A Manchester thread for all things Manc

[hitmouse]

Block to Block is on youtube now - definitely worth a watch if you have a spare half hour or so, short documentary on Manchester's housing crisis and tenant resistance:

"Over the last couple of decades, the face of Manchester has been irreversibly changed. Skyhigh tower blocks are thrown up in the blink of an eye. Cultural spaces, pubs, and cherished communities are surrounded by slick skyscrapers playing host to luxury housing that the majority of Mancunians will never be able to afford.
Homelessness is still a visceral reality in Manchester, social housing has all but dissapeared, and the level of deprivation is exactly the same. So, who is this new skyhigh luxury housing for?
Developer profits are at obscene levels and young professionals are flooding into the city. This documentary follows a group of resident activists in Hulme, who aren't accepting the mass gentrification and displacement of the relentless private rental machine."

 

[Winot]

Love walking down Rusholme. It's a drive for us, so normally a cheap night as no booze, although Jafra, which does Palestinian food, have put their prices up, it's still good value. Afgan Palace is also great.

Nearer town we went to Azuma recently for Korean BBQ which was good fun.

<bump>

Going to visit my daughter this Fri-Sat (she is at the university in first term in Whitworth Park).

She is carving curry but is pescatarian - any recent recs?

Also are there any decent real ale pubs in Rusholme?

Ta

 

[Part 2]

<bump>

Going to visit my daughter this Fri-Sat (she is at the university in first term in Whitworth Park).

She is carving curry but is pescatarian - any recent recs?

Also are there any decent real ale pubs in Rusholme?

Ta

There's no pubs in Rusholme except Wetherspoon's.

Haven't been for food in that area for years and there's a lot less curry houses than there used to be but people still seem to rate Mughli and Sangam from what I've read recently, although I can't remember where I read that.

 

[hitmouse]

Bit of good news, related to the video posted upthread:

Controversial student housing rejected for FOURTH time in 18 months

Campaigners have come up with an alternative plan for the former pub site

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[PR1Berske]

Squark Brewery calls it a day

 

[hitmouse]

New book:

The Rentier City: Manchester and the Making of the Neoliberal Metropolis - Repeater Books

In cities across the world, gentrification and the housing crisis are facts of life. But how did we get to this point? And is there any way we can fight back? A good place to begin answering these questions is Manchester, England. Over the last thirty years, corporate developers, rentier...

repeaterbooks.com

Launch event for said new book:

Book Launch: The Rentier City

Launch event for Isaac Rose's new book on Manchester, The Rentier City, out now with Repeater Books.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

As the crane capital of Europe, Manchester's transformation since the financial crisis has been profound. Capital has flooded into the city, transforming its skyline and rocketing rents. At the same time, it remains a city of stark inequalities – home to some of the poorest wards in the country. Yet this didn’t come out of nowhere. Rather, its roots lie in the long story of the city’s political journey since the 1980s, and the defeat of municipal socialism and the embrace of urban entrepreneurialism which saw Manchester become the model neoliberal city.

In The Rentier City, tenant organiser Isaac Rose traces the contemporary history of Manchester, examining how and why it became the poster-child for neoliberal development. Exploring the cultural commodification that Manchester pioneered in its pursuit of the "creative class" and the rise of the rentier, Rose lays bare the results of this experiment. Tracking the triumphs and failures of those who have sought to fight back, he shows us what life is like for those who make a home in the shadow of the towers.

 

[hitmouse]

A review of the above-mentioned book:

The Landlords’ Utopia

Far from the cliches about Manchester ‘doing things differently’, the city’s rapid takeover by luxury property developers is driving out working-class communities and suffocating local culture.

tribunemag.co.uk

 

[hitmouse]

Shitty landlord behaviour in Hulme, presumably with an eye to gentrification?

Double blow for neighbourhood as chippy and takeaway news leaves fans gutted

'I was born here, I've seen things come and go... but this is meant to stay'

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[Elpenor]

Hello Manchester folk - I’m staying near to Handforth / Cheadle Hulme over Easter as have some things to do up there.

On one of the days I have an appointment around lunchtime at the airport. Before that though, I want to go for a walk somewhere scenic in the morning for an hour or so, nothing too strenuous though as getting over a bad cough.

Any ideas? I don’t mind driving a bit as have to drive to the airport (it doesn’t have to be in that direction though) and I also resent giving money to the National Trust if i can avoid it

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Hello Manchester folk - I’m staying near to Handforth / Cheadle Hulme over Easter as have some things to do up there.

On one of the days I have an appointment around lunchtime at the airport. Before that though, I want to go for a walk somewhere scenic in the morning for an hour or so, nothing too strenuous though as getting over a bad cough.

Any ideas? I don’t mind driving a bit as have to drive to the airport (it doesn’t have to be in that direction though) and I also resent giving money to the National Trust if i can avoid it

You don't have to pay to just walk round the grounds. Maybe parking. Honestly it's a bit flat that way. If you had more time there's loads to go at, but it's a bit further. I'd enjoy the grounds at Dunham Massey.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

You don't have to pay to just walk round the grounds. Maybe parking. Honestly it's a bit flat that way. If you had more time there's loads to go at, but it's a bit further. I'd enjoy the grounds at Dunham Massey.

Seconded

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Dunham Massey thirded.

 

[hitmouse]

Are you going on a pilgrimage to the fabled Cheadle High Street?

 

[Elpenor]

Dunham Massey seems to be the consensus view then!

 

[Elpenor]

Are you going on a pilgrimage to the fabled Cheadle High Street?

Is it actually fabled? I could ask my Dad to sort me out a walking tour as he lived round there as a kid.

 

[hitmouse]

Is it actually fabled? I could ask my Dad to sort me out a walking tour as he lived round there as a kid.

I believe The39thStep is something of an expert on all matters Cheadle High Street-related.

 

[prunus]

You don't have to pay to just walk round the grounds. Maybe parking. Honestly it's a bit flat that way. If you had more time there's loads to go at, but it's a bit further. I'd enjoy the grounds at Dunham Massey.

Lyme Park is only about 20-25 minutes drive from the airport. Entrance to park and grounds plus parking £6. About the same again if you want to go into the house, which is actually rather good, but there’s plenty of good walking round the grounds, including some high wild moorland and plenty of deer.

It is national trust though, so if you’re feeling sneaky you can usually find somewhere to park at the side of the road near here:
Park Westgate
And sneak in the back way No charge.

(It’s not really sneaking, it’s a public footpath)

 

[spitfire]

I’m in Manchester. Hello everyone.

 

[spitfire]

That’s not me obvs.

 

[Saul Goodman]

I’m in Manchester. Hello everyone.

View attachment 416905

You're younger than I imagined.

 

[PR1Berske]

“If I didn’t have Manchester United I’d close the pub and hand the keys in,”

It's one of Manchester's most iconic places. The man who runs it is 'sick of it'

Pubs across Greater Manchester are closing earlier or shutting altogether on the quietest days to save money as running costs continue to rise. The Manchester Evening News spoke to landlords fighting to keep the sector alive

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

.

 

[hitmouse]

The homeless camp in Manchester city centre are asking people to turn up at 4:30 on Monday for a show of support:

 

[hitmouse]

For anyone claiming or seeking to appeal PIPs:

PIP Social

gmcdp.com

PIP Social


Don’t let the b*st*rds get you down!


Join us for an evening of PIP solidarity, structured application advice and art!

• Thursday 9th May
• 6 - 8.45pm
• Friends’ Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester, M2 5NS

PIP SOCIAL is a peer support group open to anyone who is seeking to claim or appeal Personal Independence Payments (PIP).

• Support with the PIP application process from Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP)
• Resources & advice to make a successful PIP claim
• Solidarity! Work on your application form in a supportive environment
• Creative workshops
• Performance art
  FREE (booking is essential for in-person attendance) Please register with any access requirements (eg BSL, PA’s) by 25th April.

 

[Serge Forward]

“If I didn’t have Manchester United I’d close the pub and hand the keys in,”

It's one of Manchester's most iconic places. The man who runs it is 'sick of it'

Pubs across Greater Manchester are closing earlier or shutting altogether on the quietest days to save money as running costs continue to rise. The Manchester Evening News spoke to landlords fighting to keep the sector alive

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

That's a shame. The Circus is a lovely little pub

 

[The39thStep]

The spicy chicken burger phenomena

Millions of pounds a year, queues around the block and a customer base gone neurotic: what's in Manchester's secret sauce?

Miami Crispy and the chicken shop gold rush

manchestermill.co.uk

 

[Don Baumgarten]

Sacha Lord is threatening to sue us. Can you give us a hand?

Today we're publishing the document at the heart of the controversy - and asking for your help with a 'community fact-check'

manchestermill.co.uk

 

[hitmouse]

“If I didn’t have Manchester United I’d close the pub and hand the keys in,”

It's one of Manchester's most iconic places. The man who runs it is 'sick of it'

Pubs across Greater Manchester are closing earlier or shutting altogether on the quietest days to save money as running costs continue to rise. The Manchester Evening News spoke to landlords fighting to keep the sector alive

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Had never actually been to the Circus before, I think I just assumed somewhere that small would always be too rammed, but having read that article I did end up popping in there when I had half an hour to kill. Nice place.

 

[PR1Berske]

The company behind Trove, the artisan bakery-café chain with branches across Manchester, has entered liquidation with more than £1.6 million of debt, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.

Trove started out in Levenshulme in 2011 before expanding to outlets in Manchester city centre, Ancoats and Wilmslow, along with industrial premises in Heaton Chapel where the sourdough bread, croissants and sausage rolls it was famed for were baked.

But, on Friday (May 31), a ‘forfeiture notice’ was posted on the door of the flagship branch at Murray Street, Ancoats. Now it can be reported that the parent company, Two Hexagons Ltd, owes £1,652,851.82 to creditors, according to a statement of affairs posted on Companies House on the same day as a winding up petition.


That sum includes £941,423.41 to HM Revenue and Customs in tax. Another £493,000 is said to be owed to a company called Slonne Ltd, with another £75,000 owed to green energy provider Ecotricity.


The documents reveal that another £39,475 is owed to Bruntwood — the landlords of Trove’s former cafe in Bloc, a serviced office complex off Market Street — and £24,900 to The Pensions Regulator, the public body which regulates workplace pensions.

Meanwhile, ex-staff have claimed to the Manchester Evening News that they believe they could be owed thousands in unpaid pension contributions, while others believe they were never enrolled on a pension scheme at all.

Approached by the M.E.N for comment, a spokesperson for the Pensions Regulator said: “We do not comment on individual pension schemes or employers unless appropriate to do so.”

 

[Don Baumgarten]

Apparently she doesn’t want to be typecast