Building work is now underway for a brand new state-of-the-art £2.5 million LGBT+ community centre in the heart of Manchester.
The ground was broken at the Sidney Street site yesterday by award-winning screenwriter Russell T Davies, who is most known for his work on Queer as Folk and Doctor Who, and BBC Weather presenter and LGBTQ advocate Owain Wyn Evans.
The new facility is to replace the previous centre, which opened in 1988.
It was the first centre of its kind to be built in Europe, but after three decades of continuous use, was found to no longer be able to meet the needs of the growing community and was thus demolished in June to make way for the new three-story £2.4 million redevelopment that will help an additional 50,000 people each year.
It comes following years of fundraising, which saw a massive £2.5 million raised from donors including Big Lottery and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), as well as from members of the public.
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The new centre will continue to be managed by leading LGBT+ youth charity The Proud Trust.
The new purpose-built community centre – which will feature a vibrant and inclusive community café, alongside a large community room, library, and a city-centre roof garden – will support LGBT+ people from Manchester and beyond with a wide range of free, inclusive support services and events, just as the old centre has done for over three decades.
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Speaking on the new centre, Russell T Davies said: “It is going to be an amazing place,”
“I came to live in Manchester in 1987 just before it opened and, now there is a brand new start [so] it is very exciting. Think how radical it was in 1988 – there were very few places like it in Europe – and it is still quite rare even now.”
Dr Ali Hanbury, LGBT+ Centre Manager, said: “We’re extremely excited that Russell T Davies has lent us his support to mark the beginning of building works at our Sidney Street site. Not only is he an internationally acclaimed writer and somebody I have the utmost respect for, he has also been instrumental in bringing the LBGT+ issues to the mainstream through his work.”
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She added: We’re so grateful to all of our donors for helping us to raise enough money to rebuild our centre so that we can continue to support people for many years to come.”
“This is another proud moment for Manchester.”
The Proud Trust is looking forward to opening the doors of the new LGBT+ centre in 2021, ideally when current social distancing measures amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic “will hopefully be a thing of the past.”
“There will definitely be a significant celebration when we’re done.” said Dr Hanbury.
“Everyone involved has worked tirelessly and showed great patience during the delays, so we really do have something to celebrate next year”.
You can find out more information about the LGBT+ centre via The Proud Trust website here.
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Prestwich’s regeneration plans take another step forward
The regeneration plans being put forward for Prestwich have taken another step forward as a construction company has new been appointed to bring the vision of a new village centre to life.
With full planning permission for phase one of the redevelopment granted back in July 2024, it’s been pretty much full speed ahead on lining up one of Greater Manchester’s latest regeneration projects and adding more to what is already one of its best up-and-coming suburbs.
Prestwich Village Regeneration LLP are pumping over £100 million into developing the main square, and with Chroma Consulting having now passed on the baton to those erecting this new-look town centre, the joint venture between Bury Council and national ‘place maker’ Muse, work can soon begin.
You can see one of the first early renders down below:
CGIs of the new space around the Longfield Centre. (Credit: Supplied)
VINCI Building were officially appointed as construction partners last month, and with enabling works (surveys, ground investigations and so forth) now complete, the contractors are expected to get underway soon.
Additions to the vibrant new village centre will include a multi-storey Travel Hub, which will also see 301 new parking spaces, along with electric vehicle charging points, cycle storage and a car club. This will replace the Fairfax Road car park, which closed when the early stage began last December.
Beyond this, the Prestwich regeneration plans are set to include a community hub, library and flexible community space for arts and cultural events, a new Prestwich Health Centre; a fresh village square with ‘family-friendly social places’ and room for open-air markets, festivals and more.
A dedicated Prestwich Village Market hall will be the perfect place to house local retailers as well as food and drink vendors, not to mention a much better entry point into the village courtesy of plans to transform the “arrival experience from the tram” by integrating with surrounding green spaces.
Speaking of which, there will also be extensive landscaping in and around the village centre, with the existing fountain set to be removed and new public art installations created in its place.
A glimpse at the new Prestwich Village Market.An overview of all three phases.Credit: Supplied
Beyond the public spaces, over 200 new homes – which made up a big part of the initial application – are also included in the wider vision, with a mix of affordable housing and FTB (first-time buyers) properties.
Leader of Bury Council, Eamonn O’Brien, said of the latest developments: “We are thrilled to announce the next stage in this multi-million pound transformational regeneration scheme, which marks a significant step towards revitalising the heart of Prestwich Village and creating a vibrant, sustainable future for all.
“As well as enhancing local infrastructure, our ambitious plans will foster economic growth and improve the quality of life for the whole community.” A final completion date is yet to be confirmed, but work on the Travel Hub specifically is set to carry over into next year.
Exciting times are ahead for Prestwich. It’s not the only borough making plans for the next chapter and set for a bit of TLC.
Co-op Live has announced a limited run of two-for-one gig tickets ahead of one of this month’s biggest shows at the huge venue.
The massive arena has launched a range of buy-one-get-one-free tickets ahead of the upcoming Sugababes gig.
Full price Sugababes tickets are currently coming in at £70.50, but with these special tickets you can nab one for just £36.95.
Co-op Live has said it wants to ‘give fans a very special offer’ with the huge pop concert just around the corner.
Sugababes are one of the UK’s best-loved girl bands, now back with their original line-up and going from strength to strength.
Last year it was a major appearance at Parklife’s main stage, now they’re on to the biggest of Manchester venues with a gig at Co-op Live on Friday 11 April.
Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy will be performing hits from their impressive 27 year career.
That’ll include hits like Round Round, Too Lost In You, About You Now, Freak Like Me and Overload.
In a message shared to fans, Co-op Live said: “With the Sugababes tour just around the corner, we’re giving fans a very special offer.
“Grab your friends and grab our 2-4-1 ticket discount to see Sugababes live in Manchester this April!
“There are a limited number of offer tickets available, so do not miss your chance and make sure you grab yours before they are gone!”
The two-for-one Sugababes tickets for their Co-op Live gig are available HERE until the day of the gig, or until they sell out.
Emily Sergeant -
7th August 2020 
