Covid-19 rules and restrictions for travel are set to change again, the Prime Minister has confirmed.
Boris Johnson announced today that passengers to the UK will no longer need to take a pre-departure Covid test.
He also announced that the requirement to self-isolate on arrival to England until receiving a negative PCR result will be scrapped.
Instead, people can take a lateral flow test on their second day in England, and order a further PCR test if the lateral flow result is positive.
The relaxation in Covid travel rules will apply from 4am on Friday, January 7.
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The PM said the change to measures is a way to ‘live with Covid without letting our guard down’.
Speaking to the House of Commons, Mr Johnson confirmed that the Government is set to stick with Plan B measures for another three weeks.
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He said: “When the Omicron variant was first identified, we rightly introduced travel restrictions to slow its arrival in our country.
“But now Omicron is so prevalent, these measures are having limited impact on the growth in cases, while continuing to pose significant costs to our travel industry.
“So I can announce that in England from 4am on Friday we will be scrapping the pre-departure test, which discourages many from travelling for fear of being trapped overseas and incurring significant extra expense.
“We will also be lifting the requirement to self-isolate on arrival until receipt of a negative PCR, returning instead to the system we had in October last year, where those arriving in England will need to take a lateral flow test no later than the end of day two, and if positive, a further PCR test to help us identify any new variants at the border.
“Mr Speaker, all these measures are balanced and proportionate ways of ensuring we can live with Covid without letting our guard down.
“And we can only do this thanks to the biggest and fastest booster campaign in Europe.”
He ended his statement by urging people to get their booster jabs, saying there are two million appointments available in the next week alone.
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Reacting to the news, Charlie Cornish, CEO at Manchester Airport Group, said: “Today’s announcement is very positive news and will help restart the recovery of the travel and tourism sector.
“The removal of these temporary measures is important recognition that travel restrictions should not remain in place if they no longer help prevent the spread of the virus.
“By removing barriers to travel in what is a critical period for forward-booking, passengers, airports, airlines and business across the UK can now plan ahead with confidence.
“We look forward to working with Government on a roadmap for the removal of all remaining restrictions, in order to help our prized aviation sector enjoy a full recovery.”
Featured image: Gov.uk / Unsplash
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Plans submitted for new £250 million mixed residential neighbourhood in Stockport
Danny Jones
Plans have officially been submitted for a brand-new £250 million neighbourhood in the heart of Stockport town centre.
The new mixed residential mini-village simply dubbed, ‘Stockport 8’, has been put forward by the local LLP of the same name, set up as part of a partnership between Stockport Council and ECF (English Cities Fund – itself a joint venture between Homes England, Legal & General, and Muse).
Set to cost a quarter of a million, the proposed neighbourhood is just the latest step of the ever-growing Stockport Mayor Development Corporation (MDC) masterplan, a wider £500m scheme to transform the specific Stockport Town Centre West area into the most sustainable, liveable town centre in the UK.
With a planning application now submitted, we’ve also been given another look at what the new Stockport neighbourhood would look like if green-lit.
We first heard reports of the new Stockport 8 neighbourhood back in January after CGIs of what the developers envisioned were shared with the public, alongside how it fit into the West blueprints.
The overall goal of the development is to create a high-quality, green neighbourhood featuring a mix of housing tenures to suit existing and new homeowners and tenants.
Aiming to build a grand total of 1,300 high-quality, energy-efficient homes all told as part of a whipping £1bn investment in Stockport town centre, there will also be room for businesses and community spaces on the ground floor level to knit into the existing centre and its community.
There’s also an insistence from those behind the project to create different atmospheres, creating new environments for people to meet, socialise, relax and enjoy, such as residential courtyards and green roofs, as well as the usual modern amenities re: parking, vehicle charging, bike storage etc.
All told, the council and their development partners – which include chief designers, shedkm, and landscape architects, Planit – are hoping to contribute nearly a third of the homes in Stockport MDC masterplan, which is hoping to surpass 4,000 homes over a total of 130 acres.
As well as helping contribute to the busy and vital road network that is continuing to be redeveloped, the goal is to create a safe and sustainable travel environment too, with a pedestrian-only street running through the centre of the scheme.
With one big road (Cook Street) running throughout the neighbourhood, the new builds will also look to knit into Stockport’s existing structure, celebrating the area’s rich heritage and character by even reintroducing historic street patterns and street names.
If you’re interested in the skyline-changing new project, you can find out more HERE.
Planning permission applications in Manchester can sometimes take upwards of 13 weeks due to the various individual stages and processes, so we’re still a while of way from knowing if/when Stockport 8 will begin work but with a summer 2027 completion date, it could be a huge moment for the town.
Hidden drug den full of cannabis plants worth £100k exposed by police in Bury
Emily Sergeant
Police in Bury have exposed a drug den worth an estimated £100,000 hidden behind closed doors during early morning warrants.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained, earlier this week (9 December), officers from the Radcliffe and Elton and Church Neighbourhood Teams were joined by Bury’s newest district commander, Chief Superintendent Kirsty Oliver, to conduct a warrant at an address on Mitchell Street.
The warrant was conducted by acting on intelligence that was gathered from members of the public within the community.
Officers the address, where they forced entry and discovered what has been described as a “sophisticated cannabis farm” within the property.
A hidden drug den full of cannabis plants worth £100k has been exposed by police in Bury / Credit: GMP
The set-up was spread across two floors, and according to police, resulted in around 300 plants being seized overall – with half of them being at the beginning of their growth-cycle, and 100 which had been harvested.
All the plants seized have a combined street value of an estimated £100,000, it is believed.
On top of this, a vehicle was also seized after officers found it suspiciously parked outside the premises, and following further inspection, it was discovered to be outstanding as stolen and had false registration plates.
Early morning warrants uncover a hidden drug den worth an estimated £100,000 in #Bury thanks to intelligence from within the community.
Police believe that the warrant could be linked with West Balkan’s Organized Crime Groups, and are investigating additional lines of enquiry.
Chief Superintendent Kirsty Oliver, Bury’s new district commander, thanked the public for their help in yesterday’s warrant.
“We received information sent in by concerned members of the community who wanted to create a safer environment,” Chief Superintendent Oliver explained.
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“Communities are essential to preventing and solving crime, and I encourage you to continue to report any criminal acts or suspicious behaviour to us and let us know what is happening in your area.”
Daisy Jackson -
5th January 2022 
