthusiastic public response to arts and cultural events. Its market town neighbour, Beverley, has also dropped out of contention due to a town centre retail offering that depended on underperforming chain stores.

However, current regeneration projects that focus on the former Hull Docks have impressed editors enough to pick the city as somewhere which could ‘come up’.

They cited the Western Docklands development, which includes a cruise ship terminal; the transformation of Albion Square with new space for creative businesses; and the reputation of St Mary’s College, a mixed Catholic secondary, recently being named the best comprehensive in the north by the newspaper’s Parent Power supplement.

Traditionally popular suburbs such as Hessle, close to the Humber Bridge, and Cottingham, the latter close to the university and with direct trains to London, are also singled out for praise.

Hull is also developing its tourism offer through the Yorkshire’s Maritime City project, which will see the Maritime Museum refurbished and two vessels, the Arctic Corsair fishing trawler and Spurn Lightship, moved to new berths with improved visitor access.

The Guide editors also revealed that Doncaster only narrowly missed out on also being featured in the ‘up and coming’ list. Having recently been granted city status, writers have noted its ‘great countryside’ offering affordable village living, with good motorway and rail links making commuting to Leeds and Sheffield easy.

The main edition of the Guide awarded Leeds the title of the best place to live in the north and north-east, and the section also includes Skipton, Saltaire, Boston Spa, the Yorkshire Wolds and the Sheffield suburb of Nether Edge this year, with the latter two featured for the first time.