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The ‘majority’ of Stevenson Square in Manchester city centre will be permanently pedestrianised

Manchester City Council has confirmed the "key milestone" for the central Northern Quarter area.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 26th July 2022

Manchester City Council has revealed that the majority of Stevenson Square will be permanently pedestrianised.

Following a series of consultations discussing the future use of the square, which have been taking place since 2019, all with the aim of improving the space for walking and cycling, the Council has now confirmed the “key milestone” for the central Northern Quarter area.

The decision to permanently pedestrianise the area comes after the square originally closed back in 2020 under temporary COVID-19 powers in a bid to encourage people back into the city centre.

The Council explained that its experience with the temporary pedestrianisation of the square had shown that giving more space for pedestrians and cyclists was “incredibly positive” and “signalled a shift in how people want to interact and engage with the city”.

However, the latest consultation held back December 2021 highlighted that there is a need to balance access to the square for all users – including those travelling into the city centre on public transport.

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Read more: Northern Quarter streets set for permanent pedestrianisation

So, in a bid to meet this need, the Council has now set out a list of proposals to update the draft plans and close three quarters of the square to vehicles, while still providing limited access via Lever Street for buses and taxis to link up with Oldham Street and Piccadilly connections. 

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Manchester City Council has revealed that the majority of Stevenson Square will be permanently pedestrianised / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)

The permanent improvements to the square will include:  

  • The pedestrianisation of most of Stevenson Square.  
  • A two-way cycle lane through Stevenson Square at carriageway level, with cycleway demarcation blocks on one side, and tactile crossings put in place and new signage for cyclist. 
  • Pedestrian and cyclist crossings 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 removed. 

The Council explains that some loading bays in the area will be relocated to allow for these changes to be made, but this will still retain important space for businesses to trade. 

“For a long time, the Council has been committed to the full pedestrianisation of Stevenson Square and we remain so but for now we will provide limited access for buses and taxis in a small area of the square,” said Councillor Tracey Rawlins – Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council.

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The Council has called it a “key milestone” for the central Northern Quarter area / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)

“We are pleased that the vast majority of the space in the square has been preserved for pedestrians and cyclists, and we will be working with businesses to ensure they can maximise the benefits of these changes. 

“For the Council, our bigger picture is being at the forefront of a switch towards walking and cycling in the city centre and turning places like Stevenson Square into vibrant and economically strong neighbourhoods.”

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

Manchester City Council says the timeframe for when thee planned improvements are to be implemented will be confirmed “at a later date”.

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

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Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Oasis ticket prices revealed ahead of huge reunion tour. Credit: Publicity picture, Simon Emmett

Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.

The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.

Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.

For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.

They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.

You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.

And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.

THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.

This is the full statement shared by Oasis:

“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.

“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.

“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.

“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.

“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.

“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.

“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.

“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”

Featured image: Simon Emmett

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Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.

The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.

That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.

Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.

For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.

Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group

Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.

And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.

Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.

According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.

As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.

The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:

Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.

“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.

“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”

Read more:

Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.

“This is completely unacceptable.”

Featured Image – Manchester Airport Group

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