Manchester has been awarded £3 million in funding to support a number of housing projects across the city region.
Aiming to bring long-term brownfield land back into use, the funding will help build 210 homes at sites across north and east Manchester and one site in the city centre – with 119 of those homes to be considered ‘affordable housing’.
Working in partnership with the city’s registered housing provider, Project 500 aims to make smaller, harder-to-develop pockets of land available in a bid to increase the number of affordable homes available in the city, with an initial view to build 500 affordable homes and an ambition to exceed that number in the coming years.
All of the Project 500 homes will be capped at the Manchester Living Rent, which is the level set by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate, and ensures they’ll be affordable to as many people as possible – including those on housing benefits.
Manchester awarded £3m funding to build hundreds of new ‘affordable’ homes across the city / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council has confirmed the following Project 500 housing projects will receive a chunk of funding from the new allocation:
Rodney Street (Ancoats and Beswick) – £1,677,862 (38 affordable, 91 market – 129 homes)
Blackwin Street (Gorton) – £160,000 (seven affordable homes)
Plant Hill Road (Higher Blackley) – £175,000 (12 affordable homes)
On top of these developments, 13 affordable homes are due to be built on Jurby Avenue in Higher Blackley, which will be social rent specialist ‘Extra Care’ homes for people with dementia – with a total of £215,280 allocated in funding.
All of these new homes in the Project 500 initiative are part of the ambitious target set in the Council’s Housing Strategy up to 2032 – which includes the target to help build 36,000 new homes across the city.
10,000 of these new homes will be ‘affordable’, with 3,000 located in the city centre.
“Developing this land and bringing it back into use is an important part of our plans to deliver 36,000 new homes in the next 10 years,” commented Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for Housing and Development, as the funding allocation was announced.
“Brownfield land is often more challenging to develop, and we have lots of smaller plots that are financially difficult to build on.
“But this funding will support our partnership with the city’s registered providers to build on these smaller plots of land as part of our Project 500 initiative – delivering the affordable homes our residents need.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Bob Vylan dropped from Manchester music festival following Glastonbury controversy
Danny Jones
English punk rap duo Bob Vylan have been dropped from an upcoming music festival in Manchester following the recent controversy surrounding their set at Glastonbury 2025.
The media storm surrounding their much-talked-about and heavily televised Glasto appearance has seen them reportedly dropped by their agency and their US Visas cancelled, along with multiple concerts – one of those being right here in Greater Manchester.
Bob Vylan were scheduled to play RADAR Fest at Victoria Warehouse in Stretford this weekend, but now the organisers have informed gig-goers that the artists will not be performing in their planned slot on Saturday.
The alternative music event did provide any additional details, posting nothing but this image:
For anyone unaware, Vylan were heavily criticised for the pro-Palestine chants, which Glastonbury itself has deemed as having “crossed a line”, labelling the chants against the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as antisemitic.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also commented on the situation.
In addition to RADAR, Vylan were also due to appear at Kave Fest in France the following Sunday, 6 July, but the music event has also decided not to host them.
The BBC also opted not to broadcast Northern Irish band Kneecap as part of their coverage this year, as the Belfast rap trio have also been outspoken on the issue, among many other musicians of late.
Responding to the decision on social media not long after the news broke, the act simply shared the post on their Instagram story along with the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.”
Trafford Centre launches school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families
Emily Sergeant
A school uniform drive has been launched at the Trafford Centre to support local families ahead of the new school year.
With schools across Greater Manchester soon set to be out for the summer holidays, many parents, guardians, and carers in the region may be looking ahead to the new school year in September, concerned about how they may be able to provide their children with the necessary uniform items needed.
According to a 2020 survey by The Children’s Society, 23% of parents reported that the cost of school uniforms led to their children wearing ‘ill-fitting, unclean, or incorrect’ items.
It’s these statistic that highlight the ongoing pressure faced by families.
This is why the Trafford Centre has partnered with both Manchester South Central Foodbank and local charity, Bridging the Gap, to launch a school uniform donation drive aimed at supporting more than 700 children across Manchester this summer.
The Trafford Centre launches a school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families / Credit: Trafford Centre
From now up until the 15 August, anyone heading to the region’s largest shopping centre is encouraged to donate new or pre-loved school uniforms.
“The cost of living crisis has deeply impacted our community, with more and more families unable to afford the essentials,” commented Emily Jeremy, who is the Assistant Project Manager at Manchester South Central Foodbank.
“As an anti-poverty charity, we recognised the need for school uniform support years ago. Though costs vary between schools, a full set of branded secondary school uniform can total around £150, which is a significant burden for many households.”
All items can be donated at the shopping centre’s Guest Services point / Credit: Darren Robinson Photography | Trafford Centre (Supplied)
Simon Layton, Centre Director at the Trafford Centre, added: “We’re proud to be working alongside Bridging the Gap and Manchester South Central Foodbank to support local families during these challenging times.
“School uniforms shouldn’t be a barrier to education, and we hope this initiative will ease some of the pressure many parents face as the new school year approaches.”
The school uniform donation drive is running up until 15 August.
All items can be taken to the Trafford Centre’s Guest Services Lounge, which is located on Lower Regent Crescent next to M&S, and they must be clean and free from stains or damage.
Emily Sergeant -
8th November 2023 
