Manchester is a city that’s evolved so much, and is still changing to this day.
Sure, it might be a city with “so much to answer for”, as the famous quote goes, but with a history that’s as rich, vibrant, and culturally-diverse as Manchester’s is, it’s no wonder Mancunians are happy to answer for it.
From iconic music and sporting achievements, to groundbreaking inventions, political movements, world firsts, and so much more, there’s no end to list of things that Manchester has gifted the world over the years.
We should have no shame in shouting that from the rooftops with pride.
And one company that’s had its hand is shaping the way this proud city has evolved in recent years, and has a clear vision for the change it’d like to help come to be in the future, is Armstrong Projects.
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Armstrong Projects is a construction specialist with industry expertise in a wide variety of sectors.
When co-founders Chris Hamlett and Paul Armstrong discovered a shared ambition to create a construction company that provides a tailored, comprehensive, and turn-key solution for a range of clients, they joined forces to found Armstrong Projects back in 2018.
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Offering a number of different services that can be individually-tailored to meet clients’ specific requirements, alongside a collection of partnered design teams, a healthy database of approved supply chain partners, and effective project management, Armstrong Projects ensures that all client expectations of quality, programme, and budgets are met.
The team has experience in various building projects, with values ranging up to £10 million across sectors such as commercial, retail, education, industrial, residential, and more.
Armstrong Projects is a construction specialist with industry expertise in a wide variety of sectors / Credit: Armstrong Projects
“After suffering from a failed business in 2017 and the subsequent difficult times that I faced,” co-founder Chris Hamlett explains on the beginnings of the thriving company, “Paul [Armstrong], came to me to offer his support, which was integral in the formation of the business.”
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With Chris’ background in main contracting, having spent several years working for a family-run blue chip construction company to gain the experience needed to create his own vision, combined with Paul’s success as a subcontractor in the ceilings and partition trades, the duo came together to ensure that they delivered a series of varied schemes which were both within their capabilities, and importantly, exciting to be a part of.
“Those we would be proud to showcase, and that we enjoyed coming to work and being involved with,” Chris added.
Following the company’s inception, in late 2018, Chris Greenall joined the business as Operations Manager – bringing with him experience to broaden the businesses’ strengths and provide further process and procedures that were important to delivering successful schemes as seamlessly as possible.
And the company has been steadily growing ever since.
“Our staff are trained and qualified to the latest health and safety standards, and relevant management qualifications,” Chris continues.
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“But we are not a typical corporate business – we employ people, not numbers, and our clients have visibility of our directors right from the start and through to completion of works to give them peace of mind, should they ever need to talk to us.
“Our service to them is at a personal level.
“We engage with our clients on a one-to-one level to better understand their objectives, any constraints, and any special requirements, and our honesty and openness guides them through the construction process to ensure that we always deliver to our promises and commitments.”
Armstrong Projects ensures that all client expectations of quality, programme, and budgets are met / Credit: Armstrong Projects
It’s that honesty and openness that has lead to a series of recent successes for the ambitious company, most-notably including the delivery of an office-to-residential conversion scheme in the centre of Manchester, Barclay House, which allowed the team to build some worthy relationships – “both in terms of client and suppliers” – and become a project Chris says they will “always be proud to have been a part of.”
Then, in early 2021, when the company’s workbook was heavily-weighted towards a series of residential projects, the team took the decision to expand their network and focus on winning schemes from other sectors, and within three months, they had been successful in clinching two high-profile projects – the first being the delivery of a new Masjid and Community Centre in Cheadle, and the second being the redevelopment of a town centre in Sale.
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“Both very different schemes, however the experience within the business gave us the confidence to present ourselves,” Chris admits.
These two schemes are expected to be completed by the end of next year.
“More recently, we have secured relationships with several Housing Associations and retail partners to help grow and move our business forward into 2022.”
“We are not a typical corporate business – we employ people, not numbers,” / Credit: Armstrong Projects
So it’s safe to say that the future is looking bright for Armstrong Projects – and Manchester too.
You can find out more about Armstrong Projects here, and follow the company on its social media pages – Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Featured Image – Armstrong Projects
Business
Plans to transform Chorlton’s old shopping centre have been green-lit
Danny Jones
Yes, after a prolonged period of uncertainty, the plans put together for redeveloping Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre are now moving forward.
Following an extensive consultation period back in 2023 and planning permission having now been approved by Manchester City Council, the transformation of the long-neglected retail complex has been green-lit, and the project will be moving forward even sooner than you think.
As confirmed earlier this week, Stretford-based construction company PJ Livesey will be working in tandem with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to deliver the major regeneration, which will see even more living spaces and leisure facilities arrive in the already thriving suburb.
Following an official press release on Thursday, 18 December, we’ve now been given a latest glimpse at what the developers are hoping the new Chorlton Cross district will look like.
Credit: Font Communications (supplied)
Plans for the transformation of both the high street and the old Leisure Centre date back to 2023 and even further when taking into account the Council asking the public for their thoughts on what should happen with the area, but Chorlton Cross, specifically, has been the subject of debate for some time.
The bulk of units in and around the largely forgotten shopping centre are now empty, with just a few hold-outs still clinging on to their space.
Now, following extensive feedback from native Mancs and those who have flooded into the South Manchester town over the past decade, the approved plans have now been revealed.
They include:
A mix of 262 one, two and three-bed apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens
20% affordable homes available through a mix of tenures, with 18.5% of these being available for social rent
Around 3,500 sq metres of public open space, including a fully walkable route through Manchester Rd and outdoor seating areas to encourage people to stop and dwell
A mix of flexible retail spaces, such as a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller, start-up businesses
Up to 60 new trees across the site with maximised retention of existing trees
Manc filmmaker, Bernard Leach – who has been making videos about the region since 2007 – shared a longer look at how the vision for this next chapter in Chorlton‘s residential and retail history is currently shaping up earlier this month.
As you can see, some sections of the old Lancashire village and ‘cum-Hardy’ parish could look rather unrecognisable sooner than you think.
Should everything go ahead as scheduled, those involved are hoping to get work underway in the New Year, with the ‘decommissioning’ of all existing buildings, including Graeme House, undergoing demolition by early 2026.
With the majority vacating their premises in recent years, it’s fair to say that it’s been vastly underutilised for far too long.
Posting on social media back in September last year, nearby resident Nigel Woodcock wrote: “Serious question, not just councillor-baiting, but can anyone explain why the retail businesses in Chorlton Precinct were booted out before any decisions were made about what’s going to happen to it?
“It makes no sense to me. No plans have even been submitted, so far as I’m aware, so why kick out those businesses and leave it derelict for so long? The land and buildings are actually owned by the combined GM Local Authorities, so one might expect a modicum of political and business nous to be applied.”
Similar to the new plans being put together for the stretch of land between Castlefield and Salford, most are just glad something is finally happening with the space.
Commenting on the plans progressing, PJ Livesey’s Managing Director, Georgina Lynch, said in an official statement: “This is a landmark moment for Chorlton, marking the transformation of the former shopping centre into a vibrant new hub for the community.
“Working closely with Manchester City Council, we’ve carefully balanced the delivery of much-needed new homes – including 20% affordable – with the creation of lively, welcoming spaces to shop, relax, and spend time.
“This site is at the heart of Chorlton, and we’re bringing it back to life, cementing the area’s reputation as a truly great place to live.”
What do you make of the Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre regeneration plans?
Featured Images — Nigel Woodcock (via Facebook)/CGI (supplied via Font Comms)
Business
Manchester has been ranked one of the ‘most influential cities’ in Europe
Danny Jones
As per a development that we’d consider so obvious it’s barely worth writing about (even though we are), Manchester has been ranked one of the most influential cities in Europe.
In other news, water is still very much wet.
While there’s plenty of it here in Greater Manchester, given our standard rainy forecasts, when it comes to anything besides the weather, we deliver in spades.
Let’s be honest: we know it, you do too, and apparently so do plenty of other folks – and there’s some concrete statistics to back it up.
Case in point – First Chanel, now Vogue… (Credit: The Manc Group)
You’ll find all manner of surveys, polls and studies diving into how Manchester ranks across various categories, but knowing we boast nods such as ‘the original industrial city’, the place that helped split the atom and the place that the first modern computer was born, we know all about our global impact.
With that in mind, when we saw that Sixt had recently named us as one of the most influential cities in all of Europe, we couldn’t ignore the well-deserved pat on the back.
That’s right, although you might not associate the car rental company with this sort of stuff, as part of their new exclusive ‘Sixt Ride’ offering (think a posh taxi service), they looked into which cities have the most luxuries, tourist attractions and other cultural bonuses to their name.
Per their recent research, Manchester city centre didn’t just break into the top 100 but found itself among the 30 most influential cities in Europe.
You can see the full rankings table down below.
#
City
Country
*Fortune 500 Companies
Fashion weeks
Film Festivals
International Airports
5-Star Hotels
High End/Luxury Shopping areas
Michelin Restaurants
1
Paris
France
10
6
77
2
122
11
134
2
London
United Kingdom
12
3
241
3
182
5
81
3
Milan
Italy
1
4
52
3
29
5
22
4
Rome
Italy
2
0
97
2
65
4
21
5
Stockholm
Sweden
0
3
14
2
12
2
13
6
Madrid
Spain
5
0
38
1
42
2
29
7
Zurich
Switzerland
6
0
10
1
12
4
18
8
Munich
Germany
5
0
10
1
16
4
17
9
Berlin
Germany
1
1
76
1
40
2
21
10
Hamburg
Germany
1
0
16
2
17
3
16
11
Amsterdam
Netherlands
4
0
24
1
29
1
30
12
Copenhagen
Denmark
1
2
12
1
12
2
20
13
Barcelona
Spain
0
0
45
1
47
1
31
14
Lisbon
Portugal
1
0
38
1
49
1
20
15
Athens
Greece
0
0
41
1
52
2
12
16
Vienna
Austria
1
0
24
1
24
3
14
17
Bucharest
Romania
0
0
22
2
12
2
0
18
Warsaw
Poland
0
0
22
2
17
1
3
19
Glasgow
United Kingdom
0
0
17
2
4
2
2
20
Lyon
France
0
0
9
2
7
0
16
21
Prague
Czechia
0
0
16
1
60
1
2
22
Brussels
Belgium
0
0
18
1
14
1
29
23
Oslo
Norway
0
1
8
1
6
1
11
24
Manchester
United Kingdom
0
0
20
1
7
3
2
25
Budapest
Hungary
0
0
16
1
24
1
7
26
Dublin
Ireland
2
0
16
1
11
0
6
27
Naples
Italy
0
0
34
1
5
0
22
28
Porto
Portugal
0
0
8
1
28
0
10
29
Turin
Italy
1
0
21
1
4
0
10
30
Sofia
Bulgaria
0
0
22
1
14
1
0
31
Helsinki
Finland
0
0
5
1
10
1
5
32
Belgrade
Serbia
0
0
32
1
9
0
1
33
Marseille
France
0
0
5
1
4
0
12
34
Birmingham
United Kingdom
0
0
12
1
4
0
6
35
Minsk
Belarus
0
0
11
1
0
0
0
Read it and weep; we Mancs landed 24th on the leaderboard, just behind Norway’s capital, Oslo, and ever so slightly ahead of Budapest in Hungary.
As you can see, to identify the ‘most influential European cities’, they broke down how the 35 most populous cities on the continent and here UK (barring Russia and Ukraine) and what noteworthy cultural touchstones they possess.
For instance, did you hear that our very own Warehouse Project recently found itself breaking into the top half of the best nightclubs on the entire planet?
Going on to analyse everything from the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city, their connections to film, fashion, fine-dining and more, they found that Paris, London and Milan were the most influential (no surprises there), but we’re glad to be keeping such good company.
After all, in the last couple of years alone, Manchester city centre has welcomed the Metiers D’art fashion show, opened one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, and still takes eternal credit for giving the world Oasis and, therefore, the Live ’25 reunion. Again, you’re welcome.
What do you make of Sixt’s study, and do you agree with their findings on the whole?
It goes without saying that we’d probably put ourselves higher on the list if anything, but then again, maybe we’re getting too used to being told how brilliant it is to live in this region.
Emily Sergeant -
5th November 2021 
