Manchester has been awarded £3 million in funding to support a number of housing projects across the city region.
Aiming to bring long-term brownfield land back into use, the funding will help build 210 homes at sites across north and east Manchester and one site in the city centre – with 119 of those homes to be considered ‘affordable housing’.
Working in partnership with the city’s registered housing provider, Project 500 aims to make smaller, harder-to-develop pockets of land available in a bid to increase the number of affordable homes available in the city, with an initial view to build 500 affordable homes and an ambition to exceed that number in the coming years.
All of the Project 500 homes will be capped at the Manchester Living Rent, which is the level set by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate, and ensures they’ll be affordable to as many people as possible – including those on housing benefits.
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Manchester awarded £3m funding to build hundreds of new ‘affordable’ homes across the city / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council has confirmed the following Project 500 housing projects will receive a chunk of funding from the new allocation:
Rodney Street (Ancoats and Beswick) – £1,677,862 (38 affordable, 91 market – 129 homes)
Blackwin Street (Gorton) – £160,000 (seven affordable homes)
Plant Hill Road (Higher Blackley) – £175,000 (12 affordable homes)
On top of these developments, 13 affordable homes are due to be built on Jurby Avenue in Higher Blackley, which will be social rent specialist ‘Extra Care’ homes for people with dementia – with a total of £215,280 allocated in funding.
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All of these new homes in the Project 500 initiative are part of the ambitious target set in the Council’s Housing Strategy up to 2032 – which includes the target to help build 36,000 new homes across the city.
10,000 of these new homes will be ‘affordable’, with 3,000 located in the city centre.
“Developing this land and bringing it back into use is an important part of our plans to deliver 36,000 new homes in the next 10 years,” commented Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for Housing and Development, as the funding allocation was announced.
“Brownfield land is often more challenging to develop, and we have lots of smaller plots that are financially difficult to build on.
“But this funding will support our partnership with the city’s registered providers to build on these smaller plots of land as part of our Project 500 initiative – delivering the affordable homes our residents need.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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You can now have a private tour of Manchester Christmas Markets
Thomas Melia
Every year, Manchester Christmas Markets hosts its almost two-month long residency on the frosty streets of our lively city, but now you can enjoy the cute huts with an unbeatable luxury experience.
Travel agency, Viator, who are directly connected to TripAdvisor, have launched a one on one guided tour of Manchester and its stunning Manchester Christmas Marketsin all their glory.
This private tour of the festivities occurring in the city will last two hours and for the whole duration of your time, a city host will be on hand to offer undivided attention, catering to your every need.
A makeshift itinerary is already awaiting guests and can be tailored according to the individual taking the tour, everything is catered to your preferences.
Anyone who books onto the tour also receives a complimentary hot chocolate and that’s sweetened the deal for me, I’m sold.
How can you go wrong with these incredible options at Manchester Christmas Markets?You can recreate your very own gigantic cheese pull and your local host can snap a piccie.Scrumptious selection of food available as you venture through Manchester Christmas Markets in style.
There’s also the chance to keep your hands toasty with a free cup of mulled wine or a soft-drink for those who aren’t interested in the warm alcoholic beverage.
Manchester Christmas Markets are a phenomenal day or night-out regardless so this latest personalised opportunity will take your festive fantasies to a whole new level.
This private tour provides a one-of-a-kind exclusive treatment making your stroll down Manchester Cathedral, Exchange Square and Manchester Town Hall that little bit more special.
These tours are a great chance to immerse yourself in one of Manchester’s many selling points as you can choose to focus your time around art and culture, fashion, architecture or our personal favourite – food.
This exclusive tour package which highlights the best of Manchester Christmas Markets is definitely a present in itself with tickets costing a hefty sum of £100.
If you want to visit Manchester Christmas Markets while also living the high life with a private tour, ‘Christmas In Manchester: Private Experience With A City Host’ is running all the way until the huts shut shop on 22 December and tickets can be found here.
A Christmas train in Wigan has been delivering donated toys galore
Thomas Melia
Yuletide wishes have come true as a donation of toys and goodies have been delivered via a Christmas train in Wigan, right in time for the big day.
The Amazon toy train, which is a new initiative running this festive season, is dropping off presents from now right up until Christmas day itself.
Already visiting Wigan earlier this month, the locomotive has its sites set on three more stops including London, Swansea and Scotland as it makes its journey across three nations.
In partnership with Multibank’s Brick-by-Brick project, the train hopes to provide and offer gifts to families in need across the UK with Wigan marking the closest stop off in Greater Manchester.
Credit: Lee Boswell (supplied)
All the toys that are being transported across the country in this Amazon-fronted train are featured on the company’s ‘Top Ten Toys 2024’ list.
Hatchimals, Screamerz and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza were some of the exciting gifts found on the Christmas train in Wigan at the start of this month.
This lighthearted and fun-filled Christmas-themed project is kitted out with toys from top brands like Play-Doh and the brickmasters themselves, LEGO Star Wars.
So far, Multibank has helped over 400,000 families and provided three million essential items across their operations in England, Scotland and Wales since launching in 2022.
This collaborative local project doesn’t just operate at Christmastime either: Brick-to-Brick Multibank run all year round collecting surplus business requirements like furniture, hot water bottles and hygiene products to be used by those less fortunate.
The Christmas train in Wigan filled with Amazon’s top toys.The Wigan toy train features some well known brands.Credit: Supplied
This roster of children’s favourite companions and interactive games is inspired by the consumers themselves. Every toy is related to or the exact match of what Amazon customers have been searching for the most. A real Christmas list come true.
The list of the top toys isn’t extortionate either, offering customers some affordable and still as fascinating options with prices starting from £9.99.
Even old-school classics like Play-Doh have a spot on this wish list. This poses the really big question: where’s the adult version?
You may have finished your Christmas shopping not too long ago or might still be looking for inspiration, browse the top-ranked teddies and more HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
8th November 2023 
