Manchester City Council has unveiled a new housing strategy, and it looks to bringing 36,000 new homes to the area over the next 10 years.
In a bid to create “diverse, sustainable, and long-lasting communities” across Manchester, the Council has decided to give the city’s housing strategy a refresh and update it to meet the demand for all types of homes – which crucially includes the ambitious commitment to building a whopping 36,000 more before the year 2032.
10,000 of these homes will be social and affordable housing, according to the Council.
The Council said it will need to work closely in partnership both the private and public housing sectors to achieve this ambition set out.
At least 80% of all the new homes set to be built over the next decade are on Brownfield sites close to public transport links, according to the Council, and there are also plans to build 3,000 new large affordable family homes by 2032 as well with the aim of tackling overcrowding in parts of the city where families are bigger.
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The new housing strategy also includes building more homes for older people that are “the right size” and appropriate for their needs.
We have launched our new Housing Strategy for the next ten years that will deliver the homes that Manchester people need over the next decade – creating diverse, sustainable, and long-lasting communities.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 16, 2022
Aside from the ambition to build tens of thousands of new homes, planners are also committed to supporting 15,000 more people get on the property ladder over the next 10 years, and the Council is looking to do this by increasing the number of Shared Ownership and Rent To Buy homes delivered too.
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With Manchester’s target to become a zero carbon city-region by 2038 also in mind, the Council says that at least a third of the city’s 70,000 social homes will be retrofitted to low carbon standards by 2032.
50% of the new homes built by 2025 will also be low or zero carbon.
“We believe that everyone should have access to a safe home in a vibrant community, that is secure and affordable to our residents,” explained Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“We are confident that this new strategy will help our residents move into the homes they need, and it will react to a number of challenges, including increasing the number of affordable and social homes, helping people to get a foot on the property ladder, and to make sure housing is a key part of the city’s zero carbon journey.”
The housing strategy has been updated in a bid to create “diverse, sustainable, and long-lasting communities” across Manchester / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council’s leader Bev Craig also pointed to good-quality housing being “a fundamental need for everyone”.
She continued: “Our new housing strategy is about making sure that Manchester works for everyone [and] it means building the homes our residents need, adapting to tackle climate change head on, and making the city affordable to anyone who wants to live here.
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“Manchester has always been a place of opportunity and ambition.
“Our approach to housing must meet that potential and deliver the homes that work for Manchester people.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
News
Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Emily Sergeant -
21st June 2022 
