JAMES Rigg has lived in a house on Salford Quays for the last eight years but, despite plans for the new media city, he wants to move out.

He and partner Tom Berry dream of building their own home in the country and you can watch their attempts to buy a plot of land near Hardcastle Craggs, at Hebden Bridge on the TV show, Build, Buy Or Restore? next month.

James said: "When I first came to live at the Quays, it was beautiful and there was a sort of pioneering spirit and everyone really looked after their properties and their gardens. "I suppose change is inevitable, with all the investment and building that has gone on, but I think the number of Buy-to-Let investors here has meant a change in the atmosphere."

He estimates their three-bed terrace is now worth around é275,000 and hopes news of the BBC move to a new media village some time in the future will boost prices.

He said: "It is a great location, with the water and t0he tram and everything, and I love the café culture of the city, just popping into Kendals and meeting friends in the early evening and being able to get a coffee or something to eat.

"But we want to be a bit more in the country, ideally on a train line into the city, and would love to build something like a Huff Haus."

They approached the TV show as a way of getting expert advice and help in finding a plot and, without giving away exactly what happened in Hebden Bridge, they have now taken their é170,000 budget and are looking around east Lancashire.

James said: "It is not as easy as it sounds; costs just escalated!"

Build, Buy Or Restore? attempts to unlock the mysteries behind buying land, self-builds and renovation with presenter Michael Holmes and you can see it on Discovery Real Time every Monday starting October 2 at 9pm.

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