Manchester Update

New faces at the top

Manchester 2002 has two new chairmen and a new chief executive

Charles Allen, chief executive of the Granada Group and one of the UK’s most successful business leaders is chairman with international and national responsibilities. Mr Allen has held financial and management positions in several major companies before taking over the Granada Group. Accepting the appointment he said: “The Commonwealth Games is an international event that will be superb for the whole nation. I am delighted and excited to become chairman and look forward to working with the Government, Manchester 2002, the City Council and with everyone who will share in this vibrant experience.”

Rodger Pannone is Senior Partner of one of the country’s leading law firms, which has its headquarters in Manchester. His role will be to ensure the whole of the region is involved in the Games and will benefit from a lasting legacy from hosting the event. Mr Pannone was president of the Law Society in 1993-4 and adviser to the Lord Chancellor on the Civil Justice Review.

Frances Done, formerly chief executive and treasurer of Rochdale Council, is the new chief executive for the Games. She previously worked as an accountant for KPMG and was chair of Manchester

City Council’s Finance Committee in the 1980’s. Speaking about the appointment Frances Done said: “This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity and I am delighted to be taking it on. Manchester is known throughout the world for Manchester United, but I think the games will build on that and help put us and the North West on the global sports map. It will also leave a legacy of some excellent sports venues.”

Manchester 2002 team up with United Utilities

United Utilities, one of the North West’s leading companies, has given the Games a massive seal of approval after agreeing to back the 2002 event. As part of the sponsorship deal, which was signed at the Manchester Evening News Arena in January, United Utilities has bought 10,000 tickets for Games events. These will be given away to community groups to enable people across the region to experience this once-in-a-lifetime sporting festival.

John Roberts, chief executive of Warrington based United Utilities, the parent company of North West Water and Norweb, said: “This will be the biggest ever sporting event in the UK and the biggest in the world in 2002.

“It is fantastic that it is being held in the North West and our support falls neatly into line with the company’s policy of supporting local communities. I’m sure other North West and national businesses will follow suit in giving their support to an event that involves the whole country.”

The sponsorship deal also brings a range of other benefits to the Games organisers including the hosting of a major exhibition of sporting photography, the running of a series of information seminars for regional businesses and funding towards the Games Legacy Programme.

The Rt. Hon Ian McCartney has also brought the welcome news that the Government will provide substantial financial backing to underwrite the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in 2002. This will ensure Manchester can put on a show worthy of a global television audience, one that will demonstrate the very best of British creativity and style. Mr McCartney also confirmed that the Games will be the centrepiece of national celebrations for HM The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Year, which falls in 2002.

Progress on the venues

Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled the foundation stone for the City of Manchester Stadium at Eastlands in December.

Groundworks on the site are now complete and piling works are underway. Laing is due to start above ground construction work on the 38,000-seat stadium shortly.

Detailed design work is currently being carried out on the Sports Institute, a critical component of the Sport City development, with a planning application due to be submitted later in the year. The Institute will include the Indoor Tennis Centre, the National Squash Centre and a permanent outdoor athletics track. Work is also progressing on the associated commercial and leisure developments planned on adjacent land.

The Manchester 50 Pools on Oxford Road, close to the University, is set to be completed this summer. The £32.2 million complex will be the venue for swimming, synchronised swimming and diving events during the Games. Manchester 50 Pools have been designed to be one of the country’s most comprehensive swimming facilities. There will be two 50-metre pools; one with eight lanes for competition and one with four lanes for training, a diving pool and a leisure pool with flumes, water slides and bubble pools. Permanent seating for 1,500 will be boosted to around 2,500 in 2002.

Planning permission has been granted for the creation of four flat bowling greens at Heaton Park, which will provide the venue for the Lawn Bowling event. Work is due to start on these at the end of May, with the turf to be laid in September. The greens should be available for use from July 2001.

On the starting blocks

Manchester 2002 has developed an innovative sporting programme, in close consultation with sport’s governing bodies, to optimise the success of the Games. Setting a new precedent, athletics will begin the programme, ensuring public attention is secured immediately with a very strong first weekend of sport. The pace will continue with a constant series of finals on a daily basis, the climax to the Games being the hugely popular Rugby Sevens competition. More than a million tickets in all will be available for events in the Games programme.

A masterplan has been unveiled by Manchester City Council and Allied London Properties which is set to transform part of Manchester City Centre and bring with it a massive jobs boost.

An exhibition of Spinningfields, held at Manchester Town Hall in February, laid down the blueprint for the renaissance of the area of Manchester bounded by Deansgate, Bridge Street, Quay Street and the River Irwell.

The 8.90 ha mixed use scheme features ten major office buildings, together with new City Magistrates Courts, two impressive luxury hotels, several residential apartment buildings, a new college for Manchester College of Arts and Technology and a unique array of shops, restaurants and bars.

A number of buildings in the area will be retained, including the Pumphouse Museum, Gartside Street multi-storey car park, the Opera House and other buildings fronting Quay Street. The existing Crown Courts will also be retained, but will be extended at the Hardman Street end, onto part of the area occupied by the existing Magistrates’ Court.

John Rylands Library, which houses one of the most spectacular collections of rare books and manuscripts in the world, will gain a new entrance building, replacing the current grey brick extension. The new building will include a wheelchair accessible lift along with catering and retailing facilities.

The area will be opened up with new direct links established between Deansgate and the River Irwell. These links will open up more public space, much of which will be along a pedestrian boulevard running from the side of the Opera House down to the Irwell, parallel with New Quay Street. This will pass through two new squares – Hardman Square and Irwell Square- before linking with a new pedestrian footbridge across the river.

Work on the first phase of the scheme should start within the next 12 months. This covers the construction of a new, 18,588 sq m Magistrates” Court on the site of Cumberland House, to the rear of John Rylands. A new City Centre facility for Manchester College of Arts and Technology will be built on part of the existing Mancat site on New Quay Street and a new riverside development built along the Irwell between the Pumphouse and New Quay Street. This is set to include new homes, restaurants, bars, retail units and gallery space.

Also in the first phase will be a five-star, 235-room hotel, on the site of Northcliffe House, situated at the corner of Hardman Street and Deansgate.

Later phases of the scheme will depend on commercial demand but could include a further hotel on part of the college site, ten office blocks with up to 65,058 sq m of high callibre space, further residential blocks, retail space and a multi-storey car park. These will utilise not only the remainder of the Mancat site, but also part of the sites of Cumberland House, the existing Magistrates’ Court and vacant land on Hardman Street. There is also a proposal to demolish the existing YHA shop and Manchester Evening News building and replace them with a major retail store

“The scheme will help consolidate Manchester”s standing as a modern, dynamic, international centre for major investment. Following the successful redevelopment of the bomb damaged area, the regeneration of this quarter will represent the next significant phase of investment in the City Centre.

“It will be an exciting place for people and families and will make a major contribution to our key policy objective of providing new job opportunities for Manchester residents.”
Richard Leese, Leader, Manchester City Council

“This is a sustainable development and can be delivered through our valuable partnership with Manchester City Council. These buildings and the public space around them will create a commercial area needed to enable Manchester to achieve it’s deserved international status.”
Michael Ingall, Managing Director, Allied London Properties

Manchester’s highly successful Metrolink is on the brink of massive expansion. The government could be giving as much as £250 million to allow work to begin on the ground-breaking system to Oldham, Rochdale, Manchester Airport and Ashton-under-Lyne.

Following the Chancellor’s budget announcement, Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon John Prescott MP, travelled to Manchester on March 22 to announce this major investment in Greater Manchester’s public transport network.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority and Executive, the bodies responsible for planning the Metrolink network, have been engaged in detailed discussions with government since Tony Blair gave his support in principle to the further expansion of the network last December.

The Transport Executive submitted a bid to government last year asking it to consider funding and building the Oldham/Rochdale, Ashton and Manchester Airport extensions under a single contract. This contract would also include the Trafford Park extension, although the latter is to be funded solely by the private sector.

The single contract approach could reduce capital costs by more than £32 million and will optimise private sector funding for Metrolink. Although a shortfall of around £200 million is left after the government’s contribution, local officials are confident of raising the necessary private finance.

The original Metrolink line, running 31 km from Bury to Altrincham, via Manchester City Centre, was opened by The Queen in 1992. An extension to Salford Quays was opened at the end of 1999 and will continue on to Eccles when the second part of the extension opens later this year.

The success of Metrolink has been phenomenal from the outset, with the lines to Bury and Altrincham taking around 2.6 million cars a year off Greater Manchester roads. The line through Salford Quays to Eccles is expected to carry an annual six million passengers.

The three new lines involved in the ‘big bang’ contract will carry in the region of 45 million passengers a year and bring more than half the households in the county within two miles of a Metrolink stop. Together they will contribute to the regeneration of deprived areas and take 5.9 million car journeys a year off the road.

Work could start in a year’s time with all three completed within six years.

Oldham/Rochdale Line
This is the top priority scheme, powers for which were granted in 1994. The 24 km line will utilise the existing railway ‘loop’ line to Rochdale via Oldham, with a diversion taking it partly on-street through the centre of Oldham and an extension, again on-street, from Rochdale station into the centre of the town.

Ashton-under-Lyne
A 10km extension running from the existing Metrolink terminus at Piccadilly Station to Ashton-under-Lyne. The route will serve the stadium at Sports City and new developments in Ashton Moss.

South Manchester and Airport
Powers for this 22 km extension were granted in 1997. It will serve Wythenshawe hospital and help the airport to attain its commitment that by 2005 a quarter of all journeys to and from the airport will be made by public transport and other non-car modes.

Trafford Park
Powers are held for this 5km extension to serve Trafford Park and the recently opened Trafford Centre, but the line would need to be privately funded.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority also holds powers to build a spur, from the Eccles via Salford Quays extension, to the Lowry Centre and for an extension to Didsbury. Public Consultation for extending the Didsbury line to Stockport took place late in 1999 and GMPTE are currently looking further at issues raised during this consultation.

GMPTA chairman Cllr Joe Clarke, said: “This is the biggest single investment in local transport in living memory outside London.”

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