It’s been a long time coming… but work has now finally begun to transform Ancoats Green into the “green heart” of the neighbourhood.
Manchester City Council has confirmed that major investment is now underway to create a much-improved city centre park space as part of “the closing chapter” of the regeneration of the Ancoats area that began more than 20 years ago.
Developers say the new park will act as a “focal point” for the popular Manchester neighbourhood as part of a wider public realm investment in that’s aiming to “celebrate the industrial and manufacturing heritage” of this part of the city centre.
New walking and cycling routes also form part of the project to “encourage active travel”, as does “significant” planting of new wetland areas and wildflowers to add colour all year round.
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Work begins on ‘closing chapter’ of £32m Ancoats Green regeneration project / Credit: Manchester City Council
On top of this, given the fact that ‘community’ is said to be right at the heart of the project, along with the ambition to make a high quality and multi-functional greenspace for both existing and future generations, new play areas with accessible equipment, open grassed areas, generous footpaths, and spaces for hosting small events will also be created.
Funds for the project are being provided through Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to create the “necessary infrastructure” so that 1,500 new homes can also eventually be built.
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Homes England has committed £28.1 million to the overall project, along with £4.7 million allocated by GMCA, to bring the total budget to £32.7 million.
The first artist impression images of the project have been released this week / Credit: Manchester City Council
Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council, said she’s pleased that work is now underway on the final part of the regeneration to what is now one of Manchester city centre’s most sought-after and popular residential areas.
“We know that more and more people are choosing to have families in the city centre,” Cllr Craig continued, “and we have an opportunity, through this investment, to create a new green heart for Ancoats with open grassed spaces and new play park that will allow the community grow and knit around it.
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“This is part of a long-standing and long-term commitment that we have to make Manchester a greener, more attractive, and cleaner place to live.
“We are committed to creating more high-quality green spaces for residents and visitors.
“Ancoats Green will be the focal point that this neighbourhood needs, becoming the lynchpin of the ongoing development in the area, and the final chapter on the regeneration of Ancoats over the last two decades.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Former supply teacher charged with child sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A former supply teacher has been charged with a number of child sex offences, including upskirting in schools across Greater Manchester.
Abusali Rahman, a British national of Bangladeshi ethnicity from Salford, is remanded in custody after being charged with offences including, but not limited to, 12 counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child (images obtained by upskirting), three counts of making indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (making AI-generated images), and one count of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between December 2023 and June 2025, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Thirteen girls have been identified – aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged offending – at seven high schools in three Greater Manchester boroughs (Bury, Bolton, and Salford).
All affected schools and the parents of the 13 identified girls have been informed, GMP has confirmed, and all necessary safeguarding personnel have been made aware of the ongoing investigation – with specialist support on offer to them throughout this case.
A former supply teacher has been charged with child sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester / Credit: GMP
Rahman has not worked in schools since he was arrested in June 2025, after a concern was raised by a parent about an image of their child in school uniform being circulated by a social media account.
The discovery of further images prompted an upskirting investigation by GMP’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT), and a ‘significant’ amount of specialist and sensitive work has since gone into trying to identify girls.
Rahman was charged and appeared at Wigan Magistrates’ Court last month (April 2026), before being remanded into custody and set to appear again at Bolton Crown Court on Thursday 28 May.
By law, alleged victims of sexual offences have a lifelong right to anonymity, and GMP therefore asks that people respect their privacy and protect the integrity of the case by not speculating or commenting on it, either in person or online.
“I understand the concern and upset that will come with this news,” commented Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick, head of GMP’s Public Protection Division.
“It is so important that everyone refrains from speculation as this is an active case where the girls affected have a right to lifelong anonymity and the defendant has a right to a fair trial. The last thing that needed now is speculation around this case – if you know something, please report it directly to us.”
Featured Image – MChe Lee (via Unsplash)
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Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Emily Sergeant -
19th January 2024 
