2k responses to recent survey about village site

Civic Pride and the Village

Over two thousand people have completed the survey about the future of the old Origin site on Princess Street / Whitworth Street near the Gay Village. The site was bought by Urban and Civic in January 2015 after the failure of the now bankrupt West properties’ Origin scheme from 2006-09.

The latest news of imminent development has seen an unprecedented response from residents and the wider community who know and love the area and want to see the best for it. Campaigners are hopeful that the reputation of Urban and Civic as being responsive to stakeholders and citizens prevails. The company won the APCRG National Responsible Business Champion award in 2014.  

City Centre Campaigner Adam Prince produced the survey to give an early voice on how the old Origin site may be best redeveloped. Adam has also talked to Urban and Civic since the start of the year about the passion and interest local people have for the development. Adam has also helped engage key stakeholders and business people in the Village area to ensure widespread input and ideas are brought forward.

Urban and Civic have promised an Autumn consultation and exhibition for the scheme they are proposing. Campaigners hope they will be responsive to feedback and the consultation will not be a ruse.

This site is notably in the Manchester City Council strategic city centre vision announced in 2015 (see footnote). Arguably it is also a cross roads for the future of the world famous LGBT district of the Village. Community leaders from the LGBT Foundation, Manchester Pride and local business have been in dialogue with Urban and Civic to give their opinions, desires and fears about the redevelopment.

This is a unique position and demographic. Therefore campaigners hope the redevelopment will strike the right balance and enhance the area, respond to residents’ concerns and be sensitive to the history and future of the Gay Village.

In 2006 to 2008, Chris Speck; a local resident, ran a campaign group ‘Save Our Village’ to highlight the horrors of the previous Ian Simpson design and West’s ambitious strategy for the area. The campaign came together in response to residents and those interested in the Village being ignored and treated with contempt by the single minded boom time ambitions of West Properties. Their strategy was to draw in organisations and stakeholders to back their propaganda that the towering Origin development was some sort of regenerator for the Village. All it was instead was a cheap overdevelopment of a tight development site that instead needed some sensitive infill – not ‘overfill’. Had it been built it would have dwarfed many of Manchester’s most glorious buildings from its textile heyday and overshadowed Canal Street and the Village - hopefully seeing it off in the process.      

Chris Speck says “consultations back then were a joke and any residents’ objections were very much ignored. The height and mass of the development was shocking. Despite it being the most complained about development in Manchester, it was rushed through by planning. Then further insult when West came back to planning and got approval for extra floors despite the height being such a contentious issue. The much heralded slither of civic space between the buildings also went and instead became a vehicle turning circle for the phantom hotel operator West supposedly were about to sign...

Many also objected to the distorted glass towers or ‘icebergs’ as they became known as they did nothing to blend in. West wanted their own ‘Landmark’ development despite many of the surrounding buildings being landmark enough. But only the recession stopped the development - at foundation level. Looking back on the 10 year old designs they appear very of the era, would have aged badly and certainly were not sympathetic in size, form or materials to the Conservation Area Origin sits within. So ironically we were spared in the end. The decaying hoardings promoting West Properties’ 00’s lifestyle hype was an ironic end to Origin until they were cleared away earlier this year”. 

Adam Prince says "It was overwhelming to receive well over 2000 responses in a week to a simple survey about what this could be from people in the city centre and notably a lot of LGBT citizens. I have been in dialogue with Urban and Civic since January and I am glad that they are promising genuine consultation and I hope this proves to be true. It is such an important area and certainly not one to add to the ‘blandification’ of Manchester.

I think it is pivotal citizens voices are heard; something that is too often neglected in planning decisions in Manchester.  I firmly believe people must have a greater role in defining their neighbourhoods and having their aspirations and values respected by those privileged to be able to commercially deliver developments in the City".

The results of the survey echo what Chris Speck and his ‘Save Our Village’ campaign group concluded in 2006 – their own community voice and output from a residents’ design day were ignored by West and the City planners. The strongest desire now is to see green civic space in and around the design.

Many complain this is far too lacking in our city centre. Other important themes are to see a design that is sympathetic to the aesthetic of the area, and one that is not towering or causes huge shadows across the area. People hope the site offers unique functions rather than generic supermarkets, chains or offices. A high percentage of people requested support for an LGBT function that complements the Gay Village area. There is a desire for opening up the canal frontage and enhancing arts and cultural representation.

Adam has been involved in campaigning as an ‘everyday person’ for the Village area and other campaigns such as London Road Fire Station and recently the ‘last green space’ in the city; Pomona.  Last year he fundraised and organised the Molly House mural and ran a Gay Village arts trail.

Next year he hopes to work with Superbia in a large arts initiative for the area he feels has been politically neglected and deserves the better support for innovating talent.

Adam says "more and more people need to get involved in civic campaigning. As a City we risk repetitive, poor and bland designs that offer little to communities. To me the most important thing is that people are genuinely respected by developers and that planners make more efforts in representing the aspirations of the civic voice, retaining heritage and seeking a truly sustainable future for neighbourhoods.

We must avoid the blandification and gentrification taking the soul out of our City. Particularly in this area the LGBT legacy cannot be ignored or devalued.  It is a small step but the survey will hopefully mean more people take time to actively speak up for their neighbourhood”.  

Published: 4-Sep-2015: (3276)