THING OF THE WEEK
NEXT LEVEL… Talk about community engagement. So passionate are a group of Prestonians about their city that they have partnered with design practice Create Streets to come up with their own vision for the former Preston Basin site. The old Lancaster Canal extension site was an economic driver for the city in the 1800s but was in-filled in 1938. Now, the Restoring Preston Basin campaign wants to bring it back as a dynamic new green space. Buoyed by the council’s own Preston Station Quarter Regeneration Framework, they’ve created their own unique look for the plot. Will the city council be swayed? We’ll be watching.
The murals bring a much-needed splash of colour to the streets. Credit: via LCC
FLOWER POWER… Streets in Liverpool’s Kirkdale area, such as Pansy Street, Snowdrop Street and Daisy Street, have each been decorated with a mural of the flower of their namesake. Artist Madeleine Pires will continue to add murals as part of a community rejuvenation plan, which hopes to leave a big impact. A local case study will be conducted by Liverpool Hope University’s psychology department, to assess whether the artwork can sow the seeds of wellbeing and improve residents’ mental health.
Padel is a rapidly growing sport. Credit: Tomasz Krawczyk via Unsplash
PADEL PLANNING… Liverpool footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold has been granted retrospective planning permission to build a padel court in the back garden of his house in Goostrey. He had the court constructed without consent and was forced to go through the official channels by the local parish council, which took exception to the England international’s hobby. He had the last laugh though and has been given permission to keep the court on the condition that he has the floodlights removed. No more midnight padel sessions for Trent.
Credit: via Seed Architects
KHAN YOU DIG IT… Boxer Amir Khan is selling his fantastically bling wedding venue in Bolton a few months after work completed. He is seeking £12.5m for the 44,700 sq ft banquet hall and events complex, according to a post he published on social media. Khan, who retired from boxing in 2022, is clearly doing well for himself. The post about the wedding venue sale was followed up by another one of him showing off his new £1.9m timepiece.
Credit: via BDP
PRIDE… More than 125 people from companies including Arup, Stantec, Mott McDonald, and Turner and Townsend came out dressed as worker bees and danced around a rainbow-daubed JCB provided by Flannery Plant Hire to celebrate Manchester Pride last weekend. Let’s hope the buzz of equality endures beyond pride for a sector not renowned for its diversity.
