There could be a new park in Manchester if plans submitted yesterday go ahead.
Manchester City Council has proposed creating a new ‘green heart of Ancoats’ as part of the neighbourhood’s regeneration story.
It’s good news for all those who campaigned for the former Central Retail Park to be turned into a green lung, although this particular proposal is a little further away.
The planning submission focuses on three areas, including Ancoats Green, a new public realm on Prussia Street, and Jersey Green.
Ancoats Green will include walking and cycling routes from Poland Street to Butler Street, and from Portugal Street to the Rochdale Canal.
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Lit walkways will improve safety and resident comfort while travelling through the area at night.
The location of Ancoats Green. Credit: Planning documents
The routes will also connect the wider community to the new ‘Ancoats Mobility Hub’, designed to reduce vehicle traffic in Ancoats.
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It’s hoped that the investment into the area will ‘encourage active travel as the natural option to move across the neighbourhood’.
The ‘green transformation’ of Ancoats includes 600 sq metres of new planting, 4800 sq metres of wildflowers, and 748 sq metres of wetland planting.
It also includes a 76% net increase in trees, with any trees removed because of disease replaced by two new trees.
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32% of the new surfaces will be made from reclaimed material, which create permeable sustainable drainage systems.
How the Ancoats Green area looks currently. Credit: Google Maps
The new public spaces will also celebrate Ancoats’ rich glass and bottle manufacturing history, which will be referenced through the design of the entrance ways and street furniture.
Ancoats Green is expected to complete by 2024, with new play areas (including accessible play equipment), open green spaces and generous footpaths.
Granite paving stones from Albert Square – removed during the Town Hall’s renovation – will be re-used here too.
Following that, Jersey Green works will commence in 2025 with improved footpaths and additional seating, and the removal of the Jersey Street Bridge to create a new green corridor.
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Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Ancoats and New Islington is a great place to live, and we want to make the area even better with more and new green spaces, and a play park for children to reflect the growing number of families living there.
“We are committed to creating more and improved green space across the city and provide access to high quality parks close to where people live and work.
“Although this is a challenge in the city centre, this investment is a statement of our intent to deliver green space for our communities – and the proposals for Ancoats join a range of green investment either underway or completed.
“This includes the new Mayfield Park completed last year, Cotton Field Park in New Islington – which will open out to new green space at the former Central Retail Park – and Electric Park, the city’s first zero carbon green campus.
“Longer-term, the Victoria North regeneration programme will deliver 43ha of new interlocking green space from the city centre through to Collyhurst.
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“These are examples of the long-term ambition we have for Manchester to create a greener, cleaner place to live – that celebrates active travel and provides opportunities for our residents to walk and cycle through attractive green neighbourhoods.”
Featured image: Supplied
Property
Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Danny Jones
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
Even some ‘available’ housing in town is being hampered by claddin (Credit: Valienne via WikiCommons)
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
Rank
City
% increase – 2020-2025
Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £
Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025
1
Newport
47.39%
£2,611
£8,121
2
Liverpool
42.12%
£2,290
£7,727
3
Manchester
41.00%
£3,364
£11,569
4
Edinburgh
40.28%
£4,620
£16,090
5
Leicester
39.93%
£2,391
£8,379
6
Wolverhampton
39.22%
£2,049
£7,273
7
Nottingham
39.07%
£2,400
£8,543
8
Glasgow
38.02%
£2,679
£9,725
9
Colchester
37.63%
£2,617
£9,572
10
Cardiff
37.06%
£2,828
Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
Inside the £1.3m Bolton gatehouse considered a ‘remarkable’ piece of local history
Emily Sergeant
A magnificent Grade II-listed gatehouse in an affluent area of Bolton has gone on the market, and it’s your chance to own a piece of local history.
You will need a small matter of £1.3 million before you’re able to call it yours, though.
Now, as we always say before we write about these stunning homes, it goes without saying that the vast majority of us won’t have this kind of money just sitting in bank accounts right now… but if like us, you’ve got no shame in admitting you love looking at houses you can’t afford in places you’ll probably never live, then allow us to introduce you to this absolute beauty.
This is Lostock Hall Gatehouse – a breathtaking Grade II-listed residence that’s believed to date back to the late sixteenth century.
Tucked away in ‘complete seclusion’ in the sought-after Bolton area of Lostock – which is known and loved by families thanks to its varied housing options, excellent local schools, convenient transport links, and proximity to amenities including Middlebrook Retail Park – this extraordinary five-bedroom link detached property is described as being ‘rich’ in heritage and architectural significance.
The home has been thoughtfully enhanced over time to introduce refined features for modern life, all while preserving plenty of original features.
Set behind imposing electric gates and nestled on a plot of just under three quarters of an acre, Lostock Hall Gatehouse is divided into two detached buildings, which estate agents say offers ‘unparalleled’ versatility for multi-generational living, business use, leisure space, or even guest accommodation.
This is the impressive Lostock Hall Gatehouse in Bolton / Credit: Miller Metcalfe
The main residence is packed with bags of character – think an original stone frontage, charming mullion windows, feature fireplaces, exposed beams, expansive rooms, and so much more.
Some of the other stand-out features in the main house include two impressive reception rooms, a beautifully presented country-style kitchen, and five large bedrooms arranged over two floors.
A short walk from the main residence stands a substantial two-storey detached building, which is in need of some refurbishment for sure, but estate agents say it presents exceptional potential and flexibility for a wide variety of uses.
It’s currently on the market for £1.3 million / Credit: Miller Metcalfe
Just as you’d expect, the outside of the Lostock Hall Gatehouse is almost an impressive as the inside, as it boasts manicured lawns and gardens stretching beautifully across the plot and designed to be enjoyed in every season.
The large private driveway also provides off-road parking for several vehicles.
This property is currently on the market with the Bolton branch of local estate agency chain, Miller Metcalfe, for £1.3 million, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the agents to arrange a viewing.
Or you could just take the cheaper route instead and have a nosy at the Rightmove link here.
Daisy Jackson -
15th February 2023 
