Manchester Update

July 25, 2002 will signal the onset of one of England’s greatest moments in its sporting history – the opening ceremony of the XVII Commonwealth Games. The 2002 Games will be the biggest in its 72-year history and the most significant multi-disciplined sporting event to be held in England since the 1948 Olympics.

The Games will take on special significance falling as they do in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee year, and this will form a key element of the celebrations marking the event.

Running for ten days from Friday 26th July to Sunday 4th August, the action will be focused on fifteen venues, four of which will be within the Sportcity complex at Eastlands.

Preparatory work at the site has been underway since the beginning of the year and the beginning of 2000 will see the start of substructure development.

At the heart of the complex is the new City of Manchester Stadium, the framework of which will start to rise above the Eastlands site in spring. It looks set to transform the skyline of East Manchester.

The 38,000 seater stadium will have a cantilevered, cable-stayed roof with a dozen 57-metre masts supported by huge towers, dwarfing the ones at Wembley. A suspended rim will both shelter seated spectators and provide a high-tech sound board to amplify the roar of the crowd.

From 2003, the stadium will become home to Manchester City Football Club once the specialised running track has been removed. The two ends will be built out at the same time to increase seating capacity to 48,000.

Alongside the stadium there will be a new squash centre and an athletics arena with an additional outdoor warm-up track. A £3.5m indoor tennis initiative, complete with outdoor courts will be located on land to the north of the Ashton Canal.

Already within the Sportcity complex is the Manchester Velodrome – the National Cycling Centre. Developed as a joint venture between the English Sports Council, Manchester City Council and the British Cycling Federation, the centre is one of only two sports facilities in the country to have been awarded British Olympic Association Accreditation – the other one being Lilleshall in Staffordshire.

A commercial belt of restaurants, leisure attractions and a mix of shops will complete the complex.

Assisting at Sportcity and the other venues to ensure the Games run smoothly will be a 15,000 strong army of volunteers. A recruitment programme is due to start at the beginning of 2001

Coverage

BBC Television has won the rights to be host broadcaster of the Games following agreement with the Manchester 2002 Organising Committee. The announcement was made in Fiji during Manchester 2002’s presentation to the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly.

Mike Miller, controller of TV Sport for the BBC said: “The scale of the Commonwealth Games is second only to the Olympics and is one of the most popular multicultural events on British television. Only the BBC has the resources to partner the Organising Committee and we are looking forward to another landmark event for BBC Sport.

“We will be pulling out all the technological stops for this event which will introduce many people in this country to the huge benefits of digital and interactive television and radio.”

The projected cumulative global television audience is more than one billion people. As host broadcaster the BBC will transmit pictures around the world and also provide facilities for other broadcasters who wish to carry their own additional coverage and commentary

The Sports and Venues

Opening and Closing Ceremonies: City of Manchester Stadium, Sportcity

Aquatics: Manchester Swimming Pool Complex

Athletics: City of Manchester Stadium, Sportcity

Badminton: Bolton Arena, Bolton

Bowls: Heaton Park

Boxing: Preliminaries – Wythenshawe Forum

Finals: – Manchester Evening News Arena

Cycling: National Cycling Centre, Sportcity

Gymnastics (Artistic): G-MEX Centre

Judo: G-MEX Centre

Shooting: National Shooting Centre, Bisley

Squash: National Squash Centre, Sportcity

Table tennis: Indoor Tennis Initiative, Sportcity

Triathlon: Salford Quays

Weight-lifting: Royal Northern College of Music

Wrestling: G-MEX Centre

Team Sports

Hockey: To be confirmed

Netball: Manchester Evening News Arena

Rugby: 7’s Stadium, Sportcity

The world’s biggest Marks & Spencer store has opened in Manchester – a culmination of three years and five months work in the wake of the 1996 IRA bomb.

Offering customers a glimpse of shopping for the future, the £85 million premises includes all Marks & Spencer’s services, initiatives and facilities under one roof for the first time ever.

With around 18,500 square metres of sales floor space across four floors, the state of the art development, which opened its doors on November 25, is linked by travelator to a basement car park while four glass lifts link the upper floors.

Visitors to the shopping extravaganza will find the food hall on the lower ground floor, complete with bakery, butcher’s shop and delicatessen counter. In addition, shoppers can browse the home furnishing department on the same level, together with a coffee bar in which to mull over purchases. A new-look wine department includes a tasting area where advisors are on hand to point you in the right direction.

The ladieswear department is spread across the ground and part of the first floor with lingerie and childrenswear accommodating the remainder. Meanwhile, menswear and a second coffee bar can be found on the second floor.

If the size of the store proves too much, shoppers are able to take a break in the customer lounge, putting their feet up while reading newspapers or watching TV. For the younger visitor, the welcome break is more likely to be found in the store’s play area.

On a more serious note, and helping to cater for every need, is the new-concept M&S Financial Services area. This includes a commission-free Bureau de Change and for visitors from further afield, tax free shopping can also be arranged.

Other special services include a complimentary personal shopping service where trained consultants can help customers find the ideal outfit in an exclusive suite.

The inaugural foundation stone marking the start of building work on the store was laid in June 1997, followed by the concrete foundations at the beginning of 1998. Construction of the building’s steel frame had been completed by the middle of 1998 with the topping-out ceremony performed in February 1999 by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. In early autumn, external elevations were completed followed by three month of hectic activity seeing the internal fixtures and fittings finally being put in place.

During the intervening period M&S has been operating from two temporary stores in the city centre – a food hall on Spring Gardens and M&S Piccadilly on three floors within Lewis’s. The former closed its doors on November 24 and the latter will close at the end of the year.

A total of 450 staff from the two sites have been moved into the new store, together with 400 permanent and temporary new employees.

Regional manager of M&S Manchester David Eyre said: “We promised the city a stunning new store for the Millennium and that is exactly what we have delivered.”

It’s all a far cry from Michael Marks’ first ever shop on Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester in 1893

Facts and Figures about the new Store

- 1,200 stone panels clad the building, weighing 3,000 tonnes

- The store is fitted with 5,000 sprinkler heads, serviced with more than 15 miles of piping

- Each sales floor is roughly the size of a football pitch

- The sales floors are lit by a total of 6,650 lighting units, including 4,000 spotlights

- There are around 280 miles of electrical lighting cables.

A major new agency designed to bring about the regeneration of East Manchester was launched at the end of October by Minister for Regeneration Hilary Armstrong. In a joint initiative by the City Council, the North West Development Agency and English Partnerships, The East Manchester Urban Regeneration Company will actively promote the area as a place to live, work and invest.

Chief Executive of the Agency is Marianne Neville-Rolfe, former head of the Government Office in the North West.

Chairman of the Board Sir Alan Cockshaw, who is also chairman of English Partnerships, said: “We are on the verge of a new chapter in history and together we will ensure East Manchester achieves its full potential.”

The cumulative impact of the regeneration programmes, already on the drawing board for East Manchester will result in more than £500 million of new investment. The Agency will co-ordinate and integrate individual initiatives, promote the positive re-use of strategic sites and assume responsibility for area wide masterplanning. It will also provide a strong and coherent investment framework to set the context for detailed regeneration projects.

Four teams have been shortlisted to work up their ideas for a Masterplan to shape the redevelopment of East Manchester over the next 10 to 20 years. They are David Lock Associates, Kohn Pederson Fox Associates/DTZ Pieda Consulting, Richard Rogers Partnership and Urban Strategies Inc/GVA Grimley. Following public consultation on their proposals a team will be selected to work with local residents and the business community to finalise a redevelopment masterplan and delivery programme. The winning formula will provide the framework for a multi-million pound transformation of the Region’s former industrial heartland

Beacons for a Brighter Future

The Beacons For a Brighter Future Partnership is a critical element in a long- term regeneration programme to be overseen by the Agency. A partnership between local residents, Manchester City Council and other key agencies, the voluntary sector and the private sector, it will allow for the right balance to be struck between people- based and physical investment ensuring problems are successfully tackled.

Opportunities such as Sportcity will also be harnessed to maximise benefit to the local community.

‘Beacons for a Brighter Future’ targets an area which has changed dramatically over the last 30 years – heavy industries which were the reasons for the areas success have shut down, leaving a legacy of high unemployment. Poor quality open space and a patchwork of housing, much of which is vacant or in poor condition, adds to the problem.

The five key strategic objectives of the Beacons Partnership are:
- improve the condition of housing
- increase the capacity of local communities
- enhance economic conditions
- tackle crime
- improve facilities and amenities

New Deal Means Great Deal for East Manchester

The Beacons for a Brighter Future Partnership has secured New Deal for Communities status for East Manchester – the first partnership to do so nationally.

The £51.7 million over a ten year period to comprehensively regenerate the areas of Beswick and Openshaw was announced by Government Minister Hilary Armstrong in November.

New Deal for Communities has been established by the Government to improve the most deprived areas of the country. There are four key areas which the programme will seek to address:
- tackling unemployment
- improving health
- tackling crime, and
- raising educational achievement

Manchester’s New Deal for Communities area covers Beswick and Openshaw in East Manchester, with a population of 11,231.

While Manchester has been identified as the third most deprived local authority area according to the Governments’ Index of Local Deprivation, Beswick and Openshaw rank among the most disadvantaged areas of the country. The complex nature of the problems call for an integrated approach to secure sustainable regeneration.

Announcing the funding Hilary Armstrong said: “It promises to deliver real and lasting change for the area and its community.”

The New Deal for Communities initiative will complement other regeneration funding that is being targeted in the East Manchester area.

A successful SRB Round 5 bid, approved in September 1999, has secured £25 million over seven years for the three East Manchester neighbourhoods of Beswick, Clayton and Openshaw. The SRB 5 scheme ensures those parts of Openshaw and Beswick excluded from the New Deal for Communities programme, due to restrictions in the size of the area, will be the focus of complimentary activity. The nearby neighbourhood of Clayton will also benefit from the initiative.

Although conditions in Clayton are not as severe as those found within the NDC area, the rate of decline is such that without early intervention it will become irreversible, seriously undermining the community’s future sustainability.

The £25 million from SRB Round 5 should attract around £33 million of additional private sector funding and more than £34 million of other public sector funding.

It is hoped this investment will create 320 jobs, support 85 new business start- ups, improve 3,150 houses and help 13,125 residents to benefit from 35 community safety initiatives.

Other recent initiatives announced for the area are the creation of an Education Action Zone with funding of £3m over three years and the securing of Surestart funding of up to £3 million providing support for families with children under 4 years old in Clayton

This years Christmas lights will illuminate a City Centre both vibrant and a Mecca for the determined shopper.

Top of the hit list for shopping, and adding around 3 per cent to the retail space in the City Centre, is the new M&S Store with a vast 18,450 sq m of shopping space, customer lounge and cafe’s. But it doesn’t stop there.

Across Corporation Street from M&S is the newly opened extension to the Arndale Centre. Replacing the previous blank wall, the new double height space has created flagship stores for WH Smith, Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins and Burtons. A replacement bridge links M&S to this section of the Arndale, assisting customer flow.

Boots refurbishment of its £12m flagship store on the other side of Market Street opened earlier in the year. Firmly at number one in the Boots chain in terms of turnover, the new-look store is piloting a number of services. These include a chiropodist, free dental hygiene checks and even a midwife on hand to offer advice.

At the opposite end of Market Street, Debenhams is now fully air-conditioned with innovative new lighting. A redesign has seen the cappuccino bar move to the ground floor, the third floor now playing host to a Gold Card lounge and family restaurant. A new menswear department, cosmetic department and a wider range of young brands complete the work at what was already the largest Debenhams store in the country.

Lewis’s, across Market Street from Debehams, has cleaned and renovated the exterior of their building and plans are in hand to fill the space being vacated by M&S at the end of the year. Top Manchester store Kendal’s is to be given a £4m internal facelift.

Looking ahead

The Millennium has even more in store for the dedicated shopper, with over 80,000 sq m of new and refurbished retail space due to come on stream over the next three to four years. The Triangle will open at Easter offering up to 14,000 sq m of designer outlets including the largest Jigsaw store in the country.

The Printworks, opening in the summer, offers leisure-led retail outlets while the Great Northern includes retail units, both along Deansgate and within the main block. Also on course for completion in 2000 is Orbits conversion of 55 King Street.

From 2002, Prudential’s £50m Shambles West scheme add another 20,000 sq m to the stock, including a 7,500 sq m department store on Deansgate. The refurbishment and redevelopment of Piccadilly Plaza covers another 17,000 sq m, with the potential for creating further destination stores. Plans are also in the pipeline for remodelling works to the Arndale, with a Wintergarden on Cannon Street and a build-out onto Exchange Square.

Manchester City Centre is going through one of the most exciting periods of growth ever experienced in such a short space of time by any major city. At the same time top retailers’ confidence has never been so high, with major name stores still queuing up. According to retail property experts Lambert Smith Hampton the amount of shop space due to come on stream in the City Centre in the next few years still won’t satisfy demand, with current requirements of around 82,000 sq m, the largest requirement of any in-town centre in the UK.

Pressure in the market has already given Manchester the second highest rental growth in the country over the past three years. Rents on King Street have doubled over the same period to reach around £200 Zone A, while those on Market Street have hit a massive £281 Zone A.

A taste of things to come

September saw ‘All Over The Shop’ – Manchester’s first ever festival devoted entirely to the shopper. More than 100 retailers took part with designer chic hitting St Ann’s Square. Spectacular fashion shows were held and experts from leading cosmetic houses were on hand. Traders in the City Centre reported exceptional sales over the two weekends of the festival. Food and drink retailers saw it as an ideal opportunity to warm up for their own event in October.

In the run up to Christmas a German market is being held in St Ann’s Square. With more retailing jobs on offer in the City Centre, a skills competition has been held to improve standards of customer service. Organised by Manchester Tec, Manchester City Council and the Chamber of Commerce, SkillRETAIL is designed to test 58 different skills including customer service, selling, product knowledge, stock control and training. Mystery shoppers also visited the stores involved, reporting back to a panel of judges.

Winner Debbie Clarke from Boots was chosen at an award ceremony compered by former Blue Peter presenter John Leslie at the end of October. She will represent the City at the national SkillRETAIL event in Birmingham next July.