Northern Quarter’s beloved Night and Day Cafe have issued an update on the status of their ongoing noise abatement notice, confirming that the neighbour who initially made the complaint has now moved out and the case lies in the hands of the council.
The iconic Manc music and nightlife institution was issued with an abatement notice by Manchester City Council over 18 months after a single NQ resident made a complaint about the noise back in 2021 and the owners have been battling to stay open ever since.
With countless musicians rallying behind the popular bar and gig venue, just as they did in 2014 when this issue last arose, the campaign to save Night and Day is bigger than ever and while the council are yet to drop the case, the venue has now issued an update as to next steps.
Sharing a lengthy statement on social media, N&D confirmed that the neighbour in question moved out months ago and that the team will now be heading back into court next week, adding that they are “hopeful that this matter will finally be resolved”.
As explained in the message on social media, the building hasn’t had a single noise complaint since the one made by the recently vacated resident and “has continued to operate in exactly the same manner during this period and exactly the same as it has done previously for over 30 years.”
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As opposed to simply echoing the sentiment of many locals — ‘don’t move into Northern Quarter then’ — they go on to maintain that “the source of this problem is that no acoustic consideration was given during the planning and development stages of the apartments next to the pre-existing venue N&D”.
Therefore, they will now be “heading back to court next week for a three-day hearing” with the aim of finally putting the case to be and be left to “continue doing what it does best: putting on bands, nurturing culture and creativity, and putting smiles on the faces of the people that visit the venue.”
As for the individual who initially set off the chain of events, during the last visit to court his partner said the man had since become “a recluse” and lost around 30kg in weight as a result of the stress, with some people unfortunately threatening the pair on social media.
Many online were outraged by the local authority’s decision to issue the notice in the first place, labelling it “ridiculous“, “an insult” and as posing a threat to the arts, culture, local business and the Manchester music scene, although the council have insisted they dont want to close the venue.
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Hopefully, for the sake of all parties concerned, the proceedings will see the case finally reach a positive conclusion and not only enable MCC to move on to more pressing issues but, more importantly, allow Night and Day Cafe to focus on giving Mancs a good night out as it has for more than three decades.
It goes without saying that The Manc is in full support of protecting local businesses — we even hosted a DJ set at N&D earlier this month — and were hugely relieved to hear fellow music venue Gorilla is set to reopen its doors again in the coming weeks. Keeping supporting your independents, people.
Featured Image — Night and Day Cafe/mcrjh.pix (via Instagram)
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Derelict Manchester office block to become ‘vital’ accommodation for homeless families
Emily Sergeant
A derelict former office block in Manchester is set to become vital accommodation for homeless families in the region.
Manchester City Council has announced that, subject to planning approval, new temporary accommodation for dozens of homeless families will be created on the site of a derelict former office block in south Manchester, off Nell Lane in Chorlton.
The Council acquired the 1.1 acre site last month with the support of the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund.
The initiative – which is part of wider plans to boost the city’s stock of quality temporary accommodation – will see self-contained two-bedroom accommodation created for around 55 homeless families built where former NHS offices, Mauldeth House, currently stand.
Mauldeth House has been empty for several years now at this point, and had become somewhat of a ‘blight’ on the neighbourhood, attracting anti-social behaviour along the way and being targeted by squatters – but with the plans for the new accommodation, this could change for the better.
The site, and therefore the new accommodation, is said to be ‘ideally located’ for families, as it’s close to shops, schools, public transport, leisure facilities, and Chorlton Park.
The new accommodation will see families supported by a specialist team based on site to help them move on as quickly as possible into permanent settled tenancies, which is, of course, the long-term goal for many.
The Mauldeth House initiative is cited as being one example of the Council’s drive to increase its temporary accommodation stock across the city to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.
Other successful examples of this initiative include Mariana House in Whalley Range, and The Poplars in Rusholme.
It also comes after it was announced last month that homeless children in Greater Manchester, particularly those who are placed in temporary accommodation out of area for their school, will now get free bus travel to and from school.
“Mauldeth House is a great example of how we can put derelict properties to good use to benefit those experiencing homelessness, as well as making our neighbourhood look better,” explained Deputy Council Leader, Cllr Joanna Midgley.
“We are tackling homelessness on many fronts, the most important one being prevention, but we also need an increased supply of good quality temporary accommodation within the city so that if people do become homeless they are not uprooted from their social support networks.
“One of the ways we are doing this is through the innovative use of existing sites whether they are council owned or we are able to acquire them, as in the case of Mauldeth House.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Bolton woman who falsely accused 10 men of raping her has been jailed
Emily Sergeant
A woman from Bolton who falsely accused 10 different men of raping her over a six-year period has now been jailed.
Stacey Sharples, 31 from Farnworth in Bolton, pleaded guilty of 10 counts of perverting the course of justice in relation to reports against 10 separate men at Bolton Crown Court earlier last month (2 February 2026), before appearing in court again this week to be sentenced.
The investigation into Sharples was launched after the arrests and questioning of almost all these men, and following the pursuing of all relevant lines of enquiry, which consistently revealed evidence contrary to what had been disclosed by Sharples.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says investigations of this nature are ‘extremely rare’ and the decision to pursue Sharples as a suspect was ‘not one taken lightly’.
“However, it is our duty to act in the public interest and on the evidence and information we uncover and receive, which in this case demonstrated a continuous, wilful making of false allegations, knowing full well the consequences for each of the men involved,” GMP said in a statement following Sharples’ sentencing.
Of the allegations Sharples pleaded guilty to – of which were made over a six-year period between 2013 and 2019 – most of the men were arrested and spent time in custody, with some also undertaking intimate examinations, and almost all spending periods of time on police bail or released under investigation.
Statements from the men accused by Stacey Sharples / Credit: GMP
GMP says there’s ‘no doubt’ the reports and arrests have had an impact on these men, their sense of self and relationships, their wider networks, and how they move forward with their lives.
False accounts also undermine those who have genuinely experienced sexual violence.
Police say it also affects the confidence in the criminal justice system, and that the time spent investigating Sharples’ reports could have been put towards investigating ‘genuine reports of sexual offences’ instead.
Sharples has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison this week after pleading guilty to making false rape allegations.
Speaking following Sharples’ sentencing this week, Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, who investigated this case, said: “We took the allegations made by Stacey Sharples seriously, explored all lines of enquiry and swiftly made arrests or interviewed of all the men she accused.
“We gave her multiple opportunities to provide further explanation or information to us, after interviews with the men and subsequent evidence uncovered didn’t align with her first recollection, as we understand that trauma can impact how victims and survivors recount their experiences.
“Ultimately, as the evidence continued to demonstrate that the reports were untrue, coupled with the desire for justice from some of the men who had been falsely accused, it was right that we followed the evidence and pursued the individual who had actually committed a criminal offence.”
Danny Jones -
29th June 2023 
