An appeal for witnesses to come forward has been issued after reports were made of “several individuals fighting” on Market Street.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says it’s “aware” of video footage that’s been circulating on social media over the weekend that appears to show a disturbance and subsequent fight in the Market Street area of Manchester city centre last Friday, and is now directly appealing to the witnessing public to provide information.
The incident in question is believed to have occurred shortly before 9pm last Friday (21 July).
GMP are aware of video footage appearing to show several individuals fighting in the Market Street area on Friday 21 July 2023 circulating on social media.
Officers responded quickly and so far, a 16-year-old boy has been arrested.
— Manchester City Centre Police (GMP) (@GMPCityCentre) July 23, 2023
GMP says officers were called to reports of the disturbance, but when the arrived on the scene, all parties “quickly dispersed” from the area, and so far, only a 16-year-old boy has been arrested in connection to the incident.
Temporary Superintendent Muz Kernain confirmed that the force believes those involved in the fight were “known to one another” and rather not “members of the public trying to go about their daily business” – adding that enquiries remain “ongoing” to try and identify anyone who was involved in committing offences.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr Kernain, who forms part of GMP’s Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, also added in his appeal for witnesses yesterday that no victims have come forward “at this time”.
Police appeal for witnesses after reports of ‘several individuals fighting’ on Market Street / Credit: GMP
“We understand seeing footage of this nature may be worrying to those who live, work, or visit this busy area of Manchester,” Mr Kernain admitted in a statement, “but I want to provide reassurance to the public that officers did provide a swift response to the reports.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The City Centre policing team continually patrol the main shopping high street, providing a visible presence to deter crime and act swiftly to incidents that arise, and additionally, officers from our Transport Unit frequently run operations alongside partner agencies across the transport network, including at tram stops in the centre.
“When situations such as the one captured in this footage arise, we ask that members of the public don’t intervene or put themselves at risk, but instead call 999 so that we can dispatch officers to the area immediately.”
The City Council has spent all day trying to get an update from GMP about this incident without success. GMP are now telling us this happened on Friday evening. They first told us there was no record of this incident We will be talking to –@AndyBurnhamGM about this situation. https://t.co/SFlZ4A0cyg
Appealing to the public for witnesses, victims, information, and any potential footage, Mr Kernain continued: “We would like to hear from anyone who believes themselves to be a victim or witness during this incident to come forward to us, [and] we’re also keen to speak to anyone with additional mobile phone footage.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We appreciate any piece of information, no matter how big or small you believe this to be, that might help us act against those involved.”
He concluded that Manchester city centre “overwhelmingly” remains a safe place for everyone, adding that incidents “of this nature” are not a “common occurrence”.
Work has finally got underway on the start of the UK’s first majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme here in Manchester.
The exciting new £37 million flagship development – which is being built on the site of the former Spire Hospital on Russell Road, in the Whalley Range area of Manchester – will be comprised of 80 one and two-bedroom apartments for older people over the age of 55 for social rent, alongside an additional 40 affordable shared ownership apartments.
Plans for the scheme have been co-produced in partnership with the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council, and the LGBT Foundation.
Delivered in partnership with contractors Rowlinson, and funded through Great Places, the Homes England Strategic Partnership, GMCA Brownfield Housing Fund, and Manchester City Council, the high-quality and sustainable building will offer a ‘safe and welcome feel’ with an ‘inviting presence’.
While the goal is to create an inclusive space, the scheme has also been designed to respect the surrounding conservation area.
On top of this, the low carbon scheme will also feature shared communal facilities including lounges, treatment rooms, and landscaped gardens.
The Council says the new scheme is part of its ambitious target to deliver at least 36,000 new homes across the city region by 2032 – at least 10,000, of which, will be social rent, Council, or considered ‘genuinely affordable’ housing.
It comes after more than 800 ‘Extra Care’ homes have been built in Manchester in recent years, and are another 1,000 are in the pipeline – to meet the demand for older people in the city.
A CGI of the newly-approved LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme development in Whalley Range / Credit: Manchester City Council
“This is a real milestone moment for this development,” commented Cllr Gavin White, who is the Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council.
“The Council has believed in the positive impact an LGBTQ+ majority housing development could have for this community for many years, and to celebrate the social rent homes officially starting on site is a great moment for the city.
“Working with the LGBT Foundation, we know that older LGBTQ+ people worry about being able to access appropriate and inclusive housing later in life. Although we hope all older person’s accommodation is welcoming to everyone, this scheme will provide safe, secure and affordable housing for LGBTQ+ people to live with dignity.
“We look forward to the completion of these homes that will complement and enhance this part of Whalley Range, and be an important part of this community.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2027.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
News
Parklife shares statement after festival’s brand-new stage closed down before headliners
Parklife has released a full statement after the festival was forced to close its newest stage, and cancel two headline performances.
The huge Heaton Park festival had been running smoothly all weekend, with blistering performances from 50 Cent, Pawsa, Jorja Smith and plenty more.
But on Sunday, local lad and rising star DJ Josh Baker took to the brand-new Matinee stage to enormous crowds.
Although Parklife installed a queue system to manage numbers inside the enclosed festival stage, the crowds outside became very large, very quickly, and the decision was made to shut the stage down for everyone’s safety.
Several people have shared videos on TikTok, like the one below, that show the scenes around the Matinee stage and audiences being told the area would need to be evacuated.
The stage was shut down for the remainder of the evening, meaning a headline performance from Chris Stussy was also cancelled.
Parklife has said this decision was taken to ‘remove the risk of any potential incidents’ and to prioritise the safety of festival attendees.
Josh Baker told fans: “I deeply apologise. I can’t really put into words what today was going to mean to me.”
Chris Stussy said in a statement on his Instagram: “Really gutted I’m unable to perform at Parklife tonight, flew straight from Barcelona to play a 3 hours closing set but due to safety reasons and the stage being over crowded, the organisation decided to shut the stage down as it may have caused unsafe situations for those who were there.
“Despite being disappointed, safety comes first and we will make this right very soon.”
Parklife hasn’t publicly addressed the incident but has shared this statement: “As a result of crowd movement at the Matinee Stage and on the advice of our safety team to remove the risk of any potential incidents, Parklife made the decision to close the stage for the remainder of the final day of the festival.
“Unfortunately it has been impossible to relocate Josh Baker’s and Chris Stussy’s performances to a new stage.
“Our teams worked quickly and diligently to address the situation and the safety of our festival attendees is always our utmost priority.”
Emily Sergeant -
24th July 2023 
