Property

Impressive image shows what the Manchester skyline could look like in the future

Well this would be a BIG transformation.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 15th August 2023

An artist has created an image showing what the Manchester skyline could look like in the year 2100.

The image shows a few local landmarks – like Beetham Tower and Manchester Central – suddenly dwarfed by enormous, modern new skyscrapers.

The futuristic image shows a cluster of huge new towers, taller even than the Deansgate Square development.

It’s been created by artist Andrea Astarita as a collaboration with Adobe to celebrate Skyscraper Appreciation Day.

And okay, it’s not exactly been drawn up by architects or been created by trawling through planning documents – rather, artificial intelligence has played a big hand.

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Andrea used the new Photoshop Generative Fill tool, a clever gadget powered by Adobe Firefly, to transform Manchester’s skyline.

He gave the same treatment to other cities around the UK too.

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Some of it might look almost too futuristic, but then if you’d shown 90s Mancs the present day skyline with Deansgate Square looming, they’d have laughed you out of the city.

And just imagine how people would have reacted in the 80s if you’d told them that Ancoats would become one of the coolest neighbourhoods on Earth?!

An aerial view of the new Co-op Live arena in Manchester
An aerial view of the new Co-op Live arena in Manchester. Credit: Co-op Live
Some of the developments actually happening in Manchester.

While Andrea’s AI image is entirely the stuff of make-believe at present, there are some city-changing developments on the horizon.

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There is, of course, the looming opening of Aviva Studios, as well as the new Co-op Live, both taking shape on the city’s cultural map.

Then there’s Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s project, which will add a 41-storey skyscraper to the city centre.

Plans to build a massive skyscraper dubbed the ‘tombstone’ in Manchester are to go ahead despite objections, too.

Then there are new plans, taking shape right behind Deansgate Square, to build Manchester’s tallest skyscraper yet – with a 71st-floor restaurant.

So maybe Andrea’s AI-boosted impression isn’t such a stretch after all…?

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Featured image: Adobe

Property

Andy Burnham pledges to build 10,000 new council houses in Greater Manchester by 2028

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Andy Burnham has pledged to build 10,000 new council houses across Greater Manchester before 2028 arrives.

Following his declaration back in January that 2024 would be the year Greater Manchester “gets serious about housing”, the Mayor of Greater Manchester – who was re-elected for his third term as the region’s Labour mayor this past weekend – has vowed to tackle the housing crisis within the next decade, and is promising to build a “new generation” of council homes.

Mr Burnham is keen to put housing “centre stage” and make it a “top priority” over the course of his next mayoral term, and by 2028, he wants there to be 1,000 new council houses in each of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs.

This will involve identifying brownfield sites and land owned by public bodies where the homes can be built in each borough.

Also, as part of his wider housing mission, Mr Burnham has also asked the Government to devolve powers to suspend ‘Right to Buy’ on these new-build council homes and in areas of greatest housing need in a bid to help “stem the critical loss” of social housing to the private rented sector in Greater Manchester. 

This request comes after it was revealed that our city-region has lost nearly 24,000 homes to ‘Right to Buy’ within in the last 20 years – including 571 sold in 2022-23 alone.  

Some of the other housing measures announced by the Mayor yesterday include the introduction of a pilot scheme – which would be rolled-out across Greater Manchester by the end of 2024 – that offers residents the right to request a property check, and the opening of the new ‘GM Good Landlord Charter’ to applications by the summer, setting out standards for rental properties, and supporting landlords to meet them.   

Andy Burnham pledges to build 10,000 new council houses in Greater Manchester by 2028 / Credit: Rockpanel | GMCA

Mr Burnham will also look to expand the much-valued ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme to at least 600 places every night during his third mayoral term to provide “crucial support” to rough sleepers as the rising cost of living crisis continues.

The Mayor has confirmed he will continue to donate 15% of his salary each month to support the scheme.

“Greater Manchester can’t achieve its full potential as long as it remains in the grip of a housing crisis,” Mr Burnham explained as he set out his plans for the future as Greater Manchester’s Mayor.

“That is why I am setting a new ambition for the city-region to end it within a decade.

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“Everyone deserves to live in a good, safe home, and by building new council homes, and by suspending the Right to Buy on them, we can give our Councils the breathing space they desperately need to replenish their stock, so that all of those waiting in temporary accommodation or on the housing registers have the chance to access good homes.”

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

Property

Bolton has been named the ‘mouldiest’ place in the UK

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Bolton has been named the ‘mouldiest’ place in the UK, and it’s joined by two other Greater Manchester towns in the top 10.

Talk about a not-so-coveted title, right?

From damp flats to poorly-ventilated houses, the battle against mould seems to be constant for many UK residents, and while Awaab’s Law – which was named in memory of Rochdale toddler, Awaab Ishak, and introduced back in 2023 – was brought in to tackle this very problem, by mandating faster response times from social housing landlords for dealing with damp-related issues, the problem still continues for homeowners and tenants alike despite this new legislation.

And now, some new research by thermal imaging experts at Tester has revealed where the ‘mouldiest’ places to live in the UK are.

Bolton has been named the ‘mouldiest’ place in the UK / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

Tester measured the average monthly search volume for various mould-related terms over the past 12 months – including ‘mould removal cost’, and ‘black mould removal’ – to figure out where the mouldiest places in the country are, and devise a top 10 list.

Bolton takes the title of the UK’s mouldiest place, according to the new research, with an average monthly search volume for mould-related terms of 945 per 100,000 people, and ‘magic mould’ being the most-searched term as residents seem eager to find a simple solution to their ever-growing mould problems. 

Top 10 ‘mouldiest’ places in the UK

  1. Bolton
  2. Croydon
  3. Manchester
  4. Bath
  5. Bristol
  6. Lincoln
  7. Bournemouth
  8. Norwich
  9. Stockport
  10. Wakefield

Manchester places third on the list, with an average monthly search volume of 922 per 100,000 people, and Stockport also features in the less-than-ideal top 10 at number nine.

Croydon in London claims the runner-up spot on the list, while Bath and Bristol round out the top five alongside Manchester, and Lincoln, Norwich, and Wakefield are some of the other areas to make up the top 10.

A spokesperson for Tester admitted that the surge in searches for mould-related terms in the UK is “worrying to say the least”.

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Speaking on the findings from the team’s new research, they continued in a statement: “The study shows that UK residents are actively seeking out mould removal solutions, pointing to a wider problem of mould and mildew growth in homes not being properly dealt with, either by landlords or homeowners themselves.”

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

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