Proposals for more than 1,000 new homes in and around the north Manchester area have been recommended to the council for approval.
The first of two schemes forms the latest phase of the £1bn Northern Gateway homebuilding project and will be considered by the city’s planning committee.
Victoria Riverside will be the name given to one of seven new communities proposed by Manchester City Council and the Far East Consortium (FEC) that could take shape within the next 20 years. The development would see three towers built – the tallest having 37 floors, the others being 26 and 18 storeys high – along with townhouses on land in Red Bank near Collyhurst.
The towers will be supported by a brick prodium – which will provide shop fronts and a glazed residential lobby facing the planned Gateway Square – and will mark the entrance into the Northern Gateway.
A total of 634 homes are planned on the two-acre site bordering Bromley Street, Dantzic Street, Gould Street and Bromley. Of these, 611 would be apartments, with 13 townhouses and 10 maisonettes, all of which will offer a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom living spaces.
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FEC / Manchester Council / HawkinsBrown
FEC has committed to delivering 20pc affordable housing across the Northern Gateway.
Only 5pc (32 homes) at Victoria Riverside will be classed as affordable though, and will be shared ownership properties.
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According to a council report, the scheme received a single letter of support from a resident urging the council to approve the scheme “without delay”. It says: “The tower blocks would impact views into the city, but it is a price worth paying if the 400 metres into the city centre along Dantzic Street is tidied up.
“Dantzic Street is currently in a poorer condition than a war zone or the dark side of the moon.”
NPL / Levitt Bernstein
In Miles Platting, there are also plans to build a new ‘mixed neighbourhood’ on the former site of the Manox chemicals factory.
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NPL Group is hoping to secure permission to develop 410 homes on land off Coleshill Street – which it owns alongside Manchester City Council – and there are also plans to provide a nursery, shops, and a community hub with a cafe alongside the Rochdale Canal.
Most of those 296 properties will be built specifically for renting rather than for sale, with 44 homes offered as rent-to-buy, and a further 34 available for social rent.
There will also be 36 homes that can be bought through shared ownership.
Documents submitted with the planning application for the above read: “The proposed layout creates a safe environment through the provision of a legible and well-overlooked street network with residential front doors facing onto the street.
“This encourages walking and cycling, and therefore, social interaction between neighbours.
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“The design of the new homes and streets is drawn from the existing local context to create a cohesive neighbourhood that fits well into the existing community.”
Collyhurst Regeneration
When it comes to current residents’ comments, some residents have already objected to the loss of open land south of Coleshill Street – which is commonly used by the public – but it’s expected that more than 500 new trees would be planted in and around the site.
There are also claims that there is a covenant on the land too.
According to one resident, the number of homes being proposed is “far too large”, while another raised concerns about contaminated land being redeveloped.
Despite the objections received, Manchester City Council planning officers have recommended that the planning committee approve the application when they meet this week on Thursday 24th September.
You can find more information via the Northern Gateway website here.
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
21st September 2020 
