Ambitious plans for the transformation of Chorlton’s historic library have been unveiled, and they certainly do look fancy.
In case you hadn’t already heard, Chorlton Library – which first opened all the way back in 1914, and is one of 24 public libraries in Manchester managed by Manchester City Council – is about to undergo a “major refurbishment” that will see the stunning Grade II-listed building lovingly upgraded, before it reopens to the public once again next year.
Work to the well-known Manchester Road site will “enhance the existing structure” of the building, according to the Council.
Improvements to the exterior stonework of the building and its windows, as well as the renewal of its electrical and mechanical systems, are just some of the tasks at hand unveiled as part of the Library’s transformation plans.
Additional meeting rooms within the existing structure will also be created as part of the refurbishment, and this means that, when the building reopens in 2025, the Library will benefit from special ‘Open+ technology’ to allow it to be “open and accessible” to the local community for more hours every day.
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But by far the stand-out feature of the transformation plans has to be the intention to unveil the building’s fabulous dome, which has been hidden for countless years.
All work will go towards ensuring the building contributes to lower carbon emissions, and will ultimately help the Council meet its target of becoming zero carbon by 2038.
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Ambitious plans for a ‘major refurbishment’ of Chorlton’s historic library have been unveiled / Credit: Manchester City Council | Polina Zimmerman (via Flickr)
Councillor John Hacking, who is the Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure at Manchester City Council, called Chorlton Library a “unique building” and “a great asset to the city” – but promised the revamp will be “worth the wait” once it reopens.
“It’s a much-loved library, and continues to be at the heart of the Chorlton community as it has been for the last 100 years, [but] this work will bring it right up-to-date and ensure it continues to be better equipped to serve the local community and fit for purpose for the next 100 years and more, as well as meeting our sustainability plans and carbon neutral targets.
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“As one of the busiest libraries in the city, I know it will be missed but I can assure you that the revamp will be worth the wait.”
Chorlton Library closes its doors for two-weeks next Sunday 24 March, and it will then reopen with a reduced offering from the extension at the back of the building from Monday 8 April.
Services in the reduced library offer will include free internet and Wi-Fi, a small selection of stock, and a reservation pick-up point – with these reservations able to be made for free on the Manchester libraries catalogue online.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Featured Images — Emma Farrer (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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All Greater Manchester boroughs to have 24-7 night buses from next month as new services launch
Emily Sergeant
Extra night buses, new routes, and more frequent bus services are being rolled out across the Bee Network at the end of this month.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy, and now plans to introduce these from September onwards have been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford will all get a 24-hour bus service by next month, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that once the new services have launched, it will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
Some of the other changes set to be introduced from next month include a selection of brand-new bus services, and more frequent buses during the day and at the weekends.
All Greater Manchester boroughs will have 24-7 night buses from next month / Credit: TfGM
There will also be better connections overall to key employment and leisure destinations like Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton, Kingsway Business Park, and Logistics North.
“The Bee Network belongs to the people of Greater Manchester and it needs to work for every community,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“As we build it, we’re listening and responding to what residents want with the biggest set of improvements we’ve ever made in one go.
🚌 More improvements are on the way across the #BeeNetwork.
36 service changes will benefit around 740,000 people across Greater Manchester, helping more communities access reliable, convenient public transport.
“We’re bringing night buses to every borough, launching new routes and ensuring buses run more often in the mornings, evenings and weekends. In doing so, we’re making it easier than ever for people to get around the city region by bus, but we’re also supporting our businesses, whose staff and customers need a reliable and safe way to reach them.
“Almost three quarters of a million people live within walking distance of a bus route we’re improving over the next few months, and we’ll continue improving connections for even more communities based on the feedback we get.”
Emily Sergeant -
15th March 2024 
