Abandoned Manchester railway arches to become shop and restaurant hub
The council is yet to approve the £4m scheme, but if successful it would transform the arches - the largest of their kind outside of London - into a new neighbourhood
A row of empty Manchester railways that have sat empty for years is set to become a new shopping and dining hub, if plans submitted to council bosses are successful.
The railway arches behind Manchester Victoria railway station have long stood derelict, but now it appears that developers want to turn them into a row of shops, bars, restaurants and cafes for locals and visitors to enjoy.
The Arch Company, a national project that plans to transform 1,000 empty or derelict spaces across England and Wales by 2030, has its sights set on the location and has submitted plans to bring the ten arches back to life.
If successful the £4m scheme will become part of the national £200m Project 1000 scheme, which has already seen the developer purchase 253 spaces in Manchester and Salford, including arches on Temperance Street and Bennett Street.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Victoria railway arches are the largest of their kind outside of the capital.
Whilst acquiring its portfolio, the developer purchased a large range of spaces from Network Rail.
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Archy 5, better known as the pop-up bikes shop, will remain open on Corporation Street throughout the redevelopment.
Arches beyond number 11, meanwhile, are not affected as they are not part of the project according to planning documents.
Speaking on the application, portfolio asset manager Rob Roddy said: “Corporation Street is a fantastic location for leisure and retail businesses to make their own – we see incredible potential in these railway arches.
“As part of our development plan, Project 1000, we’re committed to investing in 1,000 spaces by 2030 and hope these arches in Manchester will form part of these plans.”
Featured image – The Arch Company
City Centre
Some of the best St. Patrick’s Day deals, offers and specials in Manchester city centre this year
Danny Jones
St Patrick’s Day 2026 is nearly upon us, and we can’t wait to drink a river of Guinness, sing old Irish classics, dance a jig and be generally merry.
It’s a good job we know exactly where to make the most of the festivities then, isn’t it?
The best Paddy’s Day deals and offers around Manchester | 2026
1. Cheap Guinness and brilliant, beefy pies at The Black Friar – Salford
First up on our list this year, the beautiful Black Friar pub and bistro over on the edge of Salford is doing £4.50 Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day 2026 – one of the best prices you’ll find in town these days.
But that’s not all: they’re also doing a special Guinness and Beef Pie special, which you can grab with a pint of the good stuff for £17, plus £15 bottles of wine, as well as beers and cocktails for just a fiver. You can book a table HERE.
2. St Patrick’s Day specials at Hello Oriental – Oxford Road
More of a fun little one-off rather than a deal or discount, per se, but when we saw that even pan-Asian food hall Hello Oriental was getting involved with Paddy’s Day, we couldn’t ignore it.
As well as they’re already viral spice bags, they’re also doing a Black Bean Guinness Noodles dish – available with chicken or completely vegan – and we’ll admit we’re very keen to try it for ourselves.
3. Lots of the black stuff at Black Cat Club – Central
No-nonsense here: £5 pints of black gold, £2.50 shots of Baby Guinness, and a special ‘Frozen Fat Frog’ cocktail, which is basically an alcoholic slushie with Blue WKD, Smirnoff Ice and Orange Bacardi Breezer.
They’ve also got a special Irish-themed food menu for the weekend, too, including Guinness-glazed wings, spice bags, which can be enjoyed with crispy chicken and chip shop curry sauce.
Plus, there are always games to be played. (Credit: The Manc)
4. A big St. Patrick’s Day party on Peter Street – Deansgate
Albert’s Schloss remains one of the best nights in town for all seasons, so it’s no surprise that they’re throwing a smashing St. Patrick’s Day bash every year.
This time around, there’ll be ‘Kunst Kabarat’, Celtic comfort foods like pie, Irish boxty and sticky toffee pudding serving out of the Cook Haus, as well as prizes to be won like free merch, drinks tokens and even £100 off your bill. Tickets are available now.
5. Free entry and MUCH more at O’Malleys – Portland Street
At the other end of the spectrum, you could argue that free entry isn’t anything too spectacular, but it’s becoming increasingly common on Paddy’s Day, and luckily, O’Malleys has lots of other stuff going on too – all the way until 4am.
How about merch, ‘Seflie Guinness’ (with you face on) from their ‘Stoutie’ machine, a happy hour running from 3-6pm on 16, 18 and 20 March, with £6 cocktails, £4 selected beers/ciders, £18 house wine and £5 Guinness available? Oh, and they also do bottomless Guinness brunches, too, so yeah – there’s plenty.
6. Guinness pastries, pies and plenty of pints at O’Connell’s – Oxford Road
It may not be the Thirsty Scholar anymore, but what that does mean is they go extra ham over at O’Connell’s at this time of year nowadays – and they’re bringing back an exclusive fan favourite special as well.
As well as the recent and extremely popular beef and Guinness collab with V. Goode Pies returning for the day, they’ve also teamed up with Half Dozen Other to create a Guinness Pain Suisse – yes, really – which will serve as arguably the best pub snacks in the entire city come 17 March 2026.
7. 50% off special Paddy’s Day cocktails at Slug & Lettuce – Piccadilly (only)
Everyone knows the Slug, it doesn’t need any introduction – BUT, they’ll likely be busy all week around Paddy’s Day and do have a banging offer this year.
They’re doing a Paddy’s Apple and Lemonade made with the brand’s fruity Irish whisky, topped with apple juice and lemonade for half price between 16 March and 12 April, when you download the MiXR app ahead of time. Simple as that.
Now, this is by no means a comprehensive list; we just thought we’d put you on to a few good ones we’ve seen in and around the city.
And, of course, if you spot any good St. Patrick’s Day deals in Manchester, do let us know and drop them in the comments for everyone to make the most of.
We hope you enjoy the celebrations, and please drink responsibly.
Before you leave us, you might as well check out some of our favourite Irish pubs and bars in the area for Paddy’s Day 2026…
Manchester Flower Festival set to fill the city centre with fresh blooms this summer
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s annual Flower Festival is set to return once again early this summer, filling the city centre with fresh blooms.
Now in its ninth year, and always billed as being one of the most colourful and ‘Instagrammable’ events in the annual calendar, The Manchester Flower Festival is set to make a return this upcoming late May bank holiday weekend, and as always, it’s expected that this fabulous floral spectacle will attract thousands of visitors into Manchester city centre.
This is your chance to celebrate the start of summer, as the city comes alive with stunning floral displays, green installations, and dozens of free events, all alongside outdoor dining and entertainment.
This theme of this year’s festival, which is organised annually by Manchester BID, is ‘Green Manchester’.
Manchester Flower Festival is set to fill the city centre with fresh blooms again this summer / Credit: Supplied
It’s all about celebrating the city’s green spaces and future developments – including the Castlefield Viaduct extension, Piccadilly Gardens redevelopment, and Cyan Lines, which is a project to connect 100-miles of nature across the city.
As mentioned, returning this late May bank holiday weekend from Saturday 23 – Monday 25 May, there are lots of ways to participate and get involved in this year’s festival – including various ‘Show Gardens’, floristry displays, festival market stalls, and loads of other events.
The Floral Trail will be at the heart of the event, where visitors can wind their way around the city’s shopping streets to find some of the most beautiful gardens and flowers.
There’ll be a dedicated Festival Zone providing all the action, as well as a Floral Marquee on New Cathedral Street where you can find a collection of beautiful displays from local Manchester florists, alongside daily workshops.
Local businesses in the city centre are also encouraged to show their support for the annual festival by creating window, building, or in-store floral displays, and even hosting dedicated offers and food and drinks specials.
Georgina Pellant -
17th April 2023 
