THING OF THE WEEK
SCREWING AROUND… Clean energy can be generated in a plethora of ways – towering turbines harness the power of wind, solar panels extract energy from the sun and tidal energy can be converted into electricity to power homes. In Salford, the city council is exploring a less well-known method of energy generation. The authority is looking for a contractor to install an Archimedes screw at Charlestown Weir. The science behind this kind of technology is quite complicated but it essentially involves installing a giant screw that will convert water cascading down the weir into power. The £1.5m project could create 710,000kWh of renewable energy, enough to power around 200 homes.
MAYORAL MATCH-UP… Northern leaders gathered in Liverpool for the Convention of the North this week and the mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region played a starring role. Having spent the day lobbying and corralling, the seemingly inseparable Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram headed off to Goodison Park together for Everton’s match against newly-monied Newcastle United. The Magpies’ resounding victory was the perfect end to a long day for Liverpool fan Rotheram. Less so for Burnham, whose beloved Everton continues to struggle.
The view of the new stadium site from the top floor of Tobacco Warehouse. Credit: PNW
TOFFEE TREAT… In better news for Everton fans, the construction of its new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock is moving along nicely, as is the redevelopment of Tobacco Warehouse nearby. The top floor of the £250m residential scheme is actually an ideal place to monitor the progress of the stadium project. Burnham might want to consider buying one of the dock-facing penthouses – the site of diggers trundling back and forth on the recently infilled dock could provide a soothing balm for his side’s current woes.
Flashback: Jennie Daly speaking at a Place North West event back in 2013. Credit: PNW
JENNIE’S JOY… What a week for Jennie Daly and the property industry as a whole. She has been appointed as the first female chief executive of one of the UK’s FTSE 100 housebuilders, stepping up into the role having been group operations director for the last four years. The appointment will go down as a seminal moment for a traditionally male-dominated industry. From starting out as a planner at Blackpool Council to being appointed as the leader of one of the country’s biggest housebuilders, it has been quite a journey.
Levelling up means bringing better transport to more places.
I’m in Blackpool seeing the upgrades to the historic tram network, extending the line and making it easier for locals and visitors to access the town. pic.twitter.com/0NpnJ5VLX9
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 3, 2022
PARTY POLITICS… Boris Johnson and Michael Gove popped up in Blackpool recently to cast their eyes over the multitude of development projects coming forward in the town. Alan Cavill, director of regeneration at the council, told delegates at Place North West’s Lancashire Development Update that he was struck by how popular the Prime Minister seemed to be with residents in Blackpool, many of whom queued up for selfies with Johnson. Most in attendance at the Lancashire summit thought Cavill was joking but he later clarified that he was being deadly serious. It seems that his lockdown parties have not tarnished Johnson’s reputation as much as we might have thought.
