THING OF THE WEEK

STRINGS… Kinrise is currently converting Martins Bank Building in Liverpool into offices and invited local stakeholders into the property this week. The Water Street gem was built in the 1930s but has been closed for the last 15 years, which means that many people – despite living or working in the city for more than a decade – have never been inside. Most of those who walked into the former banking hall on Thursday gasped at the grandeur of the surroundings. A fitting accompaniment to the setting was the lone cellist, playing away as agents, architects and local business people looked around. It was indeed a site tour with a difference.  

Wates and Seddon came together to plant trees in Salford. Credit: via Rumpus PR

TREE-MENDOUS… Construction firms Seddon and Wates have given something back to the Salford soil. Both companies are working on adjoining sites in Little Hulton; Wates is building a 750-pupil school for Star Academies, while Seddon is delivering a £39m residential project next door. This week the builders joined forces to plant 500 trees in nearby woodland in conjunction with The Conservation Volunteers charity. For Seddon especially, the occasion had particular poignance. Little Hulton is where the company was founded 125 years ago, so the tree planting is the second time Seddon has put down roots in Salford.  

Tobacco Warehouse will be the central hub of the festival for the first time. Credit: PNW

ART ARRIVAL… Liverpool Biennial is back. The city-wide art festival returns for its 12th edition in June and will feature a series of works from artists from across the globe based on the central theme: ‘uMoya: The Sacred Return of Lost Things’, which addresses the history and temperament of the city of Liverpool and is “a call for ancestral and indigenous forms of knowledge, wisdom and healing”, according to the event organisers. Check out the work across Liverpool this summer in locations such as the Tobacco Warehouse, St John’s Gardens, and Liverpool ONE. 

Crewe was among the locations overlooked. Credit: via Social

DERAILED DREAMS… Following the announcement that the Great British Railways HQ would be located in Derby, those behind other failed bids reacted angrily. York City Council’s leader said the whole process – which included an X-Factor-style public vote – had been shambolic, while Cheshire East Council’s deputy leader said overlooking Crewe was “a missed opportunity to deliver the government’s levelling up agenda in the North of England.” Chi Onwurah, an MP in Newcastle, another location overlooked in favour of Derby, said the decision was an example of Whitehall giving up on the North. Talk about railing against the government. 

After years of inactivity, the building is on the rise. Credit: PNW

ON THE RISE… Having been stalled for so long, the former Elliot project in Salford’s Greengate neighbourhood is now on an upward trajectory once again. To the untrained eye, it may look as if little about the half-built structure has changed since tools were downed in 2020. However, peer a little closer and you will see that Legacie is making good progress. Since acquiring the site in 2021 and starting construction late last year, the developer has added 10 storeys to the building, which had stood frozen in time for more than two years. Once complete, Embankment Exchange will provide 300 apartments.