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The scaffolding on Newton Street in Manchester city centre is 16 years old today

The scaffolding was installed in 2005 after Manchester City Council deemed the building to be unsafe.

Emily Sergeant - 25th June 2021

Here’s a fact you probably weren’t expecting to read today – the scaffolding that’s been covering an office block on Newton Street is celebrating its 16th birthday.

Maybe ‘birthday’ isn’t really the right word, but that’s besides the point.

Whether you can believe it or not, the wrap-around scaffolding that was erected all the way back in 2005 to support a multi-storey building that houses office facilities on the corner of Newton Street and Piccadilly in the heart of the Northern Quarter, has now been a mainstay of the city centre for over 16 years.

Manchester is a city that is ever-changing, with more developments, construction works and improvements happening at any given time than we can usually count on one hand, so it’s fair to say that the sight of scaffolding isn’t uncommon.

But it’s hard for 16 years to go unnoticed.

In this case, it is uncommon for scaffolding to still be standing well over a decade after its initial installation, so what’s going on here then?

Well surprisingly, given how long it’s been there, not a great deal is known about the nature of the scaffolding other than the fact it was installed by the building’s owners, Eastern Green Ltd, back in 2005 after being instructed to do so by Manchester City Council.

Owners were told to install the scaffolding because the building was deemed to be unsafe and a threat to the public.

“The scaffold is ongoing and is providing stability to the building,” a spokesperson for the company confirmed in such few words to the MEN back in 2016.

Over its 16 year residency in the Northern Quarter, attempts to make the scaffolding part of the furniture have seen countless billboard advertisements of various sizes plastered over the side of the building, but instead of distracting from the issue, you could argue it makes the presence of the scaffolding more noticeable.

That’s probably part of the reason why so many Mancunians have branded it an “eyesore”.

Luckily, it’s not set to be an eyesore for much longer though as it was confirmed back in November 2020 that a £27 million luxury four-star hotel backed by former Manchester United player and football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo has been given the go ahead to take over the site by city planners.

The 151-room hotel that will “further diversify Manchester’s vibrant hospitality and tourism offer” will be part of the CR7 brand when it opens in 2023, and the current “unsafe” building as it stands, will be demolished.

Although work is yet to begin on the hotel’s construction, one thing we do know is that the scaffolding’s sweet 16th birthday could very well be its last.

It’s a stretch, but after all this time, maybe we’ll miss it when it’s gone?

Featured Image – Google Maps