As the weather starts to improve, many bar owners in Manchester are looking to extend their outside seating into the road once again – but one is claiming that its applications have been both refused and ignored by the Council.
Whilst the likes of Common and The Bay Horse Tavern are unpacking their drop-leaf tables for another summer serving in the street, Alvarium – just around the corner on Dorsey Street – is feeling significantly left out without a confirmed road closure of its own.
This week, its owners have issued an impassioned plea to be granted more outside seating – explaining that “last summer this extension meant we survived, and we were able to protect our staff against redundancies, an important priority for us.”
The bar said it was ‘still struggling’ and that having extra space last year meant they could ‘absorb some of the economic shock’ from the fallout of the pandemic.
Turning their ire on Manchester City Council in a fervent social media post, owners claimed that they had already been ‘given the green light’ but that Council bosses had suddenly ‘revoked the grant […] with no grounds or reason’ and ignored further appeals.
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Image: Alvarium
The post continued: “The council approved Piccadilly Cycle Lane which pedestrianised Thomas St and Stevenson Square however, Edge St (which can be seen in the third photo) was not included in these plans, yet the bars and restaurants have still been granted access to the road.
“By comparison our road Dorsey St, a double yellow lined cul-de-sac, has been denied with no grounds or reason.”
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The bar also said that it had since had ‘no response from the Council or our local MP’, adding ‘our faith in being listened to is fading’.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Manchester City Council told The Manc that the only official correspondence MCC has had with the premises in question dates to March 16, 2022.
They explained that the reason the road closures have been granted in other areas, but not Dorsey Street, is due to the ending of emergency Covid legislation that ‘allowed the Council to expedite road closures and provide temporary licences for premises wanting to trade outside.’
Now, in order for a business to trade on the street/road, a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) or Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) must be in place.
Businesses are, at a cost, able to apply for a licence to trade on the street/road and this process (unlike the temporary scheme legislation now revoked by Parliament) also requires a full consultation and planning consent.
They added that, in regard to Edge Street and Thomas Street and Stevenson Square, businesses are able to continue trading as there is an existing TRO in place to facilitate the PicVic cycling route (the planning for which predated the pandemic).
Image: Alvarium
A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic laws were brought in by the Government which allowed the Council to expedite road closures and provide temporary licences for premises wanting to trade outside.
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“This was vital in allowing the Council to expedite planning and licensing law in order to save countless businesses that would not have been able to trade due to Covid restrictions.
“However, the temporary powers granted to the Council were revoked by Parliament and can no longer be used more expeditiously support businesses who want to install outdoor seating that required a road closure. General applications for road closures and permanent outside seating licences would have to be directed to the Council’s Highways Department, as was the case before the pandemic.”
Alvarium’s owners, however, maintain that ‘the consequences could be detrimental’ if they are not granted a road closure this summer. Pressure continues to build as other Manchester hospitality businesses, such as Black Milk, are now joining the call for businesses to have more outdoor seating.
Black Milk owner Andy Young has this morning set up a petition to reintroduce the act that allows roads to be temporarily or partially closed to traffic for outdoor seating introduced in response to COVID in 2020 and 2021, so we expect we have not seen the last of this debate yet.
Feature image- Alvarium
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Two Greater Manchester postcodes revealed as being hotspots for uninsured drivers
Emily Sergeant
Two of Greater Manchester’s popular postcodes have been named as being ‘hotspots’ for uninsured drivers.
Merely days after one of our region’s towns was identified as being a property ‘hotspot’, thanks to house prices there having shot up by 10% on average last year, now another local two residential areas have been named ‘hotspots’ too… only this time, it’s for a reason not quite as positive.
That’s because these two areas have been found to have a high concentration of drivers who are aren’t insured to be on the roads.
Motoring company RAC looked at new data from the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) to compile a top 15 list highlighting the regions that are most affected by uninsured and hit-and-run drivers.
Egerton in Bolton, which is one of the uninsured driver hotspots / Credit: Google Maps
According to the data, the West Midlands is particularly impacted by uninsured drivers, with eight out of the top 15 hotspots located in this area, but some of the other regions with high rates include Northumbria, London, Thames Valley, South Yorkshire, and, of course, Greater Manchester.
Both the SK1 postcode in Stockport and the BL7 postcode in Bolton have, unfortunately, found themselves on the list, featuring at number eight and number 12 respectively.
Top 15 uninsured driver hotspots
B11 (Birmingham)
B21 (Birmingham)
DA17 (Bexley)
WV2 (Wolverhampton)
NE29 (North Tyneside)
HP12 (Buckinghamshire)
B18 (Birmingham)
SK1 (Stockport)
B8 (Birmingham)
WS4 (Walsall)
CV7 (Solihull)
BL7 (Bolton)
B33 (Birmingham)
DN8 (Doncaster)
MK7 (Milton Keynes)
The SK1 postcode region includes Stockport town centre and the residential areas within it, while the areas in the BL7 postcode include the affluent villages of Bromley Cross, Egerton, Edgworth, Belmont, and Chapeltown.
The only other northern areas featuring on the list is North Tyneside postcode NE29 and DN8 in Doncaster, with the vast majority being in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
The RAC’s report coincides with the MIB’s work alongside police forces nationwide to get uninsured drivers off the road, with forces set to use the data provided to direct their efforts.
Featured Image – pxfuel
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Beloved Manchester street food venue Grub shares major update on its future
Daisy Jackson
2025 will be the last year that legendary street food venture Grub will operate from its current home in Manchester.
In a major update shared today, the enterprise – which is one of the city’s very first and most prominent street food businesses – confirmed that it will ‘cease to exist’ in its current form this winter.
Grub wrote that the building they have occupied for the last six years, on Red Bank in the Green Quarter, will be undergoing redevelopment.
And so it’ll be the end of an era for Grub – but they’re urging fans not to panic.
The much-loved venue said that it will now be ‘returning to the street’, returning to its roots as a travelling food festival, filled with street food chefs, pop-up bars and ‘unbeatable vibes’.
They wrote in their ‘big Grub update‘ that: “For too long venues, food halls & restaurants have been taking the STREET out of STREET FOOD (that includes us!) but we’re on a mission to bring it back.”
Although Grub will continue to operate on Red Bank throughout summer, they’ve already lined up some other venues to host events at this year, and are on the look-out for even more.
The venue’s independent cinema, Cultplex, will move to a new home, and its sister site Fairfield Social Club will continue to operate from Angel Meadows unaffected by Grub’s closure.
Grub will ‘cease to exist’ at its current home in Red BankGrub paved the way for street food in ManchesterCredit: The Manc Group
Grub wrote: “We just wanted to let you know 2025 will be GRUB’s final year at our current home. But DON’T PANIC!
“The only reason for this is that our fantastic landlords (who have supported us through thick & thin) are getting round to re-developing the building we live in.
“This was supposed to happen in 2021 so we’re very happy we’ve managed to hang around for 6 years.
“So GRUB at Red Bank will cease to exist in winter 2025 but that isn’t the end for GRUB as we’ll be returning to THE STREET.
“Yes GRUB will go back to being a travelling food fest packed with the best street food chefs, pop up bars & unbeatable vibes that only a proper street food market can deliver.
“For too long venues, food halls & restaurants have been taking the STREET out of STREET FOOD (that includes us!) but we’re on a mission to bring it back. We’ve already got venues lined up for summer but we’re on the lookout for more, it’s going to be lovely.
“Before that all happens we’ll be having one last SMASHING summer at Red Bank with a few foodie surprises & special events. More news soon!
“Thank you one & all for your support over the many years we’ve been chugging along, it really is very much appreciated and we hope to see you soon. Much love”
Georgina Pellant -
27th April 2022 
