Wednesday 9 September 2015

Keeping it BREEAM

 Manchester Metropolitan University's (MMU) Birley Fields campus is nearly complete with the shops on Stretford Road being the last visible works to be completed.

The development of the campus has been promoted highlighting that its planned specification would make it the greenest campus in Europe. [1]

In MMU's case, inevitably, some of those features did not make it off the plans. If some environmental features do not make it to implementation, its disappointing.

What is interesting with MMU is that it has applied to Manchester City Council to be make exempt from the BREEAM standards when it comes to the shops on Stretford Road. [2] The BREEAM standard against which the sustainability of new, non-residential buildings in the UK is assessed. [3][4]

To deliberately look for exemption from this standard makes MMU's environmental statements more marketing than principle.

They should think again and withdraw their planning request.
 

Notes

  1. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/news/news-items/2054/
  2. http://pa.manchester.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=NS72MUBC6K000
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BREEAM
  4. http://www.breeam.org/about.jsp?id=66

Read Full Article >>

Comment - Manchester City Council position on migrants a double standard

Manchester City Council and its Labour leadership showed some double standards in its recent statements on the refugees coming to Britain.

Nationally, the government has been shamed into accepting more refugees. On the back of this, in Greater Manchester, Labour politicians have been falling over themselves to welcome the refugees (however conditionally). According to a recent newspaper report, Council Leader Sir Richard Leese "says the city will gladly play its part in housing destitute people".[1]

On Manchester's destitute people, the City Council along with Manchester Metropolitan University is taking legal action to evict the homeless camp that has come together under the motorway flyover on Oxford Road.[2]

The organised camp is one of several to have formed over the past year as the homelessness crisis in the city has grown worse and with the City Council recently cutting support services.[3] It is estimated that over 200 people are sleeping rough.[4]

If Manchester City Council wants to show its caring side, it can start by stopping the legal action its pursuing against The Ark and the other homeless camps. [5]

While we welcome the Council's plans to aide and support refugees, it should extend this compassion to those already destitute on the streets of this City.


Notes
  1. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/deal-us-not-serco-say-9993699
  2. http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/050974232-manchester-homelessness-crisis-ark-shelter-plea-public-support-after-council
  3. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/special-report-shock-rise-manchester-9363644
  4. http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/260673764-charity-accuse-manchester-city-council-lying-about-homeless-figures
  5. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/homeless-protesters-could-jailed-breaching-9942874

Read Full Article >>

Tuesday 8 September 2015

Support The Ark

Homeless Shelter on Oxford Road, Manchester
You may have noticed the ‘homeless camp’ that has set up on the edge of Hulme, specifically under the flyover on Oxford Road.

Since Manchester City Council evicted the camps in St Peters Square, St Anne's Square and King Street [1], the few individuals living under the flyer has grown into a small shelter. They call it 'The Ark'. 

That shelter is now currently under threat of eviction by Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester City Council [2].
Its inhabitants, about 12 people, were served legal papers last week and are due in court from 7th September.

Deyika Nzeribe from Hulme Green Party said "That Manchester City Council is continuing its campaign to harass the homeless of Manchester is as scandalous as it is immoral. The fact that Manchester Metropolitan University is a partner in this action is deeply disappointing.
"It is common for the homeless of Manchester have to live together for protection from the attacks that they frequently endure in the city centre. The shelter, a mile from Piccadilly, can hardly be considered 'political' or 'campaigning'."

Over the six months Manchester City Council has embarked on dual high profile campaigns. The first is to highlight the proposed 1 billion pounds worth of housing investment planned for central Manchester [3]. The Council is planning to use the £300 million pound housing investment fund granted as part of the Devolution deal to do this [4]. So far, 22% of that funding has been committed to support luxury housing within similar developments earmarked [5].

The second is the pursuit of Manchester's homeless. The Council has spent over £100,000 on legal fees [6] to gain injunctions to move the homeless camps from the city centre. This was soon after cutting council funding to organisations supporting the homeless [7].

Manchester City Council and Manchester Metropolitan University are some of the largest institutions who, between them have recently spent hundreds of millions on buildings [8] or promoting buildings [9]. The pursuit and harassment of the homeless and particularly the Ark is shameful. Both institutions should stop this action immediately and put those resources to helping people get off the streets.  


Notes
  1. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/homeless-camp-sets-up-king-9875548
  2. http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/050974232-manchester-homelessness-crisis-ark-shelter-plea-public-support-after-council
  3. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/future-manchester-revealed-vertical-village-9604147
  4. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/300m-housing-fund-designed-unlock-9570783
  5. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/greater-manchester-councils-hand-out-9984274
  6. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/bill-manchester-homelessness-protest-exceeds-9534300
  7. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-homeless-campaigners-could-end-9535878
  8. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/news/news-items/3417/
  9. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/special-report-shock-rise-manchester-9363644

Read Full Article >>

A thought on the Labour Party ahead of the announcement of their new leader.

The 18th of August marked the anniversary of the Battle of Peterloo, when 60,000 people protested in Manchester in support for the vote and political reform. The struggle for a democracy which is truly representative of the people continues today. In Manchester, the latest threat to democracy is the Government’s devolution deal. Devolution in general something we support. We believe important decisions about local areas should be taken by those closest to those areas. However, the devolution deal does not offer more accountability to the people but less. For example Greater Manchester is currently represented by an unelected Mayor, former Labour MP Tony Lloyd, and this will be the case until 2017.

There seems to be an ongoing argument within the Labour Party over whether the leadership contest will cause or is causing a split. It is hard to see what the debate is about. It seems apparent that there is a split. Greens in Manchester were aware of a split long before the leadership campaign began. The gaps were apparent in the differences in views between Manchester City Council and local MPs over the devolution deal for Greater Manchester. While the Council was and is very happy to sign a deal with George Osborne, local MPs were and are much more skeptical about the long-term consequences of the deal.

If Jeremy Corbyn is elected it does appear that the gap between him and Sir Richard Leese (the leader of Manchester Council) will be a large one. For a start Mr Leese has given his backing to Yvette Cooper. The differences are the greatest when it comes to housing and tackling poverty. While Mr Corbyn agrees with the Green Party and argues for the building of new social housing, the Council prioritizes the building of private homes. It has recently unveiled plans for new projects across the City Centre. Of the thousands of new flats and houses, none of them are set to be social housing; and none of them are even to be set as ‘affordable’. This is despite the fact that there are currently 20,000 people on the social housing waiting list in Manchester. The Council sees rising rents as a positive economic indicator and recently spent over £100,000 on evicting and taking legal action against homeless protesters in the City Centre. We believe that this approach from the Council has encouraged social housing conglomerate One Manchester to come up with plans for Hulme which don’t include any social housing.

We look forward to working with the supporters of Mr Corbyn in developing and implementing plans to create more social housing and combating inequality across Manchester.

Read Full Article >>