THING OF THE WEEK

DOGS… Padel courts, Covid-19 test centres, and pocket parts are among the meanwhile uses we have seen installed on sites awaiting development in recent years. Some meanwhile uses are so good they become permanent – see the Oast House in Manchester’s Spinningfields. Close by, one of the more eyebrow raising meanwhile uses is currently playing out. Oval Real Estate’s Albert Bridge House – in line for redevelopment into apartments and modern office space – is currently being used as a training centre for police dogs. Turns out finding a productive use of land while the wheels of development churn is not to be sniffed at after all.

You never quite know what is lurking beneath the ground. Credit: via Merrion Strategy

POOL… There is always a chance of uncovering interesting unknowns during redevelopment projects. Indeed, hidden surprises, some nastier than others, have contributed to increased costs and protracted timescales on the refurbishment of Manchester Town Hall and many other projects beside. While building a shop in Rainhill for Central Co-op contractor Krol Corlett stumbled across something hiding under the ground – a swimming pool. Senior contracts manager Mike Topping described the find as “unexpected”.

Chester’s amphitheatre in glorious sunshine. Credit: PNW

GLADIATORS… From 20 September, Chester’s Grosvenor Museum will play host to a touring British Museum exhibition all about Gladiators – the really hard blokes that fought lions, not the juiced-up hunks with pugil sticks. Gladiators of Britain will examine the history of gladiatorial fights in this country, particularly those that took place in Deva.

The government has been working hard to simplify funding pots. Credit: Marcin Nowak on Unsplash

FUNDING FUN… In case you missed it, this week the government announced its intention to consolidate some of the plethora of disparate funding pots in a bid to make life easy for local councils. The government said that the aim was to reduce “bureaucratic micromanagement” and give “more local control”. The result is a new fund called the Local Regeneration Fund, which will incorporate the Levelling Up Fund, Town Deals, and Simplification Pathfinders Pilot Fund. To find out more, you can read the 4,700-word technical guidance document.

Cllr Stephen Homer showing off the council’s scheme. Credit: Tameside Council

PARK… Tameside Council has been through the wringer in recent years what with one thing and another and has received its fair share of criticism in the press. However, while lambasting local authorities when they get things wrong is correct, it is also important to recognise when they are doing things right. The authority recently won an award from the Federation of Small Businesses for its efforts to boost footfall across its town centres.

Tameside won the Business Buddy award for an initiative that offers two hours of free parking across council-owned car parks to attract people to places including Ashton and Stalybridge. With town centres across the country struggling to entice people to them, do not be surprised if this simple but effective solution is rolled out elsewhere soon.