The Mancunian Way: Locked up locks

Yahoo

06-05-2025

Hello,
I hope you had a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend and really took advantage of the lovely weather. I spent mine in bed with a virus - but it did give me a chance to rearrange the medicine drawer, so swings and roundabouts.
In today's Mancunian Way, I'll be focussing your attention on Manchester city centre. We'll be reminiscing about the spectacular former Air and Space hall at MOSI, discussing the council's vision for the next decade and what our readers think needs to change in the city centre.
We'll also be looking at Dianne Bourne's investigation into Deansgate Locks which, as she found, has become a shadow of its former self.
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Deansgate Locks in Manchester pictured on a Friday night at 11pm -Credit:MEN
But first, I wanted to share these wonderful images from Greater Manchester's VE Day celebrations with you.
The actual anniversary isn't until Thursday, but neighbourhoods across Greater Manchester have already enjoyed street parties to mark the day fighting in Europe ended, heralding the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
Our roving reporter Rami Mwamba joined in the celebrations and found an abundance of union flag outfits, bunting and cake.
A VE Day party in Mornington Road, Sale. Jack and Sam Tracey with residents -Credit:Andy Stenning/Daily Express
In the Wigan outpost of Abram, he spoke to Victor Johnson, of Ruskin Crescent, who was born on VE Day.
'I feel 80 years young,' he told Rami, cheerfully.
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Caption: Residents of Beaumont Road in Chorlton, Mornington Road in Sale and Okehampton Crescent in Sale celebrate VE Day with street parties. Pics: Andy Stenning
Locked down locks
When Dianne Bourne popped down to Deansgate Locks it was suggested by a bouncer that she might be more comfortable on Peter Street as the only nightclub open was 'full of kids'.
Despite that bruising ego blow, Dianne ploughed on. She was on a mission to discover why this once booming nightspot has become a shadow of its former self.
Deansgate Locks in Manchester pictured on a Friday night at 11pm -Credit:MEN
'Walking around the corner of Albion Street, across from where the legendary Hacienda club used to sit, and it's deathly quiet as I spy the first arch of The Locks,' she writes in her opinion piece on the state of play.
In fact Dianne found that only two businesses remain in the 12 iconic arches of the Locks - nightclubs Ark and Popworld - and they are only open on weekends and Wednesday night.
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As Dianne writes: 'It's hard to scratch from your memory all those years where you've seen, and joined, queues of revellers across every wooden bridge waiting to get into the bars and clubs here.
'Or to forget the gaggles of worse for wear groups tottering around on Whitworth Street West, jostling for space in the queue for the taxi rank. But now what you see is most of the wooden decking completely empty of a night.'
-Credit:MEN
Dianne has tried to find out how a spot that was once so popular and lucrative - in such a developed part of town - could have become so unpopular.
She suggests that a change in 'going out' culture could play a major factor, with people more likely to go out in comfy clothes rather than deal with the strict dress code that was once a feature of many bars on the Locks.
But officially, a long-standing issue with 'water ingress' is at the heart of the issues at the Grade II listed railway arches.
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As a result of Dianne's article, Manchester councillors say they will look to meet with the owners of the Locks to find out what progress is being made with the repairs, and what help they may be able to give.
'It's clear to me that once those repairs are complete, there needs to be a new strategy for these spaces, to get people excited and flocking back to The Locks once again,' she writes.
You can read the full piece here.
What the future holds
Manchester's population is bigger, more diverse and better educated than ever with more jobs available and wages rising faster than the national average.
Meanwhile the city centre skyline has changed beyond recognition, as have the rents people pay to live here. And while efforts have been made to tackle homelessness, rough sleeping remains a serious issue.
Manchester Council Leader Bev Craig -Credit:ABNM Photography
Manchester council is looking ahead to the next 10 years and has spoken to more than 10,000 people to inform the latest Our Manchester Strategy.
Politics Writer Joseph Timan has spoken to council leader Bev Craig about how she hopes to preserve the character of the city amid all this change.
"It's an ambitious city that has long punched above its weight,' she told him.
You can read the interview here.
'Used to be beautiful'
-Credit:Manchester Evening News
We asked our readers to tell us the one thing you would change about Manchester city centre - and hundreds of responses came flooding in.
Perhaps unsurprisingly there was mention of cycle lanes and skyscrapers. But the main bone of contention was Piccadilly Gardens.
As one reader put it: "Piccadilly Gardens. Used to be beautiful.'
You can read the comments here.
A 'broken' system
Uber drivers protest on Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, on May 1 -Credit:LDRS
While we're on the subject of town, there's one sight synonymous with the city centre that those at the forefront have warned could disappear - black cabs.
At the end of March, cabbies warned hundreds of black cabs could disappear on New Year's Eve because new emissions rules for 2026 meant older, dirtier cars could no longer operate here.
At the start of May, Uber, Bolt, and Addison Lee drivers went on a 24-hour strike, protesting against pay rates. And in mid-April, Andy Burnham unveiled plans to overhaul how Greater Manchester's taxi licensing system works, describing it as 'broken' currently.
Ethan Davies has the lowdown on the issues faced by cabbies here.
Weather
Wednesday: Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. 17C.
Roads: A572 St Helens Road southbound, Leigh, closed due to roadworks from A578 Twist Lane to Bonnywell Road until June 30.
A577 Mosley Common Road, Astley, in both directions closed due to roadworks between B5232 Bridgewater Road and A572 Chaddock Lane until July 22.
Worth a read
Avro Shackleton plane in the hall -Credit:Science and Industry Museum
Another former fixture of the city centre was the Air and Space Hall at the Museum of Science and Industry. It featured a kamikaze aircraft, a rather rickety flight simulator and a spectacular RAF Avro Shackleton - which took up much of the space.
Castlefield's Lower Campfield Hall, which housed the collection, is due to reopen this summer as a co-working space.
But for those of us who remember that fascinating aerospace collection, it'll always be synonymous with some great feats of engineering.