A former bank building in Gorton described as a “deathtrap” has been shut down by the local council after the venue played host to illegal parties during the pandemic.
The venue, known as Hyde Road Cafe, hosted DJ nights and late-night club events during the national lockdown, with the main occupier of the property also claiming to have installed a bar, dancefloor and beauty salon.
Police officers apparently attended the premises “several times” at the beginning of 2021 and had been “met with abuse and violence.”
Manchester Magistrates have now issued a Closure Order for the property – citing the location had held events despite having no events licence, no licence to serve alcohol, and no certificates to serve food.
The building was also found to be in a state of disrepair with “exposed wires, uneven flooring and of a poor standard of cleanliness”.
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‘Hyde Road Cafe’ has now been shut down by the local council / Image: Manchester City Council
Magistrates branded the premises a “very dangerous place” and a “deathtrap” before issuing the closure order, which will mean no one can enter the property – other than the property owner or named individuals – for three months.
Councillor Rabawaz Akbar, Manchester City Council’s executive member for Neighbourhoods, said: “It beggars belief that the people behind this operation thought they could get away with running an illegal and clearly unsafe venue, which was quickly becoming a blight to local people.
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“Nightclubs and similar businesses operate within strict regulations to keep their customers safe – all of which was ignored here, and during a pandemic. I shudder to think what could’ve happened at this premises had these unregulated events been allowed to continue.
“Council officers have worked really closely with officers at Greater Manchester Police to close down this premises and I thank them for their excellent support and partnership throughout this operation.”
Featured image: Manchester City Council
Manchester
Huge Manchester street food event postponed amid severe weather
Daisy Jackson
A big food festival that was set to take place in Manchester this weekend has been postponed due to the severe storm warning.
GRUB at The Club, which is set to celebrate 11 years of the street food heavyweights, was meant to be taking place at Fairfield Social club this weekend.
The brilliant GRUB team had planned two nights of great food and DJs to celebrate their birthday, with free birthday cake for the first 50 people through the door on Friday night.
But as Manchester is battered by basically more rain than we’ve seen all summer, organisers have made the decision to postpone the event for now.
Remember when it felt like Manchester would always be sunny, dry and warm? Those days are over, my friend.
There’s a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms today, then a forecast that features a bit more rain than we’d like for a bank holiday.
GRUB have said that this severe storm forecast has made it ‘impossible’ for the event to go ahead as planned, as they prioritise the safety and enjoyment of everyone on site.
They’ve said that the event will be rearranged to take place in September, with the exact date announced very soon.
GRUB posted: “Due to the severe storm forecast this week we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the event. The safety and enjoyment of our guests, traders and team always comes first and this weekend’s weather makes it impossible for us to go ahead as planned.
“We’re gutted. This one meant a lot to us and we know it did to you too. But GRUB At The Club is not cancelled! It’s coming back in September and we cannot wait to do this properly. Keep your eyes peeled for the new date announcement coming very soon
“The launch of FSC’s brand new pizza menu is also being pushed back. But not for long! That one’s coming very soon and trust us, it’ll be worth the wait.
“Thank you for your understanding and sorry for any inconvenience caused. We’ll see you soon.”
Keep an eye on GRUB’s Instagram for the rescheduled dates.
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
The Manc -
13th August 2021 
