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Hello,
Manchester is known for its thriving nightlife. Most nights the city hosts an enviable array of bands and artists - and massive club nights such as those hosted by the Warehouse Project - are the envy of our rival cities.
But we are yet to have a tram network that keeps up with the demand of late night revellers. Even the network’s boss says things ‘need to improve’. If we’re ever to rival cities like Berlin, Lisbon and Barcelona, we need late night trams.
Back in June, Metrolink boss Vernon Everitt promised to look at bringing back a later weekend service. Apologising after the system failed to keep up with the demand during the FA Cup final and three massive gigs, he said he would ‘love’ to bring Metrolink back an hour later in the evenings.
The problem, as always, is money. Passenger numbers have not recovered following the pandemic and it’s left the network relying on government hand-outs.
But this week, Andy Burnham hinted things could be about to change. The mayor says late-night trams could be returning to Greater Manchester this autumn.
While answering questions on his weekly BBC Radio Manchester phone-in yesterday, he received a text from Mr Everitt stating there’s ‘a good chance we can bring it back in the autumn’.
"We'd all love to do it if we can do it prudently by not creating a bigger black hole in the budget,” he said. "I think we do need to reinstate later running on Metrolink at the weekend. The only reason why I hesitate is because we've got a shortfall in passengers still and we haven't got the funding. It will happen in the future. I will bring back later running Friday, Saturday as soon as I possibly can."
Metrolink services currently run until around midnight. Later-running trams were introduced in November 2019 for the festive period. The timetable changes meant that the last trams on Friday and Saturday nights would leave St Peter's Square in Manchester shortly before 2am. But the late services were not reinstated after the pandemic.
Inside the tower
We spoke yesterday about Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael's project and his regret over initially earmarking the historic Sir Ralph Abercromby pub and part of the former Bootle Street police station for demolition.
Today we can take a look at the first pictures from inside the building site. Led by Neville's Relentless Developments, US investment giant KKR and Salford-based developer, Salboy, the first phase is expected to be completed by late 2024 while the 41-storey tower is due to be opened in 2027.
You can take a look at all the pictures here.
'Distinctive without being overbearing'
Gary Neville’s massive tower aside, there are plenty of changes afoot in Manchester city centre.
At Parsonage Gardens - one of the city’s oldest areas - developer Beaconsfield hopes to build a new office block - but the plans have been scaled back. So a 13-storey office block with a restaurant would replace two existing buildings on the site if approved.
Joseph Timan reports that the developer has originally planned for a 16-storey tower, but now says the new design for the One North Parade scheme, takes inspiration from the historic architecture of the surrounding area, making it 'distinctive without being overbearing'.
Parsonage Gardens is considered a conservation area due to its history - which dates back hundreds of years.
Jo has also been looking at the multi-storey car park planned for the Mayfield development. He reports that it could be taken down after it's built if it's no longer needed. Following a rethink by developer the Mayfield Partnership, the 'greener' car park has been given a makeover in fresh plans. It will now be one of the city's largest cycle hubs with around 450 spaces, lockers and shower facilities, if the changes are approved.
The number of car parking spaces will be cut from 581 to 487, with up to half of them to be fitted with electric vehicle chargers. The upper floors of the car park would sit above a two-storey concrete plinth accommodating cafés, bars, restaurants and event spaces – and according to planning documents, they can be 'demounted' if and when the multi-storey car park is no longer needed.
Meanwhile, plans for a new 14-storey office building on King Street West - which would involve demolishing part of the Grade-II listed Reedham House - have led to objections from national heritage groups. A decision about the site has been deferred by the council.
And councillors also deferred a decision on plans for student accommodation near Whitworth Park.
Residents associations, tenants unions and a heritage group have all objected to the scheme - which involves converting listed Victorian villas and building a new block of up to nine storeys.
The New Conservatives
Chris Green is among a number of Greater Manchester MPs - including James Daly and James Grundy - who are part of the New Conservatives group.
They say Rishi Sunak should consider cutting the visa scheme that allows foreign workers to work in the social care sector as the current 'very open' system isn’t working.
Bolton West MP Mr Green this week spoke to Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons about the New Conservatives’ plan to cut migration levels.
Speaking on The Northern Agenda podcast he said: "You think at what point, when we're looking at business, whether it's care homes, whether it's the fruit pickers and farms, whatever it might be in British society, or British business, where we say we need more people coming in, at what point do you say, 'enough have come in to fill these vacancies'.
"And I would have thought with the many hundreds of thousands in recent years that have come in, in terms of net migration, we should have been able to fill those spaces, we haven't. So we therefore have to look at different solutions."
Mr Green says the New Conservatives are not trying to cause problems for the Prime Minister but trying to move Conservative policy back in line with the party's 2019 manifesto promise of cutting net migration to below 226,000 people a year.
"It's perfectly reasonable when he's still a relatively new Prime Minister, that there is this debate,” he said.
You can read Rob’s full piece here.
Stopping the exodus
Stephen Watson has been keen to plug a talent leak within Greater Manchester Police since taking over.
When he took up the job of chief constable there was an exodus of talent following the force’s move to special measures, as Neal Keeling writes. Many officers switched to neighbouring Lancashire Constabulary.
But cops were persuaded away from leaving by major improvements and the 'retention and insight' team. Now, two members of staff will also be tasked with stopping civilian workers with itchy feet from leaving GMP. The pair will conduct 'stay' interviews with civvies thinking of jumping ship.
The project, which started in the summer of 2022, has so far had a 71 per cent success rate, it is claimed.
Chief Inspector Mike Russell, along with an inspector, a sergeant and two PCs carried out interviews with officers who raised questions about their futures at GMP. "If we are talking to a detective inspector, for example, who has got 18 years service, they want to know that we understand the organisation, what they are going through. It's that shared knowledge and experience which gives us credibility,” Chief Insp Russell told Police Oracle magazine.
All whipped up
Residents in Tameside have been embroiled in a row over ice cream vans.
As Charlotte Green reports, the trouble centres around Frank Tinnirello’s application for an extension to his house in Ashton-under-Lyne. He wants to demolish the existing conservatory and build a two storey extension at the rear of a property, on Downing Close - plans which have attracted ten objections.
Objectors raised concerns about the impact on parking with vehicles coming to and from the property, and concerns it would be used as a business. There is already an enforcement notice in place at the home which allows only two ice cream vans to be stored at the site at any time.
Tameside Council officers say there are ‘ongoing enforcement matters and concerns regarding potential breaches of planning at the application site’, and if more than two ice cream vans are found to be parked up, the council may take further action.
A decision on the plans had previously been deferred so that the council could investigate whether the house was being used for a business. However they concluded after several surprise and planned officer visits to the cul-de-sac that the proposed extension would be used for domestic purposes.
The application was approved.
Pizza, burgers and seven types of daiquiri
Diecast, Manchester’s newest venue, opened last night and Ben Arnold was there to see what all the fuss is about.
The new project - at the former Presbar factory space between Ducie Street and Store Street - is from the team behind Ramona and the Firehouse and has been almost three years in the making.
Ben reports that the venue is debuting a new style of pizza, dry-aged burgers, a huge outdoor space, frozen daiquiris and a raised runway. The beer garden is perimetered by US style trailers, bookable for big groups and parties, and customers can drink outside or inside the huge hangar room and restaurant area called Leno.
A range of frozen daiquiris - in flavours strawberry, sour cherry, pina colada, watermelon mint, banana pandan colada, pineapple and passion fruit and garibaldi - are the venue’s signature drinks.
Ben describes the Pepperoni ‘NeoPan’ pizza as ‘excellent’ and the Leno burger as perhaps ‘already one of the best in the city’.
You can read more about Diecast here.
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Weather etc
- Saturday: Yellow weather warning. Thunderstorms. 24C.
- Road closures: A5066 Silk Street in both directions closed due to water main work between Brocade Close and Flax Street. Until July 7.
Manchester headlines
Noise row: A row over noise levels at Night & Day Café in the Northern Quarter is set to continue after last minute talks at the town hall failed to end in agreement. The dispute was due to be discussed in court again this week, but the three-day hearing did not happen. Last-minute talks between the music venue and Manchester council, which served a legal notice on the venue more than 18-months-ago, took place on Tuesday. And the two sides were set to appear in court via video link on Thursday, but technical issues got in the way. The court hearing has now been adjourned until July 21. More acoustic testing will take place in early September. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands further court dates could be set later down the line. More here.
Costs: Bolton council will pay £468,000 of taxpayers’ money to Peel after it failed to defend a decision to reject a huge planning application. In 2022, the council’s planning committee unanimously turned down a proposal from Peel to develop an area of Hulton Park into a golf resort and residential development. The scheme is dependent on Bolton being awarded the Ryder Cup in the 2030s. When Peel appealed the rejection, Bolton council sought legal advice and were told that their reasons for refusal could not be defended. The council then told the Planning Inspectorate and the appellant that the appeal would not be defended. After a two-day public inquiry, planning permission for the scheme was granted on appeal by a government inspector. Cabinet papers published this week reveal the council must award Peel £468,000 costs. Full story here.
Being considered: Part of the Salford Council-owned Swinton Civic Centre could be bulldozed and the land sold off for housing. One idea is that the plot could be used for new homes, it is understood. A 1970s extension constructed at the rear and side of the original 1936 building - which became Swinton Civic Centre and the municipal headquarters of Salford following local government re-organisation in 1974 - is being considered. One council source said much of the newer wing has remained empty as people have continued to work from home after Covid. “I understand it has been mooted as a briefing at a council cabinet meeting," they said.
Victims’ charter: Councillors in Oldham are proposing to create a ‘victims charter’ and adopt a mandatory duty to report concerns of child sexual abuse and exploitation. A motion, due to be debated at a meeting of the full council next Wednesday, wants a compulsory duty to report safeguarding concerns enshrined in the Code of Conduct for elected members, and consultation on the duty for officials employed by the council. It also wants the chief executive to write to the Home Office to request recommendations from a national review over child sexual abuse are accepted. More here.
Worth a read
The most polite moment I have ever witnessed happened at Manchester International Festival back in 2013. During Maxine’s Peake’s performance of The Masque of Anarchy at the Albert Hall, someone fainted. But they did so completely silently, and without any fuss, so as not to interrupt the reading.
It seems Peake inspires uninterrupted attention in that way. And it was certainly the case when she performed They within the grand surroundings of John Rylands Library last night. Joseph Timan, who was there for a late performance, says the event was mesmerising.
During the reading of the recently rediscovered dystopian novel, Peake stalked the late-Victorian library as the sun set through the stained glass windows.
“Dressed in blue, her face is as white as the winter day she describes when she starts reading from the papers placed by her seat. As the performance proceeds, she paces up and down the room, dropping each sheet delicately on the floor when she finishes with it.
“But at the climax, she needs no notes. The paperless part of the performance is the most passionate, when terror totally takes over,” Joseph writes.
You can read his full review here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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