The Mancunian Way: Trouble in the clouds

Hello,

The 200m South Tower at Deansgate Square is, for now at least, the pinnacle of Manchester’s ongoing skyscraper boom. But all is not well in one of the city’s most desirable addresses. Plans are in place to build four more towers right next door – two of which will be even taller than South Tower.

And residents of the UK’s tallest building outside of London are not happy about it, as Ethan Davies reports[1]. Developer Renaker says the new towers will offer ‘luxury living for people who appreciate detail’. They will include private garden terraces, a gym, a Peloton studio, a dog spa, Mahjong room, a virtual driving range and a podcast studio.

But their potential neighbours are not best pleased about it. South Tower residents have submitted letters of objection to the council raising concerns about an increase in traffic, crime and anti-social behaviour, loss of daylight and privacy. “It is breaching ALL THREE of the key pillars published in the Great Jackson Street Development Framework published by Deloitte (namely maximining separation distances between buildings, increasing the quantum and variety of public spaces within the Development Framework, enhancing sunlight and daylight penetration),” the letter reads.

The application will be considered at a later date.

Pride protests

Three artists have pulled out of Manchester Pride 2024 due to the event’s sponsors (Image: Manchester Evening News)

Three artists have pulled out of Manchester Pride[2] in protest at the event’s sponsorship ties – with demonstrations also planned to take place during the festival, reports Adam Maidment[3]. Bollyvvitch, Felix Mufti and Dan Chan have withdrawn in protest at travel site booking.com allegedly listing properties in occupied Palestinian territory. Posting on Instagram last week, Dan said: “I am no longer performing at @manchesterpride.

I cannot continue with this gig when their main sponsor, @bookingcom, is directly profiting from genocide in occupied Palestine. I have notified them to take my name off this year’s line up as I do not want to accept a pay cheque that has been made through genocide.” Manchester Pride said it ‘fully recognise[s], respect and support any artist’s decision to perform or not perform’ at the event, and that it was in ‘active dialogue’ with Booking.com to ‘address the concerns raised’.

The festival’s trustees added that they stood ‘in solidarity with all those suffering from the devastating war in Gaza’.

Doubling-up

Aviva Studios opened last summer (Image: Manchester Evening News)

The final cost of Manchester’s new landmark arts venue has been confirmed at nearly a quarter-of-a-billion pounds[4]. Aviva Studios, which opened last summer, came with an original budget of GBP110M — but this more than doubled to GBP240.99M by the time it was completed. But despite going wildly over-budget, new deputy council leader Garry Bridges insists the investment will be worth it.

“We have never wavered in our commitment to this game-changing project and although there have been bumps in the road along the way we have never lost sight of the destination,” he said.

‘Institutional racism’

Ademola Adedeji (Image: GMP)

There are claims that ‘institutional racism’ may have played a part in the conviction of a teenager jailed for plotting ‘revenge’ attacks[5] after a murder in north Manchester. Ademola Adedeji, now 21 but who was 17 at the time, had an offer to study law at university and had addressed MPs at the Houses of Parliament before being jailed for eight years for his role in the conspiracy following the death of his friend John Soyoye. The trial heard the violence was sparked by a feud between the Moston based M40 gang[6] and their rivals the Rochdale[7] and Oldham[8] based Representing the Danger.

But in a hearing at London’s Appeal Court Adedeji’s barrister suggested crucial video evidence used in the trial was a case of mistaken identity and argued the ‘gang narrative’ put forward was false. Kier Monteith KC said the ‘powerful stereotype’ that ‘this young man with no previous convictions was a gang member’ was put to the jury. He said Adedeji and three others were purported to be members of a gang due to ‘the kind of music they listened to, where they lived, who their friends were’ all of which Mr Monteith said were ‘irrelevant’. Chris Slater has more here…[9]

Pulled over

Two thirds of drivers had no insurance (Image: ABNM Photography)

A police crackdown on the M62[10] found an astonishing 64 percent of drivers stopped were uninsured.

Cheshire Constabulary pulled over 67 vehicles of which 43 were being driven without insurance. The operation took place over just one day last week in which five forces took part in a coast to coast clampdown across the entire motorway between Hull and Liverpool. Supt Saf Ali said: “While driving without insurance may not seem like a serious crime, we know there is a strong link between the illegal use of vehicles and other serious and organised crime.”

Roadworks: One lane closed due to roadworks at Hyde[12] Road, Gorton[13], close to the junction of Chapman Street, until July 19.

Manchester headlines

Assault: A man has been left with life-threatening injuries in hospital after an attack in Rochdale. Emergency crews rushed to the scene of the incident on Delamere Road at around 2pm yesterday.