Manchester residents are being asked for their views on the ‘future vision’ of Chorlton’s high street as redevelopment plans have now been set out.
With the aim of making sure the neighbourhood stays an “attractive, welcoming, and accessible space” for local people and visitors to enjoy for decades to come, Manchester City Council has now launched a public consultation into the redevelopment of Chorlton’s main high street and immediate surrounding areas.
New artist impression images of the project have also been released.
The draft ‘Public Realm Plan’ is part of a city-wide focus on local district centres to ensure they can “benefit from emerging regeneration opportunities”, according to the Council.
With a number of development opportunities for the Manchester suburb now in the works and set to take shape over the coming years, the Council says this is a “timely opportunity” to put in place a vision for how the high street could look in the future, and open the plans up to the public for their thoughts and feedback.
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The plans look to create a “distinct” district centre, with benefits for the local commercial, retail, and food and drink offering, all a part of them.
The ‘future vision’ for Chorlton’s high street has now been unveiled / Credit: Manchester City Council
Cllr Gavin White, who is the Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council, called Chorlton’s high street the “beating heart of the community” as the redevelopment plans went out to public consultation this week.
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He commented: “We have made a clear commitment to focus on our district centres across Manchester and ensure our local high streets are vibrant, attractive, and welcoming spaces for local people and visitors.
“These centres are the beating hearts of our communities, and their strength is in providing a range of vital local services on the doorsteps of our residents. The economic prosperity of these spaces is directly linked to the prosperity of the wider local neighbourhood, and the right investment is crucial to support their continued success.
“Chorlton will welcome a number of key developments in the coming months and years, and this is the community’s opportunity to help guide how their high street and public spaces will look and feel in the years ahead.”
The public consultation on the redevelopment of Chorlton’s high street is now live and will remain open online until 19 March, as well as there being two in-person events on Thursday 7 March from 3-7pm at Chorlton Central Church, and on Sunday 9 March from 1-4pm at Oswald Road Primary School.
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
Emily Sergeant -
20th February 2024 
