House prices in Preston fell in 2014 according to the Halifax. Recent forecasts though are saying that the North West is likely to increase in 2015 as the London property market treads ground and prospects for improved transport infrastructure in the north start to look better.
It is said that High Speed Rail to the Channel Tunnel has had a big effect increasing house prices in areas where stations are located. The recent talk of High Speed Rail in the north, HS2 and HS3, is having an effect although they will take some time to be built. The electrification of lines in the North West between Manchester, Preston, Blackpool, Wigan, Liverpool creates a more integrated system and improves potential for services.