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The Mancunian Way: Manc estate in millionaires’ town

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Built on an old tip, the Longridge estate was soon nicknamed 'Ratridge' by the residents of the middle-class Cheshire market town where it was constructed.

The overspill estate was created on the outskirts of Knutsford as part of the inner-city slum clearances of the 1960s[2]. It came with the promise of fresh air, modern homes, countryside and opportunity. But it wasn’t always easy for the newcomers who moved there.

"People in Knutsford were not friendly, and they treated Longridge residents as 'interlopers'," Rose Oliver, one of the early tenants, told Creation of a Community[3], an online history of the estate.

"For example, the shopkeepers served Knutsford people ahead of Longridge residents, even though they were behind them in the queue. I felt that there was a divide between more middle-class people in Knutsford town and the working-class who moved to Longridge. Those in Knutsford saw Longridge people as riff-raff."

Reporter Damon Wilkinson has been looking at the history of the estate and tells all in this fascinating feature here.[4]

He visited the town and spoke to Pat Marney - who was a young mum with another baby on the way when she left Burnage for Knutsford in 1976.

Pat Marney and her son Lee Pat Marney and her son Lee

"They moved people in before the estate was built. Other people told me when they came there was no shops, no pub, the pavements were just mud paths,” she said. "My husband was still working in Manchester so I was on my own all day. I was 22-years-old, expecting and away from my family for the first time. It was heart-breaking at first."

Damon writes that the close-knit estate is now home to the third and fourth generations of the original families - though many ‘still feel disconnected from a town that's home to soap stars, Premier League footballers, a Booths supermarket and a Bentley car dealership’.

Sarah Pownall, - whose grandma Margaret Timpson moved from Gorton in the late 60s - works in the Welcome community centre and has lived on the estate all her life. She says it’s an expensive place and she travels elsewhere to shop for clothes for her son, adding that people fought for years to get an Aldi supermarket.

"They always say it's a town of two halves. You have the rich and the well-off parts, but then you have Longridge which is one of the poorest pockets,” she said.

Longridge was built in the 1960s and 70s on the Radburn principle of housing estate design Longridge was built in the 1960s and 70s on the Radburn principle of housing estate design

Despite this, she says it’s still a brilliant place to live and raise a family. "We have three or four generations of families living on the estate. Everybody knows everybody - it's that type of place."

Rachel Thomas, who helps run the Bread and Butter Thing food pantry, says a lot of people who wouldn't use a food bank visit because ‘there's a pride and a dignity in being able to pay for your food’. But she adds: "Until Aldi opened in Knutsford it was Booths and Waitrose and lots of people just can't afford to shop there.”

Alan Taylor, who ran the Falcon Bearer pub for 14 years, says there's always been an upper-class and a middle class in the town ‘so when the estate was built there was a bit of snobbery, but it was totally unnecessary’. "I had the pub for 14 years. The people here are good. There was hardly ever any trouble. It's a good place to live."

You can read Damon’s full feature here.[5]

'We will be a laughing stock'

Labour metro mayors Oliver Coppered, Tracy Brabin, Steve Rotherham, Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham

Cutting parts of HS2 would ‘leave swathes of the North with Victorian transport infrastructure that is unfit for purpose’. That’s according to the five Labour mayors, including Andy Burnham, who met in Leeds this morning to issue a joint warning to the Prime Minister not to cut the high-speed rail link further.

They said Rishi Sunak is 'risking the cohesion' of the country and axing the link would lead to 'international embarrassment and a national outrage'.[6]

The metro mayors said they are currently ‘in the dark’ about the next steps following speculation - which has not been quelled by the PM - that the Birmingham-Manchester leg of HS2 could be cut due to soaring costs.

Mr Burnham warned that an adverse decision risked turning the North-South divide into a ‘canyon’. “If they build this line, not even from central London but outer London through the Home Counties to the West Midlands, basically it will become a permanent symbol of the places that Whitehall cares about. It would be a huge message to the north of England that we just don’t feature in their thinking,” he said.

London mayor Sadiq Khan, who travelled from the capital for the gathering, said it would be damaging to London and the South East to have a station that’s not in the centre of the city. “It will be damaging to London and the South East not going north of Birmingham. But, also, we will be a laughing stock if basically we are left with a shuttle service from Birmingham Curzon Street to six miles west of central London.”

You can read the mayors’ statement on HS2 in full here.[7]

This piece by Paul Britton[8] gives you the full background on the row and the fallout.

Big biz backing Burnham’s education plans

When he’s not in fighting spirit over trains, or talking buses, Andy Burnham is keen to discuss his other pet project - technical education.

And yesterday he announced that 60 businesses - including Microsoft, Heinz and the BBC - have backed his plans to give young people 'clear sight' of career opportunities in sectors such as technology, construction and manufacturing.

As Joseph Timan reports[9], the mayor hopes that creating the Manchester Baccalaureate[10] will offer an alternative route into these sectors for the two-thirds of young people who do not go to university. The MBacc would consist of a set of GCSEs which would lead to further study through BTECs, T-Levels and degree apprenticeships within the seven sectors. It promises to maximise the chances of getting a good job in those sectors while boosting the workforce in the local economy with home-grown talent.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham

The first schools to sign up to the scheme are set to offer the MBacc to some of their students from September 2024 and Mr Burnham hopes that the system will be in place across the city-region by the end of the decade.

The government agreed to set up a new joint education board with Greater Manchester as part of the 'trailblazer' devolution deal earlier this year. But despite signing the new deal, the Department for Education (DfE) has described the MBacc proposal as 'narrow' and 'unequal'[11].

Mr Burnham believes the MBacc could be a template that is used across the country. He told Jo: "At the moment the kids who are not on the university route don't have that clarity. They don't know what employers want them to take. That's what we're fixing. I don't think it does anything other than open people's horizons rather than narrow things down."

Marie Hamilton, Greater Manchester region lead for Microsoft, said young people need to know the opportunities available to them. “At the moment our young people don't understand the opportunities that are available to them so we need to show them what those opportunities are but then actually, we need to be able to show them the pathways that they can follow to get there,” she said.

Overhaul for Oxford Road station?

Manchester Oxford Road train station

Manchester Oxford Road station could be overhauled to ease ‘significant congestion issues’.[12]

Network Rail wants to change the layout to alleviate queues during peak hours and needs the city council’s permission as it’s a listed building.

The company, which maintains the UK's tracks and infrastructure, says plans involve introducing more ticket gates, including an additional accessible one. If plans are approved the ticket office windows would be relocated to the front of the station.

You can see the plans in full here.[13]

Makki’s ‘best friend’ must give evidence at fresh inquest

Yousef Makki's 'best friend' has lost a bid to be excused from giving evidence in person at a fresh inquest into the 2019 fatal stabbing.

Adam Chowdhary, through his lawyers, asked to be allowed to give evidence remotely via videolink at a new inquest due to take place next month, revealing he has been diagnosed with PTSD and arguing he would give better evidence if he didn't have to face the Makki family, their supporters or the press 'all of whom in his mind hold him responsible for Yousef Makki's death'.

But as crime reporter John Scheerhout explains[14], coroner Geraint Williams said Chowdhary's legal team had 'got the law wrong' and dismissed the application. It means Chowdhary and the youth who fatally stabbed Yousef, Joshua Molnar, now aged 21, are both required to attend next month's inquest in person.

Chowdhary, from Hale Barns, was acquitted after a trial of perverting the course of justice. He was given a four-month detention order after admitting possession of a flick knife, one of two he claimed he and Yousef had jointly ordered online during a break from lessons at Manchester Grammar School.

The inquest is scheduled to start on October 16.

Review of ‘Granada Familia’ heat network

Tower of Light, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester

The planned roll-out of private heat networks across Manchester is being reviewed.

Last month, city centre reporter Ethan Davies revealed how residents at The Chips building[15] on Lampwick Lane, in Ancoats, were struggling with sky-rocketing bills. Stuck on a private heat network, meaning they cannot change energy supplier, one said his monthly tariff had risen from £60 per month to £425 for July.

Ethan reports that the roll-out of heat networks has now been paused until more regulation is brought in by the government.[16] As of 2025, energy regulator Ofgem will be allowed to step in ‘where homes and businesses have problems with disproportionate pricing, poor customer service and poor reliability’. But in the meantime, councillors have concerns over the lack of protection for residents and businesses already connected to heat networks.

Anthony McCaul, the Labour member for Deansgate, told Ethan that future domestic heat networks will need further assurance from the government before getting the go ahead.

Manchester Council said a review of the Tower of Light network[17] - which supplies commercial premises including Gmex, the Bridgewater Hall, the Town Hall extension and the art gallery - is underway.

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Weather etc

Thursday: Yellow weather warning of wind. 17C.

Road closures: A667 Stoneclough Road, Kearsley, in both directions closed due to roadworks between Brook Street and Quarry Road. Until October 1.

A5145 Kingsway Eastbound, Stretford, closed due to long-term roadworks between A5181 Barton Road and A56 Chester Road. Until August 31, 2024.

Manchester headlines

  • Rail strike: No Avanti West Coast trains will run on Saturday[19] - impacting passengers travelling from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston - due to continuing strike action on the railways. Rail replacement services will not be running either. Commuters are being advised to claim a refund, seek alternative transport or rearrange journeys. Industrial action is taking place by members of the train driver's union, ASLEF. It will also affect services on Northern.

  • Crackdown: Vaping is set to be restricted in Rochdale under new plans to tackle concerns that children are buying them under age. The council confirmed that it is consulting with headteachers and leaders around the borough on how to make schools and play areas free from vaping. It comes after Salford council announced plans this month to ban smoking and vaping outside schools[20] and in park playgrounds as a result of high nicotine rates in the area. More here.

  • Poles: Plans for a new network of ‘air-fibre’ poles that carry high speed broadband across Oldham have been unveiled. IX Wireless has applied to the council for 29 poles to be installed, each 15 metres in height, in various locations across the borough. More here.[21]

  • Jag: Residents in a luxury city centre apartment block can now enjoy access to an electric Jaguar car[22] included with their rent. Neighbours at Moda, in Angel Gardens, will be able to book a Jaguar I-Pace SUV for up to 48 hours. It will be paid for by residents’ rents, which will cover insurance, charging costs, valeting and maintenance. Jaguar will ‘closely monitor’ the initiative and if it’s successful, will consider replicating it in major cities around the world.

Worth a read

It’s been 25 years since the Trafford Centre opened. Can you even imagine a Greater Manchester without those imposing columns, that food court and the chlorine from the dolphin fountain pricking your nostrils during an evening shop? I know I can’t.

But as nostalgia writer Lee Grimsditch writes[23], it was almost never built. He explains the long saga that unfolded as developers worked to get it off the ground in this feature here[24].

Trafford Centre Trafford Centre in 1998

That's all for today

Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email [email protected][25].

If you have enjoyed this newsletter today, why not tell a friend how to sign up[26]?

References

  1. ^ right here (mancunianway.co.uk)
  2. ^ inner-city slum clearances of the 1960s (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  3. ^ Creation of a Community (creationofacommunity.wordpress.com)
  4. ^ tells all in this fascinating feature here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  5. ^ You can read Damon’s full feature here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  6. ^ would lead to 'international embarrassment and a national outrage'. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  7. ^ You can read the mayors’ statement on HS2 in full here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  8. ^ This piece by Paul Britton (e.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  9. ^ As Joseph Timan reports (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  10. ^ creating the Manchester Baccalaureate (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  11. ^ as 'narrow' and 'unequal' (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  12. ^ could be overhauled to ease ‘significant congestion issues’. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  13. ^ You can see the plans in full here. (pa.manchester.gov.uk)
  14. ^ But as crime reporter John Scheerhout explains (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  15. ^ at The Chips building (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  16. ^ has now been paused until more regulation is brought in by the government. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  17. ^ the Tower of Light network (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  18. ^ clicking on this link (data.reachplc.com)
  19. ^ No Avanti West Coast trains will run on Saturday (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  20. ^ Salford council announced plans this month to ban smoking and vaping outside schools (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  21. ^ More here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  22. ^ can now enjoy access to an electric Jaguar car (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  23. ^ But as nostalgia writer Lee Grimsditch writes (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  24. ^ in this feature here (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  25. ^ [email protected] (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  26. ^ sign up (mancunianway.co.uk)

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