Every Street is one of those places where 'old' Ancoats meets 'new'.
On one side of the road, there are modest terraced homes, some of which are still occupied by social housing tenants.
On the other is the huge X1 Plaza development with its ground-floor gym looking out onto Great Ancoats Street and one-bedroom flats starting at £800 a month.
Both sets of residents have the benefit of living a short walk from the attractions of the city centre.
And as the M.E.N highlighted last year, the Every Street area is also home to Pin Mill Brow, a hidden beauty spot around the River Medlock that offers a rare opportunity to enjoy green space and wildlife.
David Bailey, an academic who lives in the area, told how he discovered the riverside pathway during the pandemic lockdown and is among a group of enthusiasts who now want to see it rejuvenated as an urban oasis.
Just over a year since David first spoke out, hundreds of residents have joined a 'Friends of Medlock Way' group to carry out litter picks, improve signage and catch rubbish louts.
But the group feels its efforts are being hampered by a range of factors including eyesore buildings, 'industrial scale' fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour related to drug-taking and sex work.
They are calling on Manchester city council to do more to support residents' efforts.
The issue could be one of the deciding factors in the upcoming council by-election in the Ancoats and Beswick ward due to be held on February 3.
A hustings took place at Dale House on Vickers Street last Saturday afternoon.
It came after former councillor Marcia Hutchinson stood down from her role after only six months amid claims of bullying and a 'toxic culture' in the ruling Labour group.
She was elected in 2021 on a platform of promising to campaign for up to five new parks in the ward and says she still wants to see it delivered as Group Secretary of the Friends group.
"Since I was elected virtually nothing has happened," Marcia said.
"There was so much local enthusiasm for the plans that I drew up in April 2021, the proposed Pin Mill Park really caught the imagination of local residents, and a number of people on the doorstep told me that they voted Labour specifically to get the parks."
Advert for 'luxury' flats that don't exist
Situated on the edge of the city centre and with large plots of underused land, the Pin Mill Brow area is ripe for development.
Campaigners believe landlords are allowing buildings to fall into disrepair in the knowledge land values are likely to increase and lucrative development opportunities may be on the horizon - a pattern seen repeatedly in the Northern Quarter over the years.
One example campaigner David Bailey points to is the former Church of All Souls on Every Street.
Built in 1839, it was given Grade II listed status due to its special architectural interest.
The church closed more than 30 years ago and the building has remained largely unused ever since.
It is currently in a dilapidated state and towards the end of last year, yellow tape with the words 'Dangerous Building' appeared around it.
Manchester Council says although Building Control officers have visited the property in the past, they have not been recently and they do not believe the church requires demolition.
However, David fears for its future after he spotted an advert for 'affordable, luxury' flats which appeared to relate to the site but have not yet been built.
The listing for 'Albella House' on RightMove, since deleted, said the two or three-bedroom properties would start at £350,000.
An artist's impression depicted a building which looks identical to the All Souls church.
And in the advert, the development is described as being "built on the site of the Old Rectory Church..."
The advert also says: "The beautiful apartment building has taken into account the Grade II listed former All Souls Church and sympathetically incorporated this into the exterior design."
No planning application for such a development has been lodged with Manchester Council.
However, to add to the mystery, an application for a block of flats on the adjacent Rectory site did get planning permission back in 2016.
After the M.E.N contacted agent LPC Residential to try and get clarity, the advert was removed.
LPC did not respond to further request for comment to explain the advert or why it was removed.
A Manchester Council spokesperson said: "Our building control team have been called to the properties in the past to assess building condition, but as they are privately owned the Council can't enforce the owners to bring them into use."
'Co ndom street'
The sad fate of All Saints Church and the River Inn is indicative of a lack of care and attention in the area, the Friends group feels.
Records show much of the land in the area is council-owned and they believe this should make it easier to bring forward a new park.
"We report [fly-tipping] to the council and nothing happens," said David.
"The council have produced the Our Rivers Our City Strategy which lists 'pocket parks' for the Lower Medlock Valley but we want to see a proper park at Pin Mill Brow which was promised before the 2021 local elections.
"Council records show that land ownership plans show that most of the land is owned by the council, so there should be no reason why this can't be implemented quickly."
Chair of the Friends group, David O Rourke added: "I was born in this area and have lived here all my life.
"It's a shame to see the state of the area around Pin Mill Brow.
"Limebank Street is known locally as 'Condom Street' because of the prostitution, people won't let their kids play in the area.
"For the last 18 years I have been planting trees and taking care of part Pin Mill Brow but it shouldn't just be up to individual residents
"When I was little nipper, the East Area Improvement Programme changed this river valley from an industrial wasteland, into the woodland habitat, wildflower meadow and once again struggling river that we see today.
"It's started to be neglected and the government are paying landowners, all across the country, to create wildlife corridors, just like the Medlock river valley.
"That will take years, and we have already have one right here, under the nose of Manchester's growing shadow,
"It needs protecting. I can only hope our generation, can add to its texture, vitality and beauty for generations to come."
Another group member Keeley O'Rourke added: "Viaduct Street is like 'Bensons for Beds', there are so many mattresses dumped there.
"I love walking my dog Mavis in the area, but I've had to take her to the vets so many times because she's cut her paws on the torn tin cans (which are as sharp as razor blades) and other drug paraphernalia.
"It’s ruining what would otherwise be such a lovely park."
Eyesore pub once owned by Mosley family and Labour councillor
On Palmerston Street - which also runs parallel to the River Medlock - is another building with an interesting story to tell.
According to the Pubs of Manchester blog, the River Inn was licensed in 1860 as a Cronshaws Alexandra Brewery house.
It is believed to have limped on until 2007 before it finally closed to punters.
Today it is in a very poor state of repair with residents complaining that the building is insecure and is often filled with rubbish and drug paraphernalia.
Its ownership records reveal something of the history of the area.
Land registry documents show a leasehold was owned by Sir Oswald Mosley in the 1850s, the fourth baronet of the Mosley baronetcy of Ancoats.
His grandson was the notorious sixth baronet who founded the British Union of Fascists.
In 1609, the Mosley family also built Ancoats Hall, a post-medieval country house off Great Ancoats Street whose terraced gardens sloped towards the Medlock.
The building was demolished and replaced in the 1820s by a brick hall which was home to Manchester Art Museum and a University of Manchester halls of residence before it in turn was demolished in the 1960s.
Land Registry documents show the leasehold on the River Inn land was bought by R&R Properties Mcr Ltd for £100,000 in April 2014.
The sole director of R&R Properties Mcr Ltd at that time was Aftab Razaq, the Labour councillor for Whalley Range.
Until last year, number 58-60 Palmerston Street was listed on Cllr Aftab's register of interests on the council website.
However, according to companies house, Cllr Aftab resigned as a director of R&R properties in September 2020.
When contacted by the M.E.N, Cllr Aftab made no comment on the complaints about the deterioration of the building.
"I have requested the City Solicitor to update the register of interest accordingly," he said.
What Manchester Council says:
Cllr Rabnawaz Akbar, Manchester City Council's executive member for Neighbourhoods, said: "We utterly condemn fly-tipping in any part of the city and the people who commit these crimes really are the scourge of our communities.
"The Council works hard to tackle this problem and we appreciate local people reporting these issues so the waste can be removed as soon as possible.
"We will always investigate when rubbish is dumped and when we find those responsible, we will use the full extent of the law to bring them to justice.
"I have and will continue to work with the two local Councillors in Ancoats and Beswick to address these issues and our neighbourhood team is working with local communities to tackle these problems.
"I also understand the impact anti-social behaviour can have on our neighbourhoods and I would be happy to meet with the friends' group to better understand the issues they are experiencing and work together to improve their community."
It is understood council officers have been monitoring historical buildings in the local area - including the River Inn pub and All Souls Church - and understand the properties hold a "historical value for local people".
However, both properties are privately owned and it is understood the council believes it only has the legal right to intervene if they were to become "a risk to public health".
The building owners are being urged to invest in their properties and bring them back into use, it is understood.
