The former home of the BBC on Oxford Road is now home to Manchester’s highest private dining space.
Boasting stunning views across the city, at 35 storeys high Circle Square’s top-floor Astronomer private dining space is officially the highest private dining space in Manchester – sitting a staggering 14 floors above the dining room at Spinningfields’ restaurant 20 Stories.,
Inside The Astronomer, Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
Housed at the top of the new residential development, the dining space also features a bookable private roof terrace, which stands tall at over 110 metres above city level and celebrates breath-taking views across the city.
It has been built as part of the huge regeneration project Circle Square, a joint venture between Vita Group and Bruntwood SciTech that is currently one of the north’s largest urban regeneration projects.
The development will also bring the first and largest public park created in the city in a decade, by way of a beautifully designed new green space created to be enjoyed by residents and passers-by.
ADVERTISEMENT
Called Symphony Park, the new green space is open to the public and brings some much-needed greenery to the busiest bus route in Europe.
Inside The Astronomer, Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
As the joint venture nears completion and heads into its final stage, tenants are now being welcomed to take residence in the building’s luxury apartments designed by Vita Living.
ADVERTISEMENT
As well as the breathtaking top floor dining room, the snazzy new building also features three more private dining rooms which have been purpose-built for the enjoyment of residents.
First launched in January 2021, Vita Living East is now nearing full occupancy with only a handful of the 266 apartments still available.
Vita Living North also boasts 417 design-led apartments across 35 storeys, with class-leading amenity space over three floors, bookable suites, a 24-hour gym, communal lounges, and casual workspaces.
ADVERTISEMENT
Inside The Astronomer, Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
Boutique fitness studio TRIB3 has also now to officially opened its doors to the public, alongside a host of retail and leisure brands such as Canvas and Hello Oriental all heading into their final stages of fit-out ready to open.
They join Circle Square’s thriving urban village of quirky independent retailers at Hatch, which has been bustling since it first opened in 2017 and now welcomes over 55,000 visitors each month.
Inside Circle Square, the home of Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
Vita Group’s Mark Stott said: “The sheer sense of occasion really hits you when you arrive at Circle Square now that park is open, and work draws to a close. Symphony Park, Manchester’s first public park to open in decades creates a harmonic escape from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Road.
“Vita Living North completes the puzzle, boasting some of the very best luxury apartments in the city with unbeatable views. The scale of investment which has gone into Manchester’s Circle Square is something which hasn’t been delivered in a city outside of London and Vita Living North apartments offer the very best in terms of place, amenities, and location. As such, we’re expecting unprecedented demand as these apartments launch to market for the first time.”
Feature image – Vita Group
Manchester
Manchester has been named one of the UK’s top property hotspots for 2026
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been revealed as one of the most-searched places to move to in the UK according to annual data.
Every year, leading property listing website, Rightmove, takes a look at all the cities, towns, and residential areas across the UK where people searched for homes to live in most, and puts together an interesting top 10 list.
From the suburban neighbourhoods and coastal escapes, to country communities, overseas destinations, and everything in betweeen, Rightmove has been digging into the numbers and trends to see where house-hunters dreamed of moving to the most last year, and found that this year’s trends tell ‘an interesting story’.
Manchester has been named one of the UK’s property hotspots for 2026 / Credit: James Feaver (via Unsplash)
Property experts say this year’s ‘hotspot’ list is shaped by lifestyle changes, shifting priorities, and economic influences that are reshaping demand.
As was to be expected, major cities dominated UK property searches in 2025.
London continued to ‘lead the way’ as the country’s main urban hub, with close to 10 million people calling the English capital home currently, meaning it, unsurprisingly, claimed the top spot when it came to area searches – but Manchester wasn’t very close behind.
Top 10 most-searched UK cities on Rightmove 2025
London
Manchester
Glasgow
Bristol
Edinburgh
York
Bath
Cornwall
Liverpool
Sheffield
Our city claimed second place on the list, with several other major northern cities featuring in the top 10 too, including York, Sheffield, and Liverpool.
Glasgow is third on the list, while Bristol and Edinburgh rounded out the top five.
“Our review of the year spotlights some of the most popular trends from 2025,” explained Rightmove’s property expert, Colleen Babcock.
“With billions of minutes spent on Rightmove each year, we have a unique window into the nation’s passion for property.”
Featured Image – Mylo Kaye(via Unsplash)
Manchester
Ruben Amorim has been sacked by Manchester United
Danny Jones
Ruben Amorim has officially been sacked by Manchester United.
The Portuguese head coach managed more than a year in charge of the Red Devils, but following a bad record overall, not to mention a blockbuster interview over the weekend, they have now parted ways.
Now fully confirmed by the club itself, Amorim’s 14-month stint as Man United boss is over, and an interim manager has already been put in place.
Writing in an official statement, MUFC said: “Ruben Amorim has departed his role as Head Coach of Manchester United.
“Ruben was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to a UEFA Europa League Final in Bilbao in May.
“With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change. This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.
“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.”
For many supporters, it was abundantly clear that an ultimatum was likely, if not already imminent, after his visibly frustrated post-match press conference following the 1-1 draw against Leeds.
There were already reports of growing friction between Amorim and the director of football, Jason Wilcox, and his bombshell quotes on Sunday, 4 December, only added fuel to the fire.
In case you haven’t seen it, you can see the clip in question down below.
United have also confirmed that former player Darren Fletcher will be leading out the squad (which includes his twin sons, Jack and Tyler) in their next game against Burnley this Wednesday, 7 January.
As for who could be installed next, the recently resigned Enzo Maresca has already been linked with the manager’s position, and plenty are already speculating as to which sidelined/loaned-out players could return to the club following his exit.
Regardless of a wealth of initial backing by the INEOS Sports board members, in the summer transfer window, as well as from the majority of players and countless fans, Amorim exits the club with one of the worst win percentages in their history and just 15 victories to his name in nearly half a century of games.
How would you sum up the 40-year-old’s time at Old Trafford, Reds?