Manchester‘s new £210 million landmark arts complex is to be allowed to stay open 24 hours a day and serve alcohol until 4am.
Despite concerns having been raised by some about the potential for noise to be generated, Factory International – the huge arts complex that’s currently being built in the heart of Manchester city centre – is set to be allowed to operate for 24 hours a day.
The £210 million venue on the former Granada TV Studios site – which is set to be a world-leading theatre, performance space, and cultural hub, and the permanent home of Manchester International Festival (MIF) – will also be licensed to serve alcohol until 4am once it finally opens its doors to the public later this year.
Even after taking into consideration the objections put forward by neighbours, the venue has this week been granted a 24-hour license to operate under.
Factory International is set to be a world-leading theatre, performance space, and cultural hub / Credit: Pawel Paniczko
Neighbours argued that the proposed opening hours for the unique structure – which boasts 21m-high ceilings and an enormous warehouse-style space that can be divided up for different audiences – would be “excessive”.
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They particularly argued that the selling of alcohol until 4am would result in noise disturbances.
But the application was approved with additional conditions limiting the capacity of the outdoor area to a maximum of 2,000 people, and requiring a regular residents’ forum to be held to discuss any issues that may potentially arise from the licence.
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Representing Factory International at a licensing hearing on Monday, Rebecca Lowe said the project’s funding deal requires a “rich diversity” of events at the venue, and this could include late night music – but she assured councillors presenting the objections from local residents that the venue would not turn into a nightclub.
Speaking at the town hall hearing, Ms Lowe said: “We can’t give detail of all the sorts of events that might take place at this venue over its lifetime because its very reason for being is to be a groundbreaking, cutting edge venue.”
Factory International is set to open its doors this June, and has mostly been funded through grants awarded by the government and Arts Council England – with a further £25 million having been requested by Manchester City Council last October after construction costs began to soar and the project blew past its budget once again.
As mentioned, when it’s finally completed, the complex will be programmed and operated by the team behind Manchester International Festival (MIF) to act as a permanent home to the roving arts festival.
It’s expected to create or support around 1,500 jobs, attract 850,000 visitors a year, and contribute around £1.1 billion to the economy over a decade.
Manchester City Council says the venue will be “inclusive and inspiring”, with plenty of free and low cost events and opportunities for Manchester people to get involved, both as participants as well as audiences.
Featured Image – OMA 24
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Heartbreaking new figures show 35% of all children in the North West are living in poverty
35% of all children in the North West are currently living in poverty, some heartbreaking new figures have revealed.
Some new research carried out to understand regional levels of child poverty, conducted by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, has sadly revealed over a third (35%) of all children in the North West are living in what is called ‘relative poverty’, after the cost of housing is considered – which is higher than the national average standing at 31%.
Over in the Lancashire authority of Pendle, this figure reaches 45%, making it the second highest rate of all local authorities in the country.
In Greater Manchester, both Oldham and Manchester join Pendle in the list of the 10 council areas with the highest child poverty rates in the UK, as well as Blackburn with Darwen, and Hyndburn, and to make matters worse, the North West features on the list more times than any other region nationwide.
Rusholme was identified as the Manchester area with the highest percentage rating – with more than half (51.3%) of all children there living in poverty.
88% of constituencies across the North West have a quarter of children in poverty.
This could lead to things like families being forced to use food banks, children going without warm clothes in winter, or living in cold or unsafe housing.
As a result of these shocking statistics being revealed, the End Child Poverty Coalition – which represents more than 135 organisations across the UK – is calling on the Government to meet its manifesto commitment to address these high levels of child poverty, not just in the North West but also across the rest of country.
“These figures should demonstrate to Government just how important it is to quickly address this so to prevent another generation of children from growing up in low-income families,” commented Rachel Walters, who is the End Child Poverty Coalition Manager.
“The Government’s strategy to tackle child poverty must invest in children in areas with higher levels of poverty, like the North West.”
Graham Whitham, who is a End Child Poverty Coalition spokesperson and the Chief Executive of Resolve Poverty, added: “No child should go without the things they need to be healthy and happy.
“The Government’s forthcoming national Child Poverty Strategy must demonstrate a clear ambition to ending child poverty in this country, backed by specific targets and immediate investment in social security.”
Featured Image – RawPixel
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Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
Emily Sergeant -
19th January 2023 
