There is widespread concern that our new Conservative government will do little to alleviate the housing crisis, that has become more severe over the last ten years while the Tories have been in power. This event hosted by organisations fighting for housing rights, aims to guide the hand of national and local governments to do […]
Manchester Momentum have built a ‘durable institutional left’ in the North West
In the run up to the 2019 General Election Manchester Momentum have proved to be the largest political mobiliser in the North West. The secret to their success is their cultural strategy, says Andrea Sandor. In August, three months before the election was announced, Manchester Momentum took a gamble. They printed pledge cards that read […]
Sir Richard Leese says ‘we are open to working with anybody’ – we asked campaign groups what they thought (pt.4)
In response to a recent blog post by Sir Richard Leese, we’ve been asking local groups to share their experiences of working with Manchester City Council. Sir Richard Leese says the council are open to working with any parties interested in environmental and development issues. This is the fourth article in a Meteor series called […]
Review of Sin City: The Morality Of Urban Growth
Panel discussion event called Sin City covered the morality issues around property development Manchester city centre. A city which is going through a high rise, primarily rental, property development boom while many are simultaneously experiencing the sharp end of a housing and homelessness crisis. In Manchester for some years now there has been a series […]
Former UN special rapporteur says city development should ‘create landscapes for life, not landscapes for rent’
Professor Raquel Rolnik, a former UN special rapporteur, condemned the financialisation of housing provision in cities across the world, which she says is responsible for rising rents, increasing evictions and homelessness in many countries. Rolnik says neoliberal economic philosophy underpins this radical change in housing provision, which is failing to provide housing to those most […]
Proposal to develop Central Retail Park into a car park represents the very worst of urban development in Manchester
Manchester Labour for a Green New Deal argue that the city council’s plans to turn the former Central Retail Park into a car park will increase traffic pollution, damage health and fail to tackle the climate crisis that the council has previously declared. The proposal by Manchester City Council to develop the site of the […]
Fighting talk from Labour rally this week
On Monday 2 September, the Labour Party held a rally at the Lowry in Salford. I’d only received notification of it the night before, but even at such short notice it was an opportunity not to be missed. A snap general election is likely, and Labour is getting their message out while the current government […]
Hulme residents organise to save Rockdove Gardens
Residents of Hulme’s Bentley House estate – popularly known as the Redbricks – are organising to halt the destruction of a much-loved community garden. The current plans will see 24 trees cut down and a new pedestrian pathway running along the back of then exposed flats. The estate, on the edge of Mancunian Way, is […]
The decision to approve Salboy’s development on Shudehill must be fought
By Labour Councillor Sam Wheeler The decision by the planning committee last week to approve the Salboy’s development on Shudehill is incomprehensible. It must be fought. Last year Salboy, the construction arm of billionaire bookie Fred Done’s empire, put in a bid to build a 13 storey development in the Northern Quarter, one of the […]
Councillors launch petition to block Salboy developing 17-storey glass tower in Northern Quarter
Councillors representing Northern Quarter residents have launched a petition to stop Manchester City Council selling off its land on a site earmarked for a 17-storey tower. The city council’s planning panel approved plans for the 17-storey block of flats by property developer Salboy Limited last week, having rejected the proposals three times previously, for blocks […]