A new consultation is set to lay out the latest plans for walking and cycling improvements across Manchester city centre.
And it means local residents can now have their say.
Following a previous consultation in 2021, Manchester City Council’s has already set out in its City Centre Transport Strategy the aim for 90% of all morning peak trips to the city centre to be made on foot, by cycle, or using public transport by 2040 – but the public will now be asked again for their views on changes to the road layout at a number of key routes.
In the new consultation, changes are proposed for Chester Road, Bridgewater Viaduct, Deansgate, Whitworth Street, Whitworth Street West, Fairfield Street, Aytoun Street, and London Road.
Some of the proposed changes include the construction of new footways and traffic islands, a new controlled pedestrian crossings and crossing points, a new segregated cycleway with a mixture of kerbed segregation and flexible bollards, and upgraded junctions with pedestrian cycle facilites.
New loading bays, and 20mph zone signs and road markings, are some of the other changes being proposed.
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A new consultation is set to lay out the latest plans for walking and cycling improvements across Manchester city centre / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | TfGM
“Through previous consultations, we know that the public are in favour of steps to reduce the number of cars in the city centre and make it easier for people to commute in the city by cycling, walking or by public transport,” said Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment at Manchester City Council.
“Manchester has an ambitious goal of becoming zero carbon by 2038 and it is through schemes like the Active Travel Fund that we will encourage people to a long-term shift to more sustainable and green ways of travelling.
“I hope people will take the time to take part in this consultation and help shape a city centre which is cleaner and greener.”
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The consultation is now live, and will be running until Monday 19 June.
An online consultation event will take place on Thursday 26 May at 6:30pm – 7:30pm, before an in-person event happens on Wednesday 1 June in Manchester city centre between 4pm and 7pm – and you can find more information here.
Michelin-recommended rooftop restaurant Climat has closed its doors with immediate effect
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s top-rated restaurants has announced its shock and immediate closure.
Climat, which is set way up high in Blackfriars House with staggering views of Manchester city centre, has said that the Michelin-recommended restaurant is now permanently closed.
In a heartbreaking statement, founder Christopher Laidler said that Climat is ‘yet another casualty of the times we’re living in’.
Laying out the brutal reality of running a hospitality business, Chris wrote about ‘rampant food inflation’, an ‘ever-increasing tax burden’, and ‘the persistent cost of living crisis’, describing it as a perfect storm against hospitality.
Then delving deeper into the numbers, he shared that Climat has faced an eye-watering £112,000 electricity bill for its first 13 months in business – that’s 400% more than they’d budgeted.
That was chased by a 33% increase in staff wages, then a jump in business rates from £12,000 a year to £38,000 a year.
Couple that with reduced footfall and it’s ‘spelling disaster for so many’.
Climat has closed its doors with immediate effectClimat has laid their finances bare in their closing statement
He wrote: “Whilst I wanted to highlight these reasons for closure, in the naive hope the Government will start to listen before it’s too late for others, I want to acknowledge the fantastic work of our team over the last 3.5 years.
“The closure does not do justice to their efforts and dedication. I’d also like extend a huge debt of gratitude to our guests for their support, enabling us to build a nationally recognised wine list – our raison d’être.”
Signing off, he said: “I wish everyone the very best of luck in these challenging times. Bye for now, Christopher.”
Climat opened in late 2022, with an impressive wine list and a beautiful restaurant space overlooking Manchester.
It didn’t take long before it was added to the Michelin Guide, which wrote: “An open kitchen is the focus of the room, with its aromas filling the air, and the concise fixed-price menu includes well-executed dishes such as halibut with spinach and sorrel velouté, where the ingredient quality shines through.
“Wine is a feature with one side of the room acting as a bar and the carefully curated list deftly mixing traditional and modern styles.”
Claire’s is closing down stores in the UK and Ireland with more than 1,300 jobs set to be lost
Danny Jones
In another hit to domestic shoppers, Claire’s Accessories is closing down en masse across the UK and Ireland after entering into administration once again.
Falling into an unfortunate financial status for the second time in less than a year, Claire’s will be shutting down all of their standalone stores across Britain, along with their IE branches.
A total of 154 stores will soon disappear, with more than a thousand people set to be put out of work.
Once a mainstay of British high streets up and down the country, the accessory shop known for all things jewellery, piercings and more has ceased trading effective immediately.
Announced at the start of the week and the end of the first full month of Q2, it was confirmed that Claire’s closed their final locations on Monday, 27 April.
With administrators, Kroll, appointed to wrap up business proceedings, an estimated 1,300 English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh workers have now lost their jobs.
Founded way back in 1961 over in the United States, Claire’s has operated across the Atlantic for more than three decades.
However, with various other contemporaries and cheaper online options having appeared over the years, they’ve struggled not just to remain profitable but to compete full stop.
They most recently filed for bankruptcy in the US this past August (2025), with their Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch divisions having already called it quits.
Manchester location(s) have changed a lot over time, but now they’re on the way out (Credit: Arndale)
For many, the outcome isn’t all that surprising, but it will nevertheless be a sad loss for many who have seen multiple generations visit these venues over the years.
Emily Sergeant -
24th May 2022 
