Manchester

The vision for Manchester’s derelict Central Retail Park – including a park

A public consultation is now open for people to share their thoughts

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 4th January 2023

New imagery has revealed the vision to transform the former Central Retail Park in Manchester city centre.

The huge site, just off Great Ancoats Street, was bought by the council back in 2017 and completely demolished a few years later.

In its heyday, it was home to stores including Toys R Us, Mothercare, Argos and JD Sports.

As the surrounding area has undergone a huge transformation, including the building of massive apartment blocks, the extension of Halle St Peters, and the addition of a booming restaurant scene, Central Retail Park has remained an eyesore.

But all that could be about to change, with grand plans for the area in the works – and a six-week public consultation is now open for residents and local businesses to give feedback.

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The former Central Retail Park. Credit: Google Maps

A refreshed Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) was heard by the Council’s Executive in December, with a commitment that the regeneration will create a ‘high-quality, sustainable office district with attractive public realm at its heart’.

The vision for the former Central Retail Park will include a home for around 8000 jobs, space for shops and cafes, and – crucially – a green space.

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The space would be a public link through to Cotton Field Park, and would be the heart of the low-carbon commercial district.

There have been repeated calls for the whole area to be turned into a new public park, a ‘green lung’ for the city centre and the neighbourhoods to its immediate north.

The vision also includes new and improved links for pedestrians and cyclists in the area.

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You can comment on the draft SRF by completing Manchester City Council’s consultation questionnaire at manchester.gov.uk/consultations.

Featured image: Manchester City Council

Manchester

Suspect reportedly ‘identified’ after three-year-old dies following city centre van and tram crash

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Tram and van crash

A suspect has reportedly been ‘identified’ after a van and a tram collided in Manchester city centre this past weekend.

During the tragic incident, a three-year-old little girl was killed.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had issued a widespread public appeal to find the driver of the van involved after he fled the scene shortly after, and officers had been following ‘several lines of enquiry’ to locate him.

It comes after emergency services responded to reports of a road traffic collision involving a tram and a van in Mosley Street in Manchester city centre at around 10am this past Saturday (22 February), where it was found that the van collided with the tram, forcing the van onto the pavement where it collided with a pedestrian.

The pedestrian, a three-year-old girl, was rushed to hospital, but despite the best efforts of all involved, sadly passed away from her injuries.

A scene remained in place around the Mosley Street, Booth Street, and Nicholas Street areas whilst officers conducted their investigations over the weekend.

At this time, no confirmed arrests have been made, but it has been reported by the MEN this morning that a suspect has been ‘identified’ connection with the incident.

“Our investigation is ongoing and we are investigating a number of lines of enquiry,” explained Assistant Chief Constable, Stephanie Parker as she appealed to the public for information. “This is being treated as an isolated incident with no wider threat to the community.

“We understand the effect an incident such as this will have had on any witnesses and our thoughts are with everyone concerned.

“We are appealing to any witnesses and anyone who may have seen the van driver leave his vehicle to get in touch with us.”

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Anyone with any information is urged to contact police on 0161 856 4741, quoting the log number 1086 of 22/02/25, or using the LiveChat function on GMP’s website – www.gmp.police.uk.

You can also report to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

Manchester

Review | Snow Patrol roll back the years at Co-op Live for a mini-Manc’s first gig

Danny Jones Danny Jones Snow Patrol Co-op Live gig review Manchester

This weekend we enjoyed a new kind of live music experience: rediscovering the joy of listening to a childhood favourite by watching it through the eyes of the next generation – that was how we witnessed a fully-fledged arena return to Manchester for Snow Patrol at Co-op Live.

And it was special for lots of reasons.

Taking a little one to their first gig is something you’ll never forget and sharing a new-found connection with a band that you loved when you were their age is one of those magical things about music that we’re eternally grateful for.

You might assume the Snow Patrol crowd one skews a little older for the most part but we were pleased to see there were more than a few kids and teenagers donning tour tees, looking wide-eyed at the sheer size of the Co-op Live arena, and singing the words back better than Gary Lightbody at times.

co-op live etihad campus walkway
snow patrol manchester review
Sees the sign: ‘Race you there!’ (Credit: Audio North)

Yes, the Belfast-born frontman made a few mistakes on the night, but it did add a rather laid-back quality to what many acts might have found a daunting performance: playing a sell-out night to around 23,500 fans inside the enormous state-of-the-art venue.

But, obviously, there wasn’t even a whiff of nerves from these lads.

You don’t get to have been around for this long and become as successful as they are without being able to relax on stage and lean into those idiosyncratic perfections that feel more like private moments shared between the artist and the crowd.

The young lad sat watching it with us certainly got a kick out of it and though we might not have been able to cover his ears in time to censor some light but ever-charming swear words (it always sounds better in Irish, don’t you think?), it made for some nice banter between him and the crowd.

Big props must go to Johnny McDaid on the keys too, who besides having written for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Alicia Keys, Biffy Clyro and countless others over the years, also managed to impress by playing the majority of this entire tour after having trapped his hand in a train door. OUCH.

johnny mcdaid broken hand tour
co-op live 2025 gig reviews
Credit: The Manc Group

Not only was that little interlude up there with one of the most applause-worthy parts of the entire show, but we were always pretty blown away by what we saw, as we all as what we heard.

Be it watching a digital tree come to life, shed its leaves and then fall as petal confetti, two sheer semi-opaque paper-thin screens swirl to create the album cover art for their latest album, or kicking the gig off with ‘Take Back The City’ as a multicoloured skyline appeared behind them, it was all pretty incredible.

We even got to hear a personal favourite of ours, ‘Set Fire To The Third Bar’, complete with a virtual performance from the voice that truly makes the song: Martha Wainwright.

It was in moments like this when we turned to see a 10-year-old’s face not quite sure of what it was seeing but an open-mouthed expression confirming they were finding it as stunning as we were.

We thoroughly enjoyed going through the back catalogue and working our way right up to plenty of the songs from The Forest Is The Path – which Gary himself firmly believes is their best work yet when we interviewed him – but it was as visually stunning as it was to the gorgeous sonically.

the forest is the path tour
Up there with one of the prettiest gig snapshots in our memory.
snow patrol martha wainwright
Not quite a hologram but very cool nonetheless.
The production levels are always top-tier at Co-op Live but the Snow Patrol set was much more impressive than we expected.

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All in all, we Snow Patrol were as good as ever – it really is as simple as that.

We had the privilege of seeing an intimate date at New Century Hall back in September 2024 and it’s always fascinating to see how a scaled-down acoustic set can be transformed into a big stadium show with all the bells and whistles.

Both proved to be a brilliant way to see the contemporary rock, indie and alternative veterans, but there’s something about giving them a stage as big as this that reminds you of just how much they deserve it.

Last but not least, thanks to Co-op Live not just for having but for creating a little boy’s memory that he’ll never forget.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

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