PJA hires Manchester director

Friday will see the deadline for cities across the UK to submit their bids to the £250m Emergency Active Travel Fund, supporting ‘bold’ and ‘speedy’ action to create pop-up infrastructure for cycling and walking, writes Steve Connor, chief executive of Creative Concern. 

The Science & Industry Museum in Manchester has been granted permission to start repair work on the grade one-listed 1830 warehouse, the world's oldest surviving railway goods building.

Plans have been drawn up to refurbish Manchester’s so-called first boutique hotel, the grade two-listed building on the corner of Atherton Street and Great John Street in Castlefield.

Manchester City Council will use the lockdown easing to find more ways to encourage walking and cycling across the city, according to council leader Sir Richard Leese.

Metro mayors Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham called for widespread retrofitting of properties across the North West, as the region looks to capture positive lessons from the pandemic and create a springboard for change.

The Government’s fiscal reaction to the coronavirus pandemic proves "the magic money tree has always been there", said Gavin Elliot, head of BDP’s Manchester studio, and raises questions as to why the funds have not been used to tackle climate change. 

If Manchester is to achieve its aim of becoming net zero carbon by 2038 it must find a way of cutting emissions by 50% over the next five years, according to Gavin Elliott, head of BDP's Manchester studio.

The future of Manchester and development beyond the city fringe into fast-growing towns were the topics of conversation at a special roundtable hosted by JMW Solicitors.

A strategy to retrofit up to 350 council buildings and implement other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the city is expected to be approved next week.