City Centre

Manchester public asked for their opinion on plans to pedestrianise Stevenson Square

Hundreds of people have already let the Manchester City Council know what they wanted from the Northern Quarter hub.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st December 2021

Stevenson Square could be fully pedestrianised under new plans, and Manchester residents are finally being asked for their opinions.

After the idea of pedestrianising the Northern Quarter hub was first proposed back in February 2021, a final consultation has been launched today, and it officially sets out Manchester City Council’s ambitions to make the square one of the most attractive destinations in the city. 

Hundreds of people have already let the Council know what they wanted from Stevenson Square and the surrounding area through two earlier consultations.

But now, it’s at the final stages.

Through the first two exercises, the Manchester City Council said it learned that the main priorities for residents and businesses in the area were: 

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  • The full pedestrianisation of Stevenson Square. 
  • Having a space where people could sit and relax. 
  • A safe, traffic-free space that they could move through. 
  • Elements which reflected the character of the Northern Quarter – including space for outdoor dining, public art, and planted areas allowing a “connection to nature”.

So, with this in mind, the public is now being asked for their views on the Council’s proposals before improvement works begin in 2022. 

Some of the proposed key changes to the area this time include the pedestrianisation of Stevenson Square – with new seating and bike racks installed, new trees planted, and sustainable draining systems (SUDS) installed – and a two-way cycle lane that will run through the square at the same level as the pavement, with tactile crossings put in place and new signage for cyclist wayfaring.

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Pedestrian and cyclist crossings will also be installed at the junctions of Oldham Street / Hilton Street, and Newton Street / Hilton Street.

Footpaths will be widened in the area to give more space over to pedestrians.

Pay and display bays in Hilton Street will be removed.

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Some loading bays in the area will also be relocated to allow for these changes to be made, all while still retaining important space for businesses to trade.

Additional planting of trees and SUDS where possible will be added to the south-eastern side of Lever Street, as part of the City of Trees project, but the Council has said that this will be subject to future surveys to find “optimum space”, and make allowances for underground utilities such as gas, water, and electric.

“I’m incredibly pleased that we’re able to take the next step towards creating a more accessible and thriving Northern Quarter,” said Councillor Tracey Rawlins – Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Environment.

Stevenson Square could be fully pedestrianised under new plans, and Manchester residents are finally being asked for their opinions / Credit: Manchester City Council

“Making more space available for people to walk and cycle, as well as introducing more green space, were just two of the many priorities highlighted to us by residents and businesses throughout the consultations we’ve run [and] the experience of the past year, when more space was given over for pedestrians and cyclists, was incredibly positive and signalled a shift in how people want to interact and engage with the city of Manchester.

“I look forward to hearing people’s feedback on this final round of consultation and would encourage residents and businesses to take part.”

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The consultation is now live and running until Tuesday 21 December here.

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

City Centre

How to help in Manchester if you see someone homeless in the freezing cold

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Whilst much has been done over the past few years to improve options for people who find themselves homeless in Greater Manchester, it’s still a huge problem – felt especially hard when the temperature drops.

The Met Office has forecast lows of -3 that will last across the weekend into early next week, whilst health officials have told people to put their heating on, despite rising costs. But some don’t even have the option to do that.

In the UK last year, 1,286 people died while homeless according to the Museum of Homelessness (MoH) Dying Homeless Project.

As a general rule, there are no legal protections for people sleeping rough in England. Most councils offer extra beds when temperatures are forecast to drop below 0ºC for three consecutive nights.

Fortunately here in Manchester, there is more support at hand.

Credit: Giving Compass

What support does Manchester offer homeless people in freezing weather?

Manchester is the first major metropolitan area in the country to promise help as soon as the temperature drops below 0ºC.

Shelters are opened up in and around the city centre as soon as one night of freezing temperatures is forecast, and stay open until temperatures rise back up above zero, giving everyone a warm place to rest.

Accommodation varies from hostel ‘sit up’ spaces to an emergency shelter run by local charity Coffee4Craig for the council, where people are provided with sleeping bags, mats, armchairs and even a TV. And when space runs out in the hostels, people are given a hotel room for the night.

There is also the Mayor’s flagship A Bed Every Night scheme, which looks to offer a bed, hot meal and support for anyone sleeping rough in Greater Manchester at any time of year – regardless of the weather.

Credit: Giving Compass

What can I do to help someone?

If you’re concerned about someone, you can contact your local authority via one of the numbers below.

Alternatively, you can use this tool to view the services on offer in your area.

Read more: Here’s six ways you can help homeless people in Greater Manchester this winter

Manchester city council

Referrals during the day can be made through the Council Rough Sleeper team (0161 234 5339). For referrals out of hours, call 0161 234 5001.

Salford council

Salford Housing Options can be contacted on 0161 607 1620 during office hours. Beyond this, the number to dial is 0161 794 8888.

Trafford council

Contact Housing Options Service Trafford on 0161 793 3252, or 0800 218 2000 out of hours.

Bolton council

During the day, ring Bolton Town Hall on 01204 333333. Out of hours, you can refer via the duty social worker on 01204 337777.

Bury council

In the day, refer through the Housing Assessment Service on 0161 253 5537. For out of hours referrals, call 0161 253 6606.

Wigan council

The Housing Options Team can be contacted on 01942 487 732 during the day. Out of hours referrals can be made via the duty social worker on 01942 828 777.

Tameside council

Call Tameside Housing Advice on 0161 331 2700 during the day, or contact out of hours support services on 0161 331 2700 or 0161 331 2888.

Oldham council

The number to call during the day is 0161 770 4605. For out of hours referrals, ring 0800 988 7061.

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Rochdale council

Rochdale’s cold weather service hotline can be reached on 01706 923 511 for information on accommodation.

Stockport council

In Stockport, residents are advised to call 0161 474 4237 with details of any vulnerable people they might be concerned about.

Featured Image – Flickr

City Centre

A super-secret look inside GCHQ’s Manc spy headquarters

Danny Jones Danny Jones Where is GCHQ in Manchester?

The Manc recently had the privilege of looking around GCHQ’s Manchester headquarters to meet the real-world spies, data analysts and security experts keeping us all safe. It was awesome.

For anyone unaware, GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) is the British intelligence agency that helps look after our nation’s security both at home and abroad, and back in 2019, the national security organisation set up its Manchester base in Heron House just off Albert Square.

Just last month, we were invited along to meet some of these silent heroes in person as part of a private and unprecedented press day, opening up their doors to select members of the public for the first time.

Invited inside the high-security facility along with around 60 kids from Whalley Range‘s St Margaret’s Primary School, we spent the day cracking codes, being upstaged by children much smarter than us and trying not to sweat through our clothes from nervousness.

GCHQ Manchester school visits
Credit: GCHQ Manchester (Credit: The Manc Group)

Welcome to Manc spy HQ

After being escorted through a strict entry procedure and chaperoned upstairs to the only floor we were allowed on, we were met by an admittedly unsuspecting team of people that you would never twig as working in espionage. It quickly put us at ease.

We’re not joking when we say there were areas of this place we weren’t allowed anywhere near and even staff members have to their leave belongings behind before entering. However, what we did get to see was seriously impressive.

As well as immediate sights like the small drones being controlled by employees who could only give us their first names, we were also welcomed into a large briefing room with a high-tech display with screens that stretched across an entire wall and genuinely resembled something from a Bond flick.

GCHQ Manchester entrance
Not the big screen in question — we weren’t allowed to show you that… (Credit:”)

We then did our best to keep up with some of Britain’s brightest young brains, working through a series of code-cracking exercises inspired by the GCHQ’s new Puzzles for Spies book.

Making moves in Manchester

So why Manchester? Well, we spoke to Deputy Director Liz (yes, that’s all you’re getting) and she explained numerous appealing factors that drew the over-100-year-old institution to the city.

First off, they noted that not only is Manchester one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK and, indeed Europe, but thanks to city centre development and the likes of the ever-expanding Media City, Manchester has become a true “digital hub”.

She also went on to state the roadmap for people joining the intelligence service is starting to change and while people used to join the likes of their Cheltenham HQ “at the age of 18 and stay for 40 years”, the demographic is changing and they want to seek out more diversity.

GCHQ Cheltenham
GCHQ Cheltenham (Credit: GCHQ.GOV.UK)

Part of the reason they invited the kids along is they wanted to show it’s more about “aptitude and skills, not just getting a degree”. It’s not just about reaching out further but adapting the recruitment process.

They also believe that as well as the uni and tech culture acting as a great feeder for GCHQ, the fact that Manchester is a huge melting pot of people from all walks of life will help them “evolve” as a group and they hope to start soaking up “untapped talent all across the North West“.

What’s it like being a spy?

It’s a question most people have wondered at one time or another — usually after a trip to the cinema or watching Line of Duty — but we wanted to know exactly how close to the movies working for GCHQ is and, thankfully, many of the people were more than happy to oblige.

Although most said being somewhat evasive becomes second nature when once you accept the job, it really is only your immediate family that you can reveal their roles to and even then, they can’t really divulge what they do on a day-to-day basis.

Again, it’s worth reminding that, for all intents and purposes, these lot are spies and they genuinely have to keep up the lie. We especially enjoyed so many of them simply telling their friends they “work in marketing”.

On the other hand, despite having to withhold details even between certain colleagues with different clearance levels, Liz insists that they “don’t tend to moan about the nuts and bolts” of the job but things like the commute and how the price of Greggs keeps going up. Their office is above Greggs, for context.

GCHQ Manchester site
You’d never guess national security is being carried out above the Greggs on Brazennose Street (Credit: Google Maps)

She also admitted it’s “pretty exciting” to be able to do things that would be considered illegal for most people to do, not to mention immensely cool to be able to tell your kids “mums a spy”. Fair.

What are GCHQ working on right now?

Beyond trying to reveal “the human side” behind these otherwise faceless people, demystifying espionage and intelligence work, as well as trying to earn some trust through increased transparency, GCHQ also gave some insight as to what exactly it is they’re looking into at present.

Of course, we couldn’t talk about national security without asking them about Putin and the Russian invasion, which they confirmed is obviously top of the priority list, declaring the support of Ukraine as their “biggest task at the moment”.

They also went on to explain that cyberattacks from the likes of China are also of concern, adding that they are carrying out counter-terrorism, software development and sweeps, as well as various routine security checks on a regular basis.

Liz also went on to assure that GCHQ as a whole is “working on all the missions, covering all the hostile states and pretty much covering everything you can think of”. It was genuinely a relief to know that we’re in safe hands.

If you think a career at GCHQ Manchester might be something you’re interested in, you can check out their vacancies down below and you also can also buy their Puzzles for Spies book HERE.

Fancy working for GCHQ? Here’s how to apply for new roles in Manchester

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — The Manc Group

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