Friday 17 December 2010

Clean Up of Salutation Park...


















Hulme's Green Team organised a Clean Up of Salutation Park after it was identified as an issue for local residents.

On a cold Sunday morning December 5th, the residents, the local environment team and the Green Team all pitched in to sweep, rake, cut back plants and prune bushes.

We're working to form a 'Friends of Salutation Park' group to help look after it and working with the Council to repair some damage and put up some useful signs.

The Park should look good for the Summer!!


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Friday 27 August 2010

Every Local Counts!

Hi all,

A colleague of ours in Trafford and Hulme CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) sent us an interesting link about Hulme pubs. There are some minor errors and it uses the modern boundaries for Hulme but it is informative.
click on link below:
A presentation on Hulme pubs
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Tuesday 24 August 2010

Manchester's Core Strategy



Hi all,

There is a consultation on Manchester's Core Strategy(part of the Local Development Framework. A Local Development Framework is a folder of local development documents that outlines how planning will be managed in our area.


We would suggest people log-on, read and respond to it at:
http://manchester-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/cs/pre-bublication

A sample of which below:

Policy H 7

Purpose Built Student Accommodation

The provision of new purpose built student accommodation will need to satisfy the criteria below. Priority will be given to schemes which are part of the universities' redevelopment plans or which are being progressed in partnership with the universities, and which clearly meet Manchester City Council's regeneration priorities.

  1. Sites should be easily accessible to the University campus by walking and cycling.
  2. High density developments should be sited in locations where this is compatible with existing developments and initiatives, and where retail facilities are within walking distance. Proposals should not lead to an increase in on-street parking in the surrounding area.
  3. Proposals that can demonstrate a positive regeneration impact in their own right will be given preference over other schemes. This can be demonstrated for example through impact assessments on district centres and the wider area. Proposals should contribute to providing a mix of uses and support district and local centres, in line with relevant Strategic Regeneration Frameworks, local plans and other master plans as student accommodation should closely integrate with existing neighbourhoods to contribute in a positive way to their vibrancy without increasing pressure on existing neighbourhood services to the detriment of existing residents.
  4. Proposals should be designed to be safe and secure for their users, and avoid causing an increase in crime in the surrounding area. Consideration needs to be given to how proposed developments could assist in improving the safety of the surrounding area in terms of increased informal surveillance or other measures to contribute to crime prevention.
  5. Consideration should be given to the design and layout of the student accommodation and siting of individual uses within the overall development in relation to adjacent neighbouring uses. The aim is to ensure that there is no unacceptable effect on residential amenity in the surrounding area through increased noise, disturbance or impact on the streetscene either from the proposed development itself or when combined with existing accommodation.
  6. Where appropriate proposals should contribute to the re-use of Listed Buildings and other buildings with a particular heritage value.
  7. Consideration should be given to provision and management of waste disposal facilities within the development at an early stage.
  8. There is a currently a potential oversupply of student bedspaces in purpose built accommodation in the planning pipeline when matched against demand from both the projected growth in student numbers to 2014/15 (using a mid range growth scenario assumption) and latent demand from students living in the general rented sector. Therefore developers will be required to demonstrate that there is a need for additional student accommodation in terms of waiting lists for existing places, or that they have entered into a formal agreement with a University for the supply of bedspaces.
  9. Applicants/developers must demonstrate to the Council that their proposals for purpose built student accommodation are deliverable. The Council will not support proposals that are speculative, where there is a possibility that planning permission will not be implemented.
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Good News?


There is an article in the MEN about a company moving into Kilburn House,
MSP. It might be good news for the MSP but will it bring much needed
employment to Hulme?
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1314742_name_your_numbers_right_for_science_parks?newsletter=business%2520bulletin-20100824
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Wednesday 14 July 2010

HULME RESIDENT DIED AT PETERLOO

PETERLOO MEMORIAL CAMPAIGN CALLS ON MANCHESTER TO RECREATE THE ORIGINAL MARCHES FOR THE 191st ANNIVERSARY ON 15th AUGUST 2010

Following its hugely successful anniversary gathering in 2009, the campaign is challenging residents of the regions and towns that originally sent marchers to St Peter's Fields in 1819 to do so again, after nearly 200 years.

Last year 200 delegates covered the routes from Oldham, Middleton and Stockport, and rallied at the original location of the massacre with replica banners, to demand that the proposed memorial in St Peter's Square is one that truly reflects the nature of the event. The campaign is insisting the design is prominent, informative and respectful, one that breaks the long tradition of whitewashing the memory of this crucial event.

Two events are planned this year- Sunday the 15th August for the mass rally, and Monday 16th to mark the actual date.

Interested groups can contact the campaign by phone- 07800 535471, via its website www.peterloomassacre.org, or through it's facebook group- PETERLOO MASSACRE 191st ANNIVERSARY

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City South Housing Trust Hulme Outreach

As part of our promise to customers we said we would improve the landscaping and the environment in your communities to make them nicer places to live. We have appointed landscape architects BCA Landscape to draw up some initial ideas for eight neighbourhoods and we want you to have your say to shape those plans.

Subject to funding, things we could introduce include street furniture, improved parking, more trees and shrubs,improved communal or play areas, better lighting, signage and public art, new allotments, orchards wildflower or wildlife areas, landmark and entrance features, alley gating and works to over mature trees.

From 12-16 July BCA Landscape and City South staff will be holding a series of consultation events in each neighbourhood. You will be able to see their initial thoughts and sketches at this early stage and give us your feedback and ideas to influence the development of the final designs. We'll also be using the opportunity to consult with you about how we can improve and tailor other services to meet the needs of your neighbourhood.

Check out the table to see when we'll bein your neighbourhood. We'll be setting up a gazebo on one of the communal areas.

If you would like more information contact Hannah Howard on 0161 227 1263.

We look forward to seeing you

Bethnall Monday 12th July 11.00 - 13.30 City Road/Cornbrook Monday 12th July 15.30 - 18.00

BBC / Loretto Tuesday 13th July 11.00 - 13.30 Flamborough Tuesday 13th July 15:30 - 18:00 Loxford street Thursday 15th July 11:00 - 13:30

Sherwood Thursday 15th July 15.30-18.00 St Georges Friday 16th July 11:00 - 13:30 Shawgreen Friday 16th July 15.30 - 18.00

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Post Election Thank You

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May Greenview


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Sunday 21 March 2010

these hideous signs are not helping the people of Hulme!

Following the "Our Hulme" meeting last week, at which this issue was raised, local green activist Nigel Woodcock has formally lodged a complaint about the hideous yellow signs that have been dotted around the locality, bringing everyone down and doing NOTHING to reduce crime.

The website FixMyStreet will channel our complaint to the Council and we'll see what sort of response it gets.
http://www.fixmystreet.com/report/104594

It seems obvious that these signs have gone up just now so that the Council can claim to be DOING SOMETHING about crime. But we don't think these signs help. If you agree, please email the Council's Environment Department. I have just looked on their website and they are now operating a single email address for ALL Council services and enquiries, which seems fairly ludicrous. It's contact@manchester.gov.uk - we'll let you know how we get on.
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New FREE course in sustainable arts and technologies in the community!!!!

How much do you really know about lowering your carbon Footprint? Everyone knows that it’s important – but it can all sound a bit confusing and daunting can’t it? Well…

Arc Space Manchester are proud to announce a new course called Connect Yourself!

It’s about cutting your carbon footprint in new and funky ways that will help you to do your bit for the planet whilst meeting new people and learning about ethical arts and technologies.

We can show you how to tackle climate change in a positive ways by trying your hand at lots of cool activities, such as designing clothes and re-cycling computers! There are 12 sessions, every Wednesday afternoon from 11-2.30pm. We run an evening and weekend session too for those who can’t make it during the week. The course runs until May 24th and you can enrol at any time!

Its fun, its informal and its free to everybody. We are a community organisation so we welcome everybody. We even give you your own pen drive half-way through the course and provide free internet. Go on, become environmentally savvy. What are you waiting for?!

Contact us at arcspacemanchester@gmail.com or call in and see us at St Wilfs Church, Royce Rd, Hulme. Or you can call us on 07872 939216 and leave a message.

In partnership with Manchester City Council and The Manchester Carbon Innovation Fund.
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Friday 19 March 2010

Greenview Cornbrook Special

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Why we are campaigning for an Ian Curtis Memorial Bridge in Hulme.

Hulme has always been a unique place, one of the few places to be completely raised to the ground twice in living history: seeing the destruction of the Victorian back-to-backs, followed by the demolition of the 1960s brutal modernist architectural known as the crescents. One significant victim of the redevelopment was nightclub known as the Russell Club, host to (Manchester music promoter and Grenada Reporter) Tony Wilson’s ‘Factory’ night. This nightclub was where Joy Division regularly played during their brief existence. Indeed Joy Division recorded the version of Transmission that can be heard on the B-side of Atmosphere in Hulme (July 1979).

In the year Joy Division first played in Hulme, 1979, the upcoming Manchester rock photographer, Kevin Cummins, photographed the band in various locations around Hulme. The most iconic of these photos is probably the one of the band on Epping Walk Bridge, one of the narrow pedestrian footbridges that spanned the Princess Parkway. This photograph recently adorned Joy Division’s greatest hits album cover. This is the bridge that we want to re-name in honour and memory of Ian Curtis, who took his life exactly 30 years ago on May 18th.


Hulme locals are all too aware of how marginalized and put-upon this part of Manchester feels, which is partly why we want this campaign to succeed. The bridge itself is already known to certain locals as ‘Joy Division Bridge’. The re-naming of this bridge would allow fans and visitors to Manchester the opportunity to visit the bridge and recreate Kevin Cummins photographs and to celebrate the city’s fine musical heritage. Fans of The Smiths, regularly congregate around the entrance to Salford Lads’ Club, featured on one of their albums. Renaming the bridge gives Joy Division fans their own part of Manchester.


Since Hulme local activist Gayle O’Donovan set up the Facebook page just over a week ago, it has rapidly expanded up to nearly 700 members, including Kevin Cummins himself. We believe that if this campaign succeeded then we’d be putting Hulme back on the map, restoring some local pride, creating yet another reason for people to visit our fine city, and saluting a local legend.


Renaming the bridge would be another chapter in Manchester’s rich musical history.


For more info join our Facebook Group:http://tinyurl.com/iancurtismemorial

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The Arch to be demolited and turned in to student halls

Last Thursday, the decision was taken Manchester City Council's Planning Committee to give the go-ahead to the demolition of Arch Bar to make way for a student halls of residence. No doubt Nigel Murphy will be pleased with this decision, since he has bragged to the Applicant (Mr. Andy Whatson) that he was responsible for getting the "restrictive covenant" lifted last year.

Thanks to everyone who signed the petition, that has collected 266 signatures to date. Those who also left a comment will now find that comment pasted up on the Arch building, which has become a part of its own campaign, as you'll see if you go past on the bus.

I see it as another nail in the coffin of the Hulme community, which can now be found on its nights out huddled in the Salutation, the Junction, and perhaps Kim-by-the-Sea. Okay, there are one or two other pubs, but certainly no clubs, like what the Arch used to be, never mind anything as banging as the PSV Club (aka the Russell Club, the Factory, etc.)

I find it particularly galling that Nigel Murphy has been claiming credit (in the most recent "Hulme Rose" leaflet) for "working with residents of the Loxford Estate to oppose the building of a seven storey student block on the site of the former Arch Bar... Your Labour Team," the leaflet burbled, "will continue working with local residents to ensure that any new plans are acceptable to the community."

If you would like to tell Mr. Murphy what you think of these "new plans" - are they "acceptable" to you? - then why not drop him a line? Nigel Murphy (cllr.n.murphy@manchester.gov.uk)
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Thursday 11 February 2010

Breaking News:Hulme Labour wants to have its cake and eat it too!

The Arch Bar / student halls planning decision has today been deferred by the Townhall Planning Committee once again. Well done to the residents and Hulme Greens for keeping up the pressure!

Some local greens have been researching the situation, going back to when it was the Admiral and even before that. In fact it was 31st March 1980 when the brewery, Robinson’s (based in Stockport) took out a “restrictive covenant” which meant that the premises could BE USED ONLY AS A PUBLIC HOUSE.

That covenant remained in place for just over 30 years, until it was released on 15th June 2009, nearly two months after the planning application was submitted to turn Arch Bar into a 7-storey student block. And now we learn that none other than Nigel TIM Murphy has been claiming the credit for getting the covenant removed. He’s also claiming credit for getting the size of the block reduced by one floor. I think the local residents and greens deserve the credit for that. But we still lament the loss of yet another local community resource.

The Green Party is not anti-student, many of them are our natural supporters, candidates and members, but when an area is swamped with student halls and these are segregated from the wider community – almost literally, in the case of Hulme – then there is a sense of lack of investment in the locality, and sometimes a lack of care. Hulme is a vibrant mixed community - lets continue to fight to keep it this way.

We’d like Nigel Murphy to out from behind his invisibility cloak to come clean over his involvement in the lifting of the restrictive covenant that stood for 30 years. which signed the death warrant for the Arch to be used as a community space and/or social housing( didn't Hulme Labour promise us that last year in their campaign leaflet?)
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Wednesday 27 January 2010

Hi Greens and Green Supporters,

A pilot anti - climate change campaign is being run in Greater Manchester for the next 5 weeks. It's challenging businesses to switch off lights when they're closed.

The aim is to get the general public to email in photos when they're out in the evening of shops/offices that have left light on and they'll use it to challenge the business.

Watch this YouTube to get more information: http://www.youtube.co/watch?v=mV1RkK2Rctw

It's called The Light Brigade. The website is: www.lightbrigade.org.uk

The facebook group is: http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?drop&ref=mb#/group.php?gid=405437965219

And the twitter account is: Lightbrigadeorg.

The group would be really grateful if you could circulate the details of this project and spread the word, as without people knowing, the impact won't be as big.

Best Wishes

Gayle O' Donovan

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Friday 15 January 2010

Hulme Green Drinks - All Welcome


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Update on the Arch Bar

Just to keep everyone informed... The Planning Dept yesterday deferred the decision on whether to give the green light to the plans to build the six-storey block on the site of the Arch.

This is pleasing, but we should not necessarily get our hopes up too much. Nevertheless, following a "site visit" (during which the committee members actually GOT OFF THE BUS - a rare event, apparently), at the actual planning meeting, the first thing that happened was that the Chair, Cllr Burns(Labour) declared that "there's no such thing as a done deal here", quoting directly from a local activist's Twitter update earlier in the day.

This would seem to imply that they are now well aware that there is a head of local public opinion against this, and it has them rattled. They may wish to delay the decision till after the local elections on May 6th. However, according to The Applicant (Andrew Whatson), who we met the night before the planning meeting at the Green Party office, the developers need to start the work before May if they are to be able to open in time for the start of term the following year (Sept. 2011).

The petition has 172 names now, which is great going in just over a week.

Please sign the petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-arch-bar.html

Also, thought I'd pass on the good news that at the same planning meeting it was announced that the developers wishing to turn Chorlton Meadows into football pitches withdrew their application. That doesn't mean that they may not change their plans slightly and re-submit them in the future, but for the time being it's a tremendous victory for the Save Chorlton Meadows campaign.

Well done to everyone involved!
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Tuesday 12 January 2010

Arch Bar letter

Dear Resident,

As you probably know, property developers are planning to knock down the Arch Bar and build a massive six-floor block of student flats there instead. Last month, the Council decided to put off the decision on the plan until after they have conducted a site visit.

This late proposal came from councillors following pressure from locals and The Green Party. However, we shouldn't expect too much from the postponement by itself. The plans will come before the Council Planning Meeting at the Town Hall on Thursday 14th January at 2pm. If this matters to you and you can attend, please do so to show local feeling about the loss of yet another community resource for the people of Hulme.

You may not be aware, however, that The Cavendish pub just along the road from Arch Bar, last week closed down. It was sold by the owners and we think it might become a fast food outlet (this is unconfirmed at this stage). This is all the more reason to try to save the Arch.

Danny Hall, ex-manager of both Arch Bar and the Cavendish pub says: “The Arch Bar should not be demolished – it should be turned into a community resource like it used to be.”

In Spring 2008 a Local Labour election leaflet featured a big item on the fate of the Arch after it closed. Along with a nice photo, it said: "Your Local Labour Team is lobbying for the site, which Robinson's are planning to sell, to be used for the building of affordable homes for Hulme people or a facility to be used by the community."

It's a shame that 18 months later it appears that Labour are ignoring these fine ideals. We had hoped the Labour Council wouldn't just say “yes” to the first money-making scheme that came along. Sadly it looks like property developers' interests may once again come ahead of those of the community.

I will continue to keep you informed of what's happening.

With best wishes for a happy and peaceful New Year.

Gayle O’Donovan,
Green Party Candidate for Hulme



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Sunday 10 January 2010

4 days to save Arch Bar - sign the petition

Please sign the petition before the planning meeting on Thursday. Visit the site to read the arguments:
Online petition - Save Arch Bar in Hulme
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