Manchester’s twice Michelin-recommended Indian restaurant Asha’s has been closed since Christmas, but now, after five months, it’s revealed plans to reopen – with a swanky new hotel and bar upstairs.
The award-winning restaurant was sold to Kro Hospitality, which also owns Velvet Hotel in the Gay Village, in 2018 following the purchase of the freehold of the grade II-listed 47 Peter Street.
It reopened sporadically throughout the pandemic when it could, but has been shut since the end of last year whilst renovation work was taking place upstairs.
Now, its new owners have revealed plans to reopen the restaurant, alongside a brand new luxury hotel and bar, in Manchester this summer.
Image: Supplied
Image: Asha’s
Image: Asha’s
The glitzy new hotel, named Forty-Seven in acknowledgement of its Peter Street address, looks set to feature some of the plushest suites in the city.
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Opulently decorated and designed for the ultimate comfort, in total it boasts 32 bedrooms – including a range of duplex and signature suites.
The reopening will also reveal the new Peterman bar, which promises a fine selection of cocktails, wines and beers – all designed with the stories of Petersfield and the Suffragettes in mind.
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The new bar will take centre stage in the former Bollibar, underneath Asha’s restaurant.
The new bar will take centre stage in the former Bollibar, underneath Asha’s restaurant. / Image: Asha’s Manchester
Asha’s restaurant has been a mainstay on Peter Street for over seven years, featuring in the Michelin Guide in 2017 and 2018.
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Asha’s has had an award-winning past with both local and national awards, including ‘British Curry Awards – Best Restaurant Outside London’ in 2019 and 2021 – only missing out on 2020 due to the pandemic.
Both the Manchester restaurant and the new hotel and bar are expected to open on Peter Street this summer.
Image: Asha’s Manchester
Speaking ahead of the openings, Kim Eivind Krohn, owner of KRO Hospitality, said: “We’re delighted to announce the latest update on our recent venture to create a new, exciting and extravagant hotel in the heart of Manchester’s vibrant Peter Street, which is home to popular venues including our very own Asha’s Restaurant, which will be reopening in our new hotel, ‘Forty-Seven’”.
Kro Hospitality’s other city centre venue, Velvet Hotel, Bar and Brasserie, is currently undergoing an extension of the Hotel to create an additional 18 bedrooms that will offer elegant luxury.
Feature image – Asha’s
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Salford named one of the most expensive UK cities to rent in
Emily Sergeant
One of Greater Manchester’s major cities has been named among the most expensive UK cities to rent a property in.
It was just last week that the Greater Manchester town of Swinton was named a ‘property hotspot’ for 2025 by Rightmove, after house prices there increased by nearly 10% on average last year, and now, the city of Salford itself is also being put under the property spotlight.
That’s because the leading property listing platform has highlighted the city as being one of the most expensive for renters in the whole of the UK.
With 2025 set to be a year of relocation for many, Rightmove has looked at rental costs across more than 50 cities in Great Britain in a bid to find the cheapest – and by contrast, the most expensive – places to rent right now.
Salford has been named one of the most expensive UK cities to rent in / Credit: Benjamin Elliott | Pexels
When it comes to the most expensive UK city to rent in, we doubt it’ll come as a shock to you that the English capital of London takes the top spot.
Some of the other expected cities featuring in the top 10 list, according to Rightmove’s research, include Oxford, Brighton, Cambridge, and the Scottish capital on Edinburgh, but a more surprising entry for Greater Manchester residents is the fact that Salford takes up the eighth spot – with an average monthly rental price of £1,739.
Top 10 most expensive UK cities to rent in
London (£2,695)
St. Albans (£2,330)
Oxford (£2,041)
Winchester (£1,985)
Brighton (£1,880)
Cambridge (£1,870)
Chelmsford (£1,857)
Salford (£1,739)
Milton Keynes (£1,641)
Edinburgh (£1,620)
What's happening in the rental market? 🏡
👉 The average advertised rent of properties coming to market outside of London has fallen for the first time since pre-pandemic 2019, dropping by 0.2% to £1,341 per calendar month.
On the other end of the spectrum, the cheapest UK city to rent a property in is Hull, with the average monthly rental price there being £799, while some of the other North West cities featuring in the top 10 include Preston, Lancaster, and Carlisle.
When taking a look nationally, the average advertised rent per calendar month stands at £1,526, as of January 2025 – which is up 4.3% compared with this time year last year.
But Rightmove says that price changes, as well as average rental prices, vary significantly depending on the location.
Take Salford for example, which is one of the most expensive cities for renting, the monthly cost of renting has jumped by 30.5% in the last year, whereas in Dundee, prices have dropped by 3.7% during the same period.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Chester Zoo is giving away more than 30,000 FREE tickets to children
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is giving away thousands of tickets to local schools to help inspire a new generation of young conservationists.
The UK’s largest charity zoo is on a mission to help nature to “survive and thrive”.
And so, in a bid to do just that, has announced that it will once again be handing out tens of thousands of tickets to schoolchildren for completely free of charge, so that they can explore the zoo up close and learn all about the inspiring work the conservation charity does.
Chester Zoo‘s free ticket scheme has been running since 2017, and has already seen more than 175,000 children get to experience all the wonders the zoo has to offer.
We’re giving away 32,750 FREE tickets to the zoo! 🚨
Schools, nurseries, and colleges across the UK – this is your chance to inspire future conservationists and ignite a passion for helping wildlife thrive! 🌍💚
With the hopes of empowering as many youngsters as possible, and sparking their passion for saving species once again, the zoo has now opened the scheme back up for the 2025/26 season – with a whopping 33,000 tickets available for schools, nurseries, and colleges to claim.
Those who secure tickets will have the opportunity to visit the zoo between this November and February 2026.
Applications are open to any school in the UK that hasn’t already benefitted from the scheme within the last four academic years, while home educators are also eligible to apply as a group through a Home Educators’ Network.
Chester Zoo is giving away more than 30,000 free tickets to children this year / Credit: Chester Zoo
“We’re offering thousands of children the opportunity to experience the wonders of the natural world firsthand at the zoo,” commented Charlotte Smith, who is the Director of Conservation Education and Engagement at Chester Zoo.
“Young people are more concerned than ever about nature decline and climate change, and by working closely with schools across the UK, we can provide them with the skills, knowledge and inspiration to make a real positive difference.”
She added that “every child has the potential to be a future conservationist”.
Places are limited each day to ensure everyone can enjoy their zoo visit – with priority given to schools who have not benefitted from the scheme before.
You can find out more and apply for free tickets here.
The Manc -
20th May 2022 
