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
Manchester City fans criticised for ‘absolutely vile’ amounts of litter after Premier League title win
Danny Jones
Swathes of Manchester City fans have been criticised after obscene amounts of litter were left scattered across Cutting Room Square in Ancoats.
The unfortunate scenes were captured after Man City lifted their fourth consecutive Premier Leagueon Sunday, 19 May, securing the record-breaking title on the final day.
Since the popular city centre square is one of those closest to the Etihad Stadium, City fans obviously partied hard following the impressive achievement but disappointingly left large piles of litter behind them.
Filming the state of the area after City supporters began to clear out, one TikTok user said, “The amount of rubbish left in Ancoats by football fans is absolutely vile”.
As you can see, the floor and countless outdoor benches were covered in empty cans and bottles as the camera pans to show bins overflowing.
While you can only see a few City shirts left in the background, similar complaints have been made in previous years and there were also reports of the nearby Cotton Field Park in neighbouring New Islington being forced to close early after being ‘overwhelmed’ by fans and litter.
Although there are plenty of comments arguing that the “council should put more bins out. Simple” and that “this only happens one day a year”, just as many have condemned the behaviour as “feral”, “horrendous” and “so depressing to see”.
Others brushed it off by simply quipping, “Make Ancoats rough again”, “That’s how [it] looked 10-15 years ago anyway” and “This is actually from Barry Manilow. There’s no way City would get this many people out”.
Supporters were also criticised for invading the pitch after full-time – and trying to before the whistle had even been blown, in fact.
With a domestic double-winning title parade still set to take place next month, the chance of similar scenes of rubbish as thousands of City fans descend on the city centre is very likely.
The Blues take on Man United in another consecutive Manchester derby FA Cup final and just the second in the competition’s history.
Here’s hoping the levels of litter in and around Wembley will be less shocking.
Council allocates an extra £6m funding to supporting Manchester’s ‘most vulnerable’
Emily Sergeant
An extra £6 million in funding has been allocated to supporting some of the ‘most vulnerable’ residents and families across Manchester.
Since the cost of living crisis first emerged and began to make an impact, with the effects continuing to be felt by millions nationwide – including here in Greater Manchester – to this day, Manchester City Council says “a huge amount of resource has been dedicated to “mitigating some of its worst impacts” within the city-region.
But now, the local authority is set to take its support one step further.
Through the latest round of the Government-funded Household Support Fund (HSF), an additional £6 million has been allocated by the Council so it can continue to “provide aid for those most at risk”.
We are spending an extra £6m to support our city's most vulnerable residents and families.
This includes free school meals for 44,000 families via a £15 weekly payment in summer half-term and £55 in the summer holiday.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) May 17, 2024
£3 million of the funding will go towards the continuation of free school meals for families in Manchester – which currently covers an estimated 44,000 children via a £15 weekly payment during the summer half term, and a £55 payment during the summer holiday.
On top of this, around £100,000 has been allocated for the ‘Holiday Activity Fund’, which provides free activities and days out for children during the summer.
Direct financial support for at-risk groups, including households in receipt of Council Tax Support and care leavers, has also been allocated, and finally, additional funding will also be directed to third party agencies that offer support and advice on a range of issues, as well as the Council’s ‘Food Response’ scheme delivered in partnership with over 40 food organisations.
“The ongoing cost of living crisis has been an incredibly difficult experience for thousands of people living in Manchester,” commented Councillor Joanna Midgley, who is the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council.
“It has deepened already existing inequalities, which is why as an organisation we are committed to doing everything in our power to prevent people from slipping into poverty, and alleviating its worst effects for people living on its edge.”
Cllr Midgley is also urging anyone who finds themselves struggling to contact the Council “as soon as” they can.