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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
Well it certainly got very wintery overnight didn’t it? The leaves outside my window were displaying a fine, crisp layer of frost this morning.
I’m afraid this cold snap is set to last at least over the weekend and possibly beyond. So if you need somewhere warm to work or just spend a bit of time, we’ve got a list of Greater Manchester warm banks here.
On to the news. Manchester’s Central Retail Park - which sits in a prime position off Great Ancoats Street - has now been earmarked as a potential spot for a civil service hub.
We’re discussing that in today’s newsletter, as well as the struggles some face when negotiating the Christmas Market, and the family business that outgrew The Arndale.
A 'garden', boulevard and new civil service hub?
The former Central Retail Park - one of the most prominent sites in Manchester city centre - could be turned into a civil service hub.
It’s hoped such a move could create thousands of jobs and a new green public space linking Great Ancoats Street to Cottonfield Park and New Islington.
Government offices could potentially be built on the site, off Great Ancoats Street, as part of a ‘Levelling Up’ push to place more civil servant departments outside of London.
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is said to be looking at the site as an option for ‘delivering office solutions’
Manchester Council - which bought the 10.5 acre site for £37m in 2017 - has updated its Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the former retail site, which was previously agreed back in 2020. The council will now request approval for a new six-week public consultation from January 4.
The authority says they are still committed to developing a 'flagship, highly sustainable commercial district that can attract new business and talent to the city, that will also promote social value and well-being’.
Ambitions to create a Cotton Field Square in the heart of the scheme were already on the table. And the latest framework update talks about extending New Islington’s Cotton Field Park and the Marina with ‘new ecological habitats that contribute positively to the city’s sustainability goals’.
A space called ‘The Garden’ is at the centre of the masterplan and will be connected to the park. While an east-west pedestrian route called The Boulevard would connect buildings with The Garden and could include planting islands and an avenue of mature trees.
‘Canal Plaza’, a public piazza, would be inspired by the listed canal heritage and the Great Ancoats Street Frontage would be improved with soft landscaping.
A report on the plans will be discussed by the council’s executive committee next week.
The refreshed SRF includes plans include plans for:
- A high-quality, sustainable office district
- New employment opportunities, including through the construction phase
- A new green public space
- New connections and routes from adjacent neighbourhoods
Council leader Bev Craig says the ‘key site’ is one of the ‘final pieces of the puzzle’ in the long-term regeneration of New Islington. She believes it has the potential to create thousands of new jobs in the city.
“For decades the site has created a physical barrier between Great Ancoats Street and the growing community around New Islington Marina,” she said. “Developing this site will create a new public link through to the existing Cotton Field Park behind and create a green space at the heart of the low-carbon commercial district.
“We have a real opportunity to create a flagship, highly sustainable development of renown – and we would encourage people to take part in the consultation.”
Curry Mile plans rejected
Meanwhile over in Rusholme, plans for 42 new flats on the Curry Mile have been thrown out.
Developer Views, which owns the site, wanted to build a four-storey development with 5,500 sq ft of commercial and restaurant space on the corner of Wilmslow Road and Grandale Street.
But plans for the former tyre-fitters, currently home to Huqqa Lounge café, were rejected by Manchester Council due to a lack of parking and a potential increase in traffic.
Views is considering appealing the decision, as Joseph Timan reports.
A move to Seven Sisters
Residents of the Rochdale estate where Awaab Ishak lived should be rehoused at the town’s Seven Sisters tower blocks, campaigners say.
Mental health experts say those living on the Freehold estate should be moved to the Seven Sisters tower blocks - where hundreds of flats are being held empty ahead of demolition.
The call has come from the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), as Nick Statham reports. They say people living on Freehold are ‘scared for their lives - especially those that still live in the same block of flats as Awaab’.
President Saiqa Naz says people living there says tenants are ‘going to bed at night worried about their lives’. “If people are living in mouldy flats and feeling threatened they need to be removed,” she said.
An inquest into the death of two-year-old Awaab found his death was caused by a severe respiratory condition after living in damp and mouldy conditions on the estate - which is managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).
RBH is planning to demolish four of the Seven Sisters as part of its controversial plans for regenerating the 'town centre area', but 400 homes have been left empty ahead of refurbishment.
The housing group says it is ‘committed to creating homes of the highest quality’ and residents’ wellbeing remains its ‘top priority’ as it embarks upon its long-term regeneration programme.
But they say the empty properties in blocks scheduled for demolition are ‘unsuitable for new tenants’.
Sign the petition in memory of Awaab calling for improved social housing.
Negotiating the Christmas Markets
With the Manchester Christmas Markets now in full swing, visitors have been packing out the stalls and attractions. But it’s not so easy for everyone.
City centre reporter Ethan Davies has been speaking to disabled people about how they negotiate the warren of narrow walkways and paths that snake through the market stalls.
“I haven't been to the markets this year,” Heather Davidson told him. “I’ve thought about going, but for the same reason I only pop into town for an afternoon, is that I have got a couple of injuries so I cannot rely on myself to be cheerful and happy enough.”
Heather, 33, uses a powerchair due to her cerebral palsy and two spinal fusion replacements. She also has ADHD, autism, and social anxiety.
“Being in an electric wheelchair has its benefits, but you need to wear a pointy hat sometimes,” she said. “My bell is useless. It’s like I cannot really enjoy myself.”
Shopping with three people from the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People was an eye-opening experience for Ethan.
Describing a packed Market Street just after 4pm on a Friday he writes: “The three wheelchair users travelled slowly, because they had to. On a street narrowed by stalls, people on their feet are popping up everywhere. As soon as a gap between a lamppost and a wall opened up, barely wide enough for Katy’s powerchair, it was filled by someone storming past with shopping bags.”
You can read the full, fascinating piece here.
Weather etc
- Thursday: Clear changing to partly cloudy by early evening. 2C.
- Road closures: A560 Stockport Road Eastbound closed due to water main work between A627 Dowson Road and Hill Street until December 8. A6051 Chapel Road in both directions closed due to water main work between A670 Oldham Road (Uppermill) and A669 Chew Valley Road (Greenfield) until December 7.
- Trains: Special timetable operating on Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express due to shortage of train crews.
- Trivia question: When did Manchester’s Arndale Centre first open?
Manchester headlines
Vandalism: Police investigating after a number of cars were vandalised over a parking row in Leigh are appealing for the public's help to find the culprits. A Nissan Pixo, and two other cars were targeted by thugs who damaged windows, let down tyres and daubed the word 'MOVE' across the vehicles in bright yellow paint. One mum and her son say they have been left ‘traumatised’ by the incident, which happened whilst they were parked near her home in the early hours of Monday morning. Vandals also targeted an Audi and Ford Fiesta. Greater Manchester Police say they are investigating the ‘disgraceful’ crime. More here.
Lazy and unimaginative: Plans for an 'extra care facility' for over-55s to replace a former primary school has been dubbed as having a ‘lazy, unimaginative and uninspiring design’ by one objector. Wigan Council's plan for the old Shevington Community Primary School site - which has fallen into disrepair and become prone to vandalism - has been ridiculed by one neighbour despite it providing affordable housing. The old school on Miles Lane has been vacant since closing in 2017 and would be demolished and replaced by apartments and communal facilities for affordable rent to help meet demand for older people. More here.
Celebrations: Hundreds of fans flooded Wilmslow Road, in Rusholme, after Morocco's shock win against Spain in the World Cup last night. Traffic was gridlocked and buses had to divert for the remainder of the evening as the huge crowds marched along the main road. Videos shared on social media show hundreds of people chanting as they walked along Wilmslow Road, with the red Moroccan flag being waved in the sky by many after the country knocked Spain out of the World Cup in penalties.
No choice: Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton has confirmed the England vs France game will be shown at their gig on Saturday night. Manchester music lovers and football fans were given the difficult decision to pick between the two when it was confirmed the quarter final match between the two nations would be shown on the same night as the Beautiful South gig at the arena. Earlier this week, Heaton took to Twitter to explain the dilemma but confirmed that the band - which includes bandmate Jacqui Abbott - was working on plans to show the match at the venue. More here.
Worth a read
“It’s a Thursday afternoon and I’m patiently standing in line at Salt & Pepper’s new spot on High Street,” writes What’s On editor Jenna Campbell.
“This is my third attempt to get my mitts on their sticky soy-glazed wings this week because each time I’ve headed here on my lunch break I’ve been greeted by queues meandering out the door - I’m not mad though, I’m very impressed.”
Back in March, the vendor was forced to leave Arndale Market after long discussions with the council over improving the extractor fans at the stall.
Siblings Chloe and Cash Tao were used to long queues for their food, but their popularity meant it was no longer feasible to operate there without finding upwards of £91,000 to install a new extractor.
Now the pair have opened a new Salt & Pepper restaurant on High Street, not far from the Arndale.
You can read all about the family business that started 6,000 miles away, in 1960s Hong Kong here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: 1975
