Beyonce has finally announced details of her Renaissance world tour, a week after her phones-free return to the stage in Dubai.
The Crazy in Love singer announced live shows across UK, Europe and North America in 2023 this afternoon.
The Renaissance tour will be her first since 2016, when she visited Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
But this time, Beyonce will be giving our fair city a miss – and fans are not happy.
The 41-year-old megastar is instead going to performing three nights in London at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, plus shows in Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Sunderland.
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Beyonce has announced new tour dates for 2023. Credit: Instagram, @beyonce
She announced the tour to her 293 million Instagram followers, racking up almost three million likes in less than an hour.
While everyone is busy celebrating Beyonce’s return to the world of touring, us Mancs are a bit cross that she’s skipping our home town and its amazing live music venues.
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On Twitter, hundreds of people are voicing their disappointment, and the memes are coming thick and fast.
5 – Stockholm, Sweden, Friends Arena 14 – Brussels, Belgium, Baudoin Stadium 17 – Cardiff, UK, Principality Stadium 20 – Edinburgh, UK, Murrayfield 23 – Sunderland, UK, Stadium Of Light 26 – Paris, France, Stade De France 29 – London, UK, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 30 – London, UK, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
JUNE
2 – London, UK, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 6 – Lyon, France, Groupama Stadium 8 – Barcelona, Spain, Olympic Stadium 11 – Marseille, France, Orange Vélodrome 15 – Cologne, Germany, De Rheinenergiestadion 17 – Amsterdam, Netherlands, JC Arena 18 – Amsterdam, Netherlands, JC Arena 21 – Hamburg, Germany, De Volksparkstadion 24 – Frankfurt, Germany, De Deutsche Bank Park 27 – Warsaw, Poland, PGE Nardowy
Featured image: Instagram, Beyonce
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New images released of Piccadilly Gardens as transformation plans take a big step forward
Daisy Jackson
Plans to transform Piccadilly Gardens to make them more ‘colourful, vibrant and safe’ have taken a big step forward today, with new images released.
Manchester City Council has shared the vision to the public ahead of a planning application being submitted this summer.
The plans to finally give Piccadilly Gardens some love were revealed last autumn, but things are now moving at pace with a delivery team appointed to design and build the new public space.
The new images show the vision for more green space, including lawns, trees, planting, seating, and colourful horticultural displays.
The temperamental fountains will also be removed for good, replaced with a new space called The Pavilion which will host family-friendly events.
The low concrete walls and raised planters at the edge of the gardens will be ripped out, improving the setting of the Queen Victoria statue.
There’ll be a new, larger playground for younger children, created in the same high quality style as the new parks at Mayfield Park and Ancoats Green.
A pre-planning consultation has started today and will run until Wednesday 15 July, with plans to submit the final planning application later this summer.
The new-look play area at Piccadilly GardensPlans for the new Piccadilly Gardens from above
The council has said that these new designs reflect feedback from the public and opinions on what we want to see at the new Piccadilly Gardens.
Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said: “We’re getting on with sorting out Piccadilly Gardens. We all want to see a space which Mancunians can be proud of – a welcoming and attractive environment which people want to spend time in.
“So as well other initiatives which are delivering more police and more CCTV, we’re bringing forward this scheme to transform the public space. That means investment in more flowers, more greenery, a new welcome pavilion, a new and bigger playground and an altogether more inviting Piccadilly Gardens. A bright new chapter is just around the corner.”
Further planned improvements to the area around Piccadilly Gardens in the coming years will include a multi-million pound investment by Transport for Greater Manchester to create a new, modern transport interchange.
Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use
Emily Sergeant
Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.
Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.
Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.
Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.
“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?
Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.
The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.
While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.
Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.
Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.
“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”
Daisy Jackson -
1st February 2023 
