Celebrity nightlife favourite Panacea used to be one of the hottest clubs in town, first opening its doors on John Dalton Street in 2005.
After over a decade of hosting sweaty, drunken footballers, wags, soap stars, and other members of the city’s glitterati at some of Manchester’s most in-demand parties, Panacea closed its doors during the covid pandemic alongside upstairs eatery The Restaurant Bar and Grill.
But now, two years after the site’s permanent closure – which also saw owners shutter its Piccolino sites in Clitheroe and York, as well as the Alderley Bar and Grill in Cheshire – it appears that the famous 00s nightclub club is plotting a return to the scene.
Even more surprising is the fact that, according to planning documents filed with Manchester City Council, Panacea is moving back into its original premises.
An application for a Panacea premises license in the Deansgate ward shows that operators are looking to serve alcohol in the basement of Ridgefield House, 14 John Dalton Street.
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Image: The Manc Group
With opening hours listed from 11-4am Monday to Saturday, and 11-2am on Sundays, the application also asks for the provision of regulated entertainment (live music, recorded music, performances of dance), and late night refreshments.
The application then adds that the provision of late night refreshments will take place indoors and the supply of alcohol is for consumption on the premises only.
Speaking on the original closure of the John Dalton site two years, Karen Forrester – Executive Chairperson of Individual Restaurants Company – said: “The closure of these sites is part of a long-term investment and development plan for the future of Individual Restaurants.
“Our main priority is to keep our people within our Individual Restaurants family by offering opportunities to relocate to other Individual Restaurants’ locations, we will be supporting them throughout this process.”
The application can be viewed online and is open for consultation until 16 May 2023.
Featured image – Individual Restaurants Company
Manchester
Council prioritises support for those ‘most in need’ in Manchester’s budget for the year
Emily Sergeant
Support for those ‘most in need’ has been prioritised in Manchester’s budget for the year.
Manchester City Council outlined its spending plans to deliver services, make lives better, and ultimately ‘improve the city’ throughout this year and into the next, with the allocation of the £894 million revenue budget highlighting the main priorities, as well as the demands on services that councils are seeing nationwide.
Councils in Greater Manchester remain under ‘significant financial pressure’ as they grapple with the difficult legacy of 14 years of national Government cuts to budgets, with Manchester itself being one of the areas hardest hit.
However, there has been improved funding for 2025/26 under the new Government, and Manchester has actually received one of the biggest increases in the country.
We’ve set our budget for 2025 to 26.
It’s good news for high streets city-wide.
From transforming Wythenshawe Civic Centre to brilliant new opportunities north of the city from Victoria to Holt Town, Manchester’s neighbourhoods are on the up.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) March 3, 2025
According to the Council, the 2025/26 budget prioritises ‘supporting those most in need’ with a significant spend on children and adults social services, helping residents out of poverty, and helping with the cost of living crisis.
Other plans forming part of this year’s local budget includes reducing homelessness and building new homes that are ‘genuinely affordable’.
Protecting Manchester’s libraries and leisure centres, investing in the borough’s 148 parks and green spaces, and restoring local neighbourhoods and high streets are also included.
This morning, we set our budget for 2025 to 26.
Every pound goes into making residents’ lives better.
To round it off, the Council is allocating an extra £5 million to tackle fly tipping, clean up the streets, and make sure the city is ‘clean, green, and tidy’.
“Our top priority is making sure that everything we do works towards making our city, and the lives of our residents, better,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council, as the budget was announced last week.
“We’re pleased to be able to set a budget which continues to work hard for the people of Manchester -not just delivering the essential functions which they expect but also investing in making lives better and improving the city.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
Manchester
Hundreds of sausage dogs will be taking over a cafe in Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
A pop-up cafe filled with hundreds of sausage dogs is coming back to Manchester this weekend.
Are you a big dachshund fan? Love seeing lots of little sausage dogs in the same place? Looking for your little pup to make some sausage friends? Well you’re in luck, as the Dachshund Pup Up Cafe is back in our city on Sunday.
Having already proved to be a smash-hit success in the years it’s visited Manchester since 2018, the dachshund pop up cafe – or we should say ‘pup up cafe’ – will be filling another popular city centre venue with so many sausage dogs.
Organisers are expecting more than 250 dachshunds to join in on the fun.
Hundreds of sausage dogs will be taking over a cafe in Manchester this weekend / Credit: The Pup Up Cafe
Sausage dogs and their owners are all invited to descend on Revolution Parsonage Gardens in the city centre from 10am, as organisers The Pup Up Cafe have managed to secure the whole venue the dogs to roam free and enjoy some wholesome fun in a safe space.
Whether you own a sausage dog yourself or you’re simply just a dachshund fan, you’ll get the chance to mingle with many furry little friends, take part in a range of activities, and stock up on dachshund-related goodies.
The pups themselves will get to enjoy unlimited dog treats and free puppuccinos, and play to their heart’s content with other sausages.
It sounds like it’s going to be a jam-packed day to remember, so luckily, there’ll be plenty of photo opportunities throughout.
The Dachshund Pup Up Cafe will arrive in Manchester on Sunday 9 March from 10am-1:30pm, with different morning and afternoon sessions during the day, and pp to 50 sausage dogs allowed per session.
Fancy ‘a sausage mad day’ then? Tickets will set you back £10 if you’re a sausage dog owner, and £15 if you’re just a dachshund fan who’s keen to go along for the fun anyway.
The Manc -
27th April 2023 
