News

515 tonnes of carbon in Manchester saved each year in Science and Industry Museum’s ‘visionary’ scheme

The scheme is supporting its goal to become carbon neutral by 2033 and Greater Manchester’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2038.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 24th September 2021

A whopping 515 tonnes of carbon is saved right here in Manchester each year thanks to a “visionary” decarbonisation scheme.

Manchester’s very-own Science and Industry Museum is currently delivering a sector-leading programme of decarbonisation across its city centre site that is “harnessing green technology” to heat its historic spaces, and the project is aiming to place zero carbon technologies at the heart of the visitor experience, all while creating a sustainable museum for the future.  

Work has now started to transform the museum’s environmental sustainability, improve energy efficiency, and lower carbon emissions across the site, supporting its goal to become carbon neutral by 2033 and Greater Manchester’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2038 – which is 12 years ahead of the national target.

The museum says this has been made possible thanks to a £4.3 million award from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

So, how did this revolutionary scheme begin then? And how does it work?

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Well, in the 1800s, a well was constructed in the lower ground floor of the world’s first railway warehouse -the museum’s Grade I-listed 1830 Warehouse – to harness the power of the ground water, and this natural resource is now being utilised by the installation of a new water source heat pump network, which includes boreholes. 

Using the natural resource of the ground aquifer and a borehole drilling rig – which is 12 metres tall and weighs 32 tonnes – an extraction borehole is currently being drilled 85 metres into the ground in front of the Grade II-listed Power Hall, and a re-injection borehole is also being drilled in the Lower Yard to a depth of 135 meters.

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The water will then be extracted and directed to the 1830 Warehouse and Power Hall down a network of pipes, where the ground source heat pump will use the water to heat the buildings.

Upgrades to the Power Hall roof include fitting a sustainable form of insulation, which is the size of a premiership football pitch / Credit: Jason Lock / Science and Industry Museum

The museum says a painstaking exercise of temporarily removing the listed cobbles is currently underway, allowing for pipes and cables to be fitted in new trenches underground, and that all the work on this historic site is being delivered with care and attention by working with specialists to ensure that the heritage of the buildings and the public spaces are preserved.  

Other environmental measures currently being undertaken at the museum include a new electric boiler, and upgrades to the Power Hall roof and windows – including fitting a sustainable form of insulation, which is the size of a premiership football pitch.

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All the work the museum is delivering aims to save 515 tonnes of carbon per year, site wide.

“This is a visionary project where the original and modern meet,” explains Sally MacDonald – Director of the Science and Industry Museum.

“We want to create a sustainable museum for the future and inspire our visitors, the future generations of engineers and innovators – with the story of the next industrial revolution, powered by green energy. 

The scheme is turning the Power Hall into a landmark symbol of the past, present, and future of industry / Credit: Science and Industry Museum

“The museum includes the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station and the world’s first railway goods warehouse in the heart of the world’s first industrial city, alive with science and innovation today.”   

Edward Clark – Programme Manager at Salix – added: “”We are extremely excited about the project works taking place in the Science and Industry Museum, including the series of building upgrades taking place in the Grade II listed Power Hall [and] the installation of a new substation is a key milestone within this project, which results in increased carbon savings.

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“The new green technology will be on display in the Power Hall for visitors to see alongside the Historic Working Machinery.”

Featured Image – Jason Lock / Science and Industry Museum

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Andy Burnham and Bev Craig pen hard-hitting letter to Prime Minister over rumoured scrapping of HS2 to Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Andy Burnham and Cllr Bev Craig have penned a hard-hitting letter to Rishi Sunak to “express concern” about the future of HS2.

It comes after alarming reports have emerged this week that the Prime Minister is apparently considering axing plans for the HS2 rail link to run from Birmingham to Manchester amid soaring costs and countless delays.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and several major business leaders may have hit out at these rumours – but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has suggested the scheme is currently “out of control”, while former transport secretary Grant Shapps said the Government wouldn’t be able to cope if costs continued on an upward trajectory.

With a decision on the fate of the already-contentious project’s Manchester leg expected in the coming days, the Mayor of Greater Manchester and the Leader of Manchester City Council have joined forces in their stance against the “swirling rumours”.

The pair have penned a hard-hitting letter directly to the Prime Minister to call out the Government’s actions.

Local leaders have always maintained the view that the wrong HS2 solution for Greater Manchester could “damage” and have a wider impact on the north, and this latest letter addressed directly to the Prime Minister by the Mayor and Council Leader only reinforces that stance – with the pair calling it “deeply disrespectful” to residents and businesses in our region that the Government has not offered them a chance to consult on potential scrapping of the service.

Andy Burnham and Cllr Bev Craig say they’ve been “working with the Government for decades” on the HS2 project in order to best “galvanise support” and “maximise the once-in-a-generation opportunity” of the investment into northern infrastructure that offers.

But now, they’re becoming “increasingly concerned” about the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) as a whole.

Andy Burnham and Bev Craig have penned a hard-hitting HS2 letter / Credit: Flickr | Manchester City Council

“At this stage, any change to the current plan for HS2 would have massive ramifications, not just for our city-region, but the North and Midlands too,” Mr Burnham and Cllr Craig stated in their letter.

“Any cancellation of HS2 to Manchester would effectively be cancelling NPR in its current form too, and we therefore find it deeply disrespectful to our residents and businesses that we have not been offered any opportunity to feed our views into this process nor have we received any information about what is being considered.

“We are completely in the dark and that simply isn’t right given how profoundly important this is for our part of the country.”

Mr Burnham and Cllr Craig conceded that whilst it is “reasonable” for any Government to want to ensure HS2 “delivers value for money”, and that prices do not “escalate out of control”, they do not believe the north should “have to pay for the Government’s mismanagement” of the HS2 budget.

“Our purpose in writing, first and foremost, is to ask you for the courtesy of a meeting before any final decision is taken,” the pair continued in their letter to Mr Sunak.

“We believe we are owed that at the very least.

The Prime Minister is reportedly considering axing plans for the HS2 rail link to Manchester / Credit: HS2

“If you were to agree to that, we would convey to you, in the strongest possible terms, that HS2 should not be scrapped as we believe the north of England needs new North-South and East-West rail infrastructure, and should not be forced to choose between them in the same way that London hasn’t been forced such a choice.

“However, if you are adamant on making changes to the scheme, we could be open to a discussion about prioritising the Northern section of the line, between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly, so that it enables NPR to be built first.

“This would be conditional on two things – NPR being built in full, with an underground station at Manchester Piccadilly and a new line via Bradford, and a clear commitment that HS2 to Manchester is not being scrapped but re-phased and the protections left in place.

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“We believe this is a reasonable proposal to put to you given the circumstances we find ourselves in.

“If you refuse to accept any of what we are saying, we believe that people here will conclude that your promises to level up the North, on which this Government was elected, are utterly meaningless.”

Featured Image – HS2

News

Iconic Manchester nightclub Panacea reopens as IKaro, a new grill and champagne bar

The Manc The Manc

This week, an iconic Manchester venue will reopen its doors with a brand new concept.  

The legendary city centre nightclub known as Panacea is about to reopen as IKaro, a new grill and champagne bar on John Dalton Street.

The move follows an application for planning permission earlier this year and sees a new team into the former popular celebrity hotspot Panacea, which has been closed since 2015.

At the restaurant, diners will find two menus focusing on two different elements, fire and ice. On the first, you’ll find Grilled Lobster Tails, Japanese A5 Wagyu Ribeye, and Australian Wagyu Tomahawk. 

On the second an array of Sushi and Sashimi such as Torched Hand Dived Scallops and Bluefin Tuna Otoro. 

Behind the menus are talented sushi chef, Lattawan Buchanan, who’s spent time at popular restaurants Ivy Asia and former ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ finalist, Exose Grant. 

Head Chef Exose Grant, said, “Our menu showcases the best of the land and sea. We’ll be using fresh, quality produce in the best possible way. Innovative and impeccably presented dishes that don’t compromise on flavour.”

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Behind the bar, you’ll find countless varieties of Champagne including a frequently changing sommelier’s selection of rare bottles which, in keeping with the venue’s reputation as a go-to late-night haunt, will be served up until doors close at 2.30am.

Head of bars, Sean McGuirk, said: “Alongside our extensive ‘by the bottle’ offering, you can expect elevated classic cocktails, as well as some uniquely extravagant options.

“Our team will play with flavours and theatrics to deliver an experience like no other.”

IKaro will mark its launch with a VIP event on Saturday 23 September before doors open to the public on Wednesday 27 September. 

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Company director, Zack Issak, said, “It’s long overdue that this popular space opened its doors once more and we’re thrilled to be able to do that.

“IKaro will create an unforgettable experience from start to finish. Guests will enjoy a choice of the world’s finest Champagnes, paired with the best Wagyu steaks and seafood on the market.”

Bookings for the intimate, 84-cover restaurant, are open now and can be made online at www.ikaro.co.uk for Wednesday 27 September onwards. 

Featured image – The Manc Group

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