THING OF THE WEEK

AIRPORT ANGST… Although it’s doubtful that John Lennon wrote Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds about the joyous experience one has when flying from Liverpool Airport – named by Which? as the highest-rated airport in the country for the second year running – it’s perfectly rational to believe that when he wrote Jealous Guy he was alluding to another North West airport; Manchester, which sits rock bottom of the national pile looking up enviously at Liverpool.

McDonald’s are popping up everywhere. Credit: via planning documents

FAST FOOD SWAP… A restaurant in Blackburn will soon swap stuffed crusts for Big Macs when it is taken over by McDonald’s. The former Pizza Hut at the town’s Peel Centre closed in July after more than 20 years of all-you-can-eat buffets and unlimited ice cream and plans for Maccies to move in are already in the works.

McDonald’s is embarking on a growth drive and plans to open another 200 restaurants in the UK over the next four years. It looks as if the firm is lovin’ the North West in particular. In recent weeks it has announced plans to return to Rochdale and open a site in Hyde. Plans have also been tabled or approved for restaurants in Clayton-le-Woods and Cheshire Oaks in recent weeks.

Credit: Alessandro Bogliari on Unsplash

MANKAD… One for the cricket lovers: Footage emerged recently of London Mayor Sadiq Khan threatening to Mankad (you might have to Google that one) a batsman during a recent match. This display of near-unsportsmanlike behaviour got us thinking about what other types of sporting skulduggery metro mayors might be capable of. Andy Burnham taking a dive in the penalty box, perhaps, or Steve Rotheram landing a sly dig on his opponent after the bell has sounded. The comments section is open for more suggestions.

Credit: via Hannah Cawthra

ENDURANCE… Some people go on holiday to relax and unwind by the pool with a negroni. Others prefer something a little more rigorous. Falling into the latter category is Hydrock now Stantec’s Hannah Cawthra who spent part of her summer break running through the Alps. The race saw runners tackle an undulating 100km stretch starting in Italy, travelling through Switzerland and ending up in Chamonix with the tasty addition of 6,000m of elevation.

An extract from the guide showing good examples of signage. Credit: MCC

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME… Local councils understandably want to have as much control as possible over development in their towns and cities. But has Manchester City Council gone a step too far with its latest piece of planning policy? The Shopfront and Signage Design Guide is aimed at providing “more granular detail” on what is expected in terms of signage and advertisements in the city.

Church Street in the Northern Quarter and Barton Arcade on Deansgate are among the places highlighted as good examples of shopfronts but the guidance is lacking in examples of what not to do and the uncouth store frontages that have prompted this piece of legislation to be drawn up.