THING OF THE WEEK

TAXI… Have you spotted the Euan Kellie Property Solutions cab out and about in Manchester? The planning consultancy is literally going places having had its branding emblazoned on one of the city’s Hackney Carriages. Rumours that they have done the same to the 7:15am EasyJet flight out of Manchester on Monday for MIPIM remain unconfirmed.

Property professionals hunkering down for the night. Credit: Nathan Cornish

SLEEP OUT… LandAid’s annual Sleep Out took place last night with property professionals from across Manchester heading to Sale Rugby Club to kip under the stars in the name of charity. Participants braved the cold and raised close to £75,000 for LandAid, whose aim is to end youth homelessness. Urban Splash’s Nathan Cornish was the top fundraiser for this particular edition of the sleep out, raising just shy of £2,500. It is the second year in a row he has led the way in donations. Can anyone catch him next year? Consider the gauntlet thrown down.

Francis Bourgeois enjoying some food at The Mezz. Credit: via Gala PR

GIG GRUB… The Mezz, the AO Arena’s premium dining offer, launched this week. The brainchild of chefs Tom Barnes and Simon Rogan, the restaurant provides something different for concert-goers. Sometimes you just have a hankering for a serving of roast Herdwick lamb or Roscoff whey onions while you wait for Brune Springsteen to take to the stage, rather than a hotdog from a hole in the wall. Niall Horan was performing on Mezz launch night and among those in attendance was everybody’s favourite train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois. He was reported to have enjoyed the both the food and the former One Direction star’s tracks.

Duck! Credit: Michael Weir via Unsplash

HOWZAT… Have you ever seen a wicketkeeper’s fingers? If not, you’re lucky. More angles than a dodecahedron. Trafford Council’s planning team is clearly well aware of the damage a cricket ball can inflict and thus refused permission for a pair of homes located just over the boundary at Flixton Cricket Club. A report on the application said it “fails to evidence, through a lack of ball-strike risk assessment, that the proposed dwellings would not be at risk of damage by way of the adverse trajectory of cricket balls.”

The new bridge could open next year. Credit: via Preston City Council

BRIDGE BRIDGE... Some people are born for certain disciplines. The BBC’s Sara Blizzard was always going to be a meteorologist, for example. John Bridge of John Bridge Architects, was made to design bridges. His studio is part of the team behind plans for a brand-spanking new £6.6m structure in Preston over the Ribble in Avenham Park. The replacement for the Old Tram Bridge, closed since 2019, will be built by Eric Wright Civil Engineering and is due to complete in spring 2025.  “Since its closure, it has been a huge talking point,” Bridge said. “As a Prestonian I am so pleased the council has secured levelling up funding.”