The Viadux development has been a very complex engineering project due to them having to puncture through the grade 2 listed arches beneath. One of the most complex in Europe I’ve been told. Excellent video!
A very nice comment that made my day! Sorry for talking a long time to reply. It does seem to be turning into a 'London of the north' but it still doesn't have an Underground!
Manchester is becoming more amazing by the year. Can't wait for the Therme water park to be made near Trafford Centre. Largest indoor waterpark in Europe! All this bodes well for property prices in Manchester.
Yes, it's quite a powerhouse, Manchester, but we don't want property prices to go high that it becomes unaffordable for most people. I'll be very interested to see the Therme water park as I've been to similar ones in Germany many times and really enjoyed them.
@@suhailjamil3909 Manchester’s wages are as high as wealthy London boroughs now, on par with Richmond Upon Thames. It used to trail Trafford, East Cheshire ,Warrington, Stockport , and the Ribble Valley in the North West, as recently as 10 years ago. The economic turnaround in Manchester is remarkable.
Great Video. Great video and glad to find another person who takes an interest in the Cities growth into that Big City look and feel. I am bout to upload my next part of my North, East, South , West videos of Manchester. East and South were done a few months back.
Love these videos informative and as usual well presented. Thank goodness the Bootle Street facade was saved. Some of these architects need to go back to school.
Many thanks. I really enjoy making videos on this subject and there is huge interest in it. It’s my duty to produce them as I have a lot of knowledge to share and lots of archive photos. :)
Yeah, I think the Tower of Light looks pretty good for a chimney. It breaks up the angular severity of the Deansgate towers in the background. All this development is certainly making Manchester look like a vibrant and dynamic city of global significance. It's especially good to see that so many of these projects are residential.
The Tower is quote unique, definitely more attractive than your average chimney! The frantic development un like nowhere else except for London, but not everybody likes it, as we can see in the comments!
Thank you for the video. The city has changed a lot for the better since I left it. Vast areas of the centre used to be derelict and dilapidated. Now there are striking new towers alongside elegant old buildings. Btw why has no-one in Manchester tried to beat the Shard with a taller building? That would truly announce Manchester on the global stage. I understand there maybe airport concerns but London has Heathrow and City airport in close proximity to the city.
Really interesting and informative, I’ve been trying to document the boom that is going on around Manchester and Salford. You’ve filled in a few gaps in my knowledge
Thanks very much for your positive comments. It's difficult to keep up with it all and it's often not easy to find the information that explains about all the projects. I'm very glad anyay to receive your great comment! I've subscribed to your channel.
I wonder what's happening with the vision/ whitworth tower on the other side of the road from viadux. I passed by the advertising for it 6 months ago when I was there and still nothing! Great videos by the way.
I think the idea of integrating old buildings, ie facades, into new designs is a much better idea than ripping them down completely. Although keeping old heritage buildings in their entirety is preferred, I also understand that the city is expanding and some changes are inevitable. Preserve the facades, adds a uniqueness!
I agree one hundred per cent. Old facades never go out of date and preserve the heritage of the city. There are plenty of great examples, one of the best is Millennium House on Wellington Rd South Stockport, the former Stockport Infirmary.
Nice presentation, but I cant help wondering what impact the move towards working from home post pandemic will have on the viability of office construction in the city cente...
That's a very good question, but it seems if the investors are happy to put large amounts of money into office accommodation, they must be sure it is going to be taken up. Only time will tell.
The only thing that casts a shadow on the square are the two awful red brick 80s buildings. Incidentally the Curzon Wharf skyscrapers have gone into planning in Birmingham (thought to be accepted) and One Eastside tower is under construction, as is the Octagon tower. I mention this only as its good to see all of this in our cities.
Yes those two buildings, Heron House and… forgotten what the other one is called, replaced some magnificent Victorian façades. They are bland but functional. Thanks for the information on Birmingham. I’ll keep focusing on Manchester & Liverpool construction for the present as that brings in the views and builds the channel. I’m heading towards 2000, probably in March, one year after reaching 1000. Many thanks.
@@AidanEyewitness I didn't expect you to reply, nevermind so quickly. I do abhor any Victorian facades being lost. We have lost too much. Why did they pull them down anyway? Oh I don't expect you to report on Birmingham. I agree with you too. Manchester and Liverpool bring in the views.
Greater refers to the agglomeration around the core city, like Greater London, Greater Toronto, Greater Chicago. Some cities use it some don't. The area was previously referred to as 'SELNEC' - south east Lancashire north east Cheshire. That name was on the side of buses until Greater Manchester Transport was created in 1974.
Sorry Greater Manchester is not the City of Manchester, they are two different things only connected by the name Manchester. The City of Manchester is just that, Greater Manchester has nothing to do with the City of Manchester only being it's administrative HQ, Greater Manchester is just the name for a Metropolitan County Council set up in 1974.
No they did not change the name of Manchester to Greater Manchester as the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester are two completely different things with the only connection being the word " Manchester". The City of Manchester is a City with a Lord Mayor a Cathedral and City Council, Greater Manchester is NOT a City but just a Metrpolitan Council set up in the early 1970's
Normally residential and commercial buildings are kept separate due to zoning. Some of the new towers are close to areas where there is still some industry.
Yes I could tell you all about that in great detail but… yes you are right. Previously the local boroughs, with Manchester and Salford ran local bus services. Manchester was red, as was Stockport, Salford green, Ashton blue. They were brought together into SELNEC, later GMT. The orange and white livery was introduced around 1969. I remember it well! They chose orange as that was the only colour NOT used by any of the local authorities. I never liked it. In England buses should be red, in Ireland green and in Germany yellow! I recommend a visit to the GM Transport Museum on Boyle Street Cheetham Hill.
@@AidanEyewitness .Actually I rather like it. London is famous throughout the world for its red buses. Manchester should do the same rather than bland stagecoach colours. Would really make the city stand out. Bring it back i say! Lol 😄
@@AidanEyewitness. I think orange and white would look good and eye catching, but modern design like the new london buses, and covering the whole of greater Manchester and the city centre. Also it's a neutral colour and won't favour city or united supporters! Lol 😄
@@retronostalgic I never got used to the orange and thought it looked wrong on the older buses of more classic design, though it looked okay on the Mancunian. I think my mantra 'In England all buses should be red in Ireland all buses should be green' is too much. I thought the unifed orange and white livery would have been rolled out already. In Berlin, all the city buses are yellow, it looks great!
Good to keep up-to-date with the construction of all the new tower blocks, but my question is where are all the people coming from with well paid jobs that can afford to rent/buy these apartments?
Shame, I really like the MAKE Architects tombstone design. It's great that they are preserving the old police station's facade and the Abercromby but the new building's design looks rather bland. Hopefully it will look better in execution.
Hmmm. I think you need to see more of the context. The Make plan was the most destructive. The towers were too massive, like a curtain blocking light and sight lines to Albert Square and the town hall. In the revised proposal they moved the single tower as far as possible away from the square. It will stand roughly where the synagogue is now. I think the design is okay. It has shades of the Pan Am building and Centre Point in London.
That is a good point. I use a variety of terms in the video titles, just to vary things. ‘central’ is more appropriate nowadays as the old city centre has expanded outwards, and contains many neighbourhoods, so it’s like London, where for many years ‘Central London’ has been on the road signs. Maybe it’s time to start using ‘Central Manchester’ on road signs?
Wiki lists cities by number of completed skyscrapers +150m (492 ft): Hong Kong 553, Shenzhen 360, NYC 309 (&c, you get the picture). London they don't list but I calculate 40. Manchester .erm ..... 6
Well in its defence, Manchester has only come to the skyscraper game later than those cities and it is simply not as big. There isn't a tradition of skyscrapers in the UK, unlike those other cities. The question of Manchester's relative importance in the world of cities is the subject of a future video.
@Wally Custard I never said cities were about skyscrapers - don't put words in my mouth. It was Aidan who was on about skyscrapers - I was merely trying to put a little context to his rather opulent claims. And no way is NYC better than Rome or, indeed, any European city - NYC sucks. For me, London is the greatest city on the planet.
@@andrewashdown3541 I don't think I've made any claims about skyscrapers, I just find them visually interesting and very photogenic. I have mixed feelings about them. I certainly wouldn't say that NYC is a better city than Rome.
Very interesting video. Loved how you incorporated Google Earth. You wouldn't think the the UK was deep in recession witnessing all this. I wonder, since there's usually a lag when it comes to development, if things will come to a grinding halt in 2023. Or, is Manchester just an economic oasis?
I don’t think so, as the projects have been in planning for a long while and I think yes, Manchester is a magnet for investment, maybe to the detriment of other areas. In 2008, quite a few stalled or were cancelled. Many have since been completed. Thanks for your comment re Google Earth. It’s a good alternative for a drone-a-phobic person like me. And at least I know this drone won’t fall on anyone’s head. I can operate it over the airport and I won’t be arrested! And it doesn’t cost me a penny! Thanks Google!
Personally I used to love Manchester, but I was there 2 weeks ago and I was shocked. In such a short period of time since the last time that I had been there, all these new big buildings... dreadful. Manchester offered something different, the north more down to earth flair... you connected with a deeper rooted uk side... Now it's turning into another city with big buildings... one more. And you can't compete with london at... being london. Manchester was different, an alternative... now it's becoming one more. We are playing a different game which is not ours... and we'll be towards the end of the queue. Sad
Well that’s a clearly stated view, shared by many, but what was the alternative? Stay as it was, or is there a different path, where Manchester could have kept its individuality and flair, but still undertake much needed improvements?
@@AidanEyewitness In my humble opinion , there could be more creative and maybe cheaper options. 1-2 skyscrappers... would be ok, but this nonsense... the landscape has changed. They'll draw our attention upwards, when manchester beauty had been always down to earth. Grandiosity had been always at ground level. These soulless, uncharismatic buildings make out of manchester one of many
@@AidanEyewitness Culture, investment, population, food scene, ROI, HS2 and most importantly location. Birmingham’s close proximity to London and the south will always see the city ahead of Manchester.
@@daranphilipson1025 Thanks, very interesting and the last point seems to completely go against the common view of Manchester from inside Manchester. The late Tony Wilson once said 'The problem with Birmingham is it's not far enough away from London to be a counterweight." Personally I think Manchester is too 'mancuno-centric'. I try to bring an alternative point of view. A few years ago i did the 'now' photos for the book Birmingham 'Then and Now' (Bamford series). I got to see quite a few places and I really liked it. I'm planning to do an AidanEyewitness update from there at some point.
@@AidanEyewitness I know a few people that live in and around Birmingham that work London. Birmingham’s central position within England is a great advantage over Manchester not to far away from anywhere. People talk about the North West and North East levelling up but it is never going to happen, it’s unfair on those areas but it is just geography.
All the cities are the same, some just bigger than others, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool & Birmingham, all the same, London just bigger than all combined
I think I would say that Manchester is different, because there are far more tall buildings there than any other city outside London, but it could be over time, the other cities will deelop in a similar direction.
It is bigger and paid for by the graft during the Industrial Revolution of those cities you list. Glasgow built ships, Liverpool the greatest seaport of the empire, Manchester and Leeds combined and the surrounding towns contributed one third in output to the greatest economy on the planet. Birmingham was the workshop of the world, London sold fish and canned dog food.
Ok Manchester is getting skyscrapers, trams, money pumped into it but Liverpool and Leeds are still bigger cities don't be fooled by Greater Manchester that's not the city itself and it confuses people with it having the name Manchester as part of the county name. Liverpool will rise and overtake Manchester in the future
@@AidanEyewitness I don't think it's fair what's happening to Liverpool it always gets left behind I'm convinced it has something to do with the prejudice the city gets from outsiders
@@garyrigby21 There is a bit of prejudice but I think nowadays Liverpool has generally a very good image. Personally I think it’s fantastic, for many reasons.
Liverpools is larger than the City of Manchester as in size I believe The City of Liverpool is 3rd in size after the Second City of Birmingham in population size and the City of Manchester is 6th in size officially
Dont worry, the City of Liverpool is larger in population thn the City of Manchester, where as the City of Manchester is the 8th largest City in the UK, the City of Liverpool is I believe the 5th Largest City in the UK
Manchester should be focusing on building beautiful buildings again, rather than selling its soul to investors who can do whatever they want. I appreciate this video, but many of these projects look quite depressing to me. Poor architecture, not much respect for the surroundings.
Well all I'm doing is just pointing out what's out there and letting people make their own minds up, though I throw in a bit of comment of my own. I was very opposed to the original Bootle Street designs by Gary Neville that involved demolition of the pub and police station façade. Now I read that he is very sorry about this and regrets it. At least he has learned his lesson. I don't remember ever seeing any apology from Manchester City Council for the grave mistakes they've made.
The Viadux development has been a very complex engineering project due to them having to puncture through the grade 2 listed arches beneath. One of the most complex in Europe I’ve been told. Excellent video!
Yes that came into my mind as I was doing the video. It could be a video in itself. Many thanks!
Highly informative and interesting set of videos. Manchester is turning into London!
A very nice comment that made my day! Sorry for talking a long time to reply. It does seem to be turning into a 'London of the north' but it still doesn't have an Underground!
Manchester is becoming more amazing by the year. Can't wait for the Therme water park to be made near Trafford Centre. Largest indoor waterpark in Europe! All this bodes well for property prices in Manchester.
Just walked past this today, only a concrete slab so far!
Yes, it's quite a powerhouse, Manchester, but we don't want property prices to go high that it becomes unaffordable for most people. I'll be very interested to see the Therme water park as I've been to similar ones in Germany many times and really enjoyed them.
There are statistics now that we have less disposable income than Londoners. Is that a worrying sign? Or is it because we are now in the big league?
@@paulwild3676 yes read those statistics. All it means is comparable wages need to increase to reflect what Manchester has become. That's all.
@@suhailjamil3909 Manchester’s wages are as high as wealthy London boroughs now, on par with Richmond Upon Thames. It used to trail Trafford, East Cheshire ,Warrington, Stockport , and the Ribble Valley in the North West, as recently as 10 years ago. The economic turnaround in Manchester is remarkable.
Great Video.
Great video and glad to find another person who takes an interest in the Cities growth into that Big City look and feel. I am bout to upload my next part of my North, East, South , West videos of Manchester. East and South were done a few months back.
5:03 I love walking down there with all those buildings in the backdrop. Inspiring.
Yes, I agree and they look great at night too. Hmmm must do some night shots of them!
Love these videos informative and as usual well presented. Thank goodness the Bootle Street facade was saved.
Some of these architects need to go back to school.
Many thanks. I really enjoy making videos on this subject and there is huge interest in it. It’s my duty to produce them as I have a lot of knowledge to share and lots of archive photos. :)
Yeah, I think the Tower of Light looks pretty good for a chimney. It breaks up the angular severity of the Deansgate towers in the background. All this development is certainly making Manchester look like a vibrant and dynamic city of global significance. It's especially good to see that so many of these projects are residential.
The Tower is quote unique, definitely more attractive than your average chimney! The frantic development un like nowhere else except for London, but not everybody likes it, as we can see in the comments!
Not a fan of all these glass cubes. I think a 5 year old could probably create something more imaginative.
Thank you for the video. The city has changed a lot for the better since I left it. Vast areas of the centre used to be derelict and dilapidated. Now there are striking new towers alongside elegant old buildings.
Btw why has no-one in Manchester tried to beat the Shard with a taller building?
That would truly announce Manchester on the global stage. I understand there maybe airport concerns but London has Heathrow and City airport in close proximity to the city.
@@imtiazadam1609 What is behind the obsession with glass towers. They’re simply awful.
@@imtiazadam1609 yeah. City Airport is awfully close to Canary Wharf but it hasn't stopped the construction of all those tall towers.
Really interesting and informative, I’ve been trying to document the boom that is going on around Manchester and Salford. You’ve filled in a few gaps in my knowledge
Thanks very much for your positive comments. It's difficult to keep up with it all and it's often not easy to find the information that explains about all the projects. I'm very glad anyay to receive your great comment! I've subscribed to your channel.
@@AidanEyewitness thank you. Do you have information about the plans for redeveloping Great Ducie street and prison.
The new 71 floor tower (lighthouse) should be good on plot F. The Rennaker Tower. Have you seen this? Tallest in Manchester.
I’ll feature it in a future video. Thanks for flagging it up
@@AidanEyewitness No. thank you for these videos.
Why are the renderings of the building of First Street Co-Living so blurry? They're that way on their website as well.
Difficult to say. Maybe someone made a mistake with Photoshop! They’re doing so many construction projects they can’t cope with the workload!
Probably not finalised the design.
Impressive amount of capital flowing into this city. THX
It certainly looks that way. The capital doesn’t seem to benefit local people fairly though. There’s a wide gap between the haves and the have nots.
I wonder what's happening with the vision/ whitworth tower on the other side of the road from viadux.
I passed by the advertising for it 6 months ago when I was there and still nothing!
Great videos by the way.
Yes, it’s true, that project has been waiting for ages. I’ve not been able to find any news about it. Many thanks for your positive feedback.
I think the idea of integrating old buildings, ie facades, into new designs is a much better idea than ripping them down completely. Although keeping old heritage buildings in their entirety is preferred, I also understand that the city is expanding and some changes are inevitable. Preserve the facades, adds a uniqueness!
I agree one hundred per cent. Old facades never go out of date and preserve the heritage of the city. There are plenty of great examples, one of the best is Millennium House on Wellington Rd South Stockport, the former Stockport Infirmary.
Nice presentation, but I cant help wondering what impact the move towards working from home post pandemic will have on the viability of office construction in the city cente...
That's a very good question, but it seems if the investors are happy to put large amounts of money into office accommodation, they must be sure it is going to be taken up. Only time will tell.
The only thing that casts a shadow on the square are the two awful red brick 80s buildings. Incidentally the Curzon Wharf skyscrapers have gone into planning in Birmingham (thought to be accepted) and One Eastside tower is under construction, as is the Octagon tower. I mention this only as its good to see all of this in our cities.
Yes those two buildings, Heron House and… forgotten what the other one is called, replaced some magnificent Victorian façades. They are bland but functional. Thanks for the information on Birmingham. I’ll keep focusing on Manchester & Liverpool construction for the present as that brings in the views and builds the channel. I’m heading towards 2000, probably in March, one year after reaching 1000. Many thanks.
@@AidanEyewitness I didn't expect you to reply, nevermind so quickly. I do abhor any Victorian facades being lost. We have lost too much. Why did they pull them down anyway? Oh I don't expect you to report on Birmingham. I agree with you too. Manchester and Liverpool bring in the views.
Whoever is in charge of Manchester is/was a genius as they somehow made it look massive by calling it greater Manchester
Greater refers to the agglomeration around the core city, like Greater London, Greater Toronto, Greater Chicago. Some cities use it some don't. The area was previously referred to as 'SELNEC' - south east Lancashire north east Cheshire. That name was on the side of buses until Greater Manchester Transport was created in 1974.
Sorry Greater Manchester is not the City of Manchester, they are two different things only connected by the name Manchester. The City of Manchester is just that, Greater Manchester has nothing to do with the City of Manchester only being it's administrative HQ, Greater Manchester is just the name for a Metropolitan County Council set up in 1974.
Greater Birmingham doesn’t exist. Is that what you are griping about.
No they did not change the name of Manchester to Greater Manchester as the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester are two completely different things with the only connection being the word " Manchester". The City of Manchester is a City with a Lord Mayor a Cathedral and City Council, Greater Manchester is NOT a City but just a Metrpolitan Council set up in the early 1970's
@@paulwild3676 Greater Birmingham is what is known asthe West Midlands Metropolitan County
Why are they not constructing residential dwellings alongside the new commercial developments. ?
Normally residential and commercial buildings are kept separate due to zoning. Some of the new towers are close to areas where there is still some industry.
Why SimpsonHaugh is designing literally the whole of Manchester?
That's a very good question, for which I have no definitive answer! I an only speculate!
Correct me if I'm wrong but didnt Manchester have distinct orange double decker buses back in the 80s, the same way london has red buses?
Yes I could tell you all about that in great detail but… yes you are right. Previously the local boroughs, with Manchester and Salford ran local bus services. Manchester was red, as was Stockport, Salford green, Ashton blue. They were brought together into SELNEC, later GMT. The orange and white livery was introduced around 1969. I remember it well! They chose orange as that was the only colour NOT used by any of the local authorities. I never liked it. In England buses should be red, in Ireland green and in Germany yellow! I recommend a visit to the GM Transport Museum on Boyle Street Cheetham Hill.
@@AidanEyewitness .Actually I rather like it. London is famous throughout the world for its red buses. Manchester should do the same rather than bland stagecoach colours. Would really make the city stand out. Bring it back i say! Lol 😄
@@retronostalgic You mean, bring back red as the colour of Manchester buses, like they used to be, or do you mean orange?
@@AidanEyewitness. I think orange and white would look good and eye catching, but modern design like the new london buses, and covering the whole of greater Manchester and the city centre. Also it's a neutral colour and won't favour city or united supporters! Lol 😄
@@retronostalgic I never got used to the orange and thought it looked wrong on the older buses of more classic design, though it looked okay on the Mancunian. I think my mantra 'In England all buses should be red in Ireland all buses should be green' is too much. I thought the unifed orange and white livery would have been rolled out already. In Berlin, all the city buses are yellow, it looks great!
Very much like London's Docklands Development.
Yes, there are parallels. I must go to see the DLR again soon.
What about the big project going on at Victoria north ??
I've seen it and that is on the list. I'll be heading to the north soon. Many thanks for flaggin it up.
It's taken years to redevelopment to happen,since the visit from the Luftwaffe!!!!!!
Yes, that delegation caused a stir. The council finished off the job after the war! 🙂
Good to keep up-to-date with the construction of all the new tower blocks, but my question is where are all the people coming from with well paid jobs that can afford to rent/buy these apartments?
They are coming either from different parts of Manchester, different parts of the country or different parts of the world 😝
Yes, I think that's true. I noticed a lot of Chinese people coming out of the Deansgate Square towers. They can afford it!
Shame, I really like the MAKE Architects tombstone design. It's great that they are preserving the old police station's facade and the Abercromby but the new building's design looks rather bland. Hopefully it will look better in execution.
Hmmm. I think you need to see more of the context. The Make plan was the most destructive. The towers were too massive, like a curtain blocking light and sight lines to Albert Square and the town hall. In the revised proposal they moved the single tower as far as possible away from the square. It will stand roughly where the synagogue is now. I think the design is okay. It has shades of the Pan Am building and Centre Point in London.
There are too many bland grey buildings going up in Manchester. All the same shade of grey with the same style of glazing.
I think there's some truth in that, but as I said the video, is it possible for every building to be a superstar?
I think we’re getting the mandatory filler before the buildings that really stand out as landmarks
@@louiso1477 It could be - I hope you're right!
You haven't seen Leeds... Manchester is gorgeous by comparison. Leeds these days looks like the soviet union
@@samdaniels2 St Petersburg or Moscow? Two of the most beautiful cities on the planet.
All good except I would prefer the term, 'central' than, 'city centre '. It sounds smarter.
That is a good point. I use a variety of terms in the video titles, just to vary things. ‘central’ is more appropriate nowadays as the old city centre has expanded outwards, and contains many neighbourhoods, so it’s like London, where for many years ‘Central London’ has been on the road signs. Maybe it’s time to start using ‘Central Manchester’ on road signs?
Wiki lists cities by number of completed skyscrapers +150m (492 ft): Hong Kong 553, Shenzhen 360, NYC 309 (&c, you get the picture). London they don't list but I calculate 40. Manchester .erm ..... 6
Well in its defence, Manchester has only come to the skyscraper game later than those cities and it is simply not as big. There isn't a tradition of skyscrapers in the UK, unlike those other cities. The question of Manchester's relative importance in the world of cities is the subject of a future video.
@Wally Custard I never said cities were about skyscrapers - don't put words in my mouth. It was Aidan who was on about skyscrapers - I was merely trying to put a little context to his rather opulent claims. And no way is NYC better than Rome or, indeed, any European city - NYC sucks. For me, London is the greatest city on the planet.
@Wally Custard There was nothing to explain. You've created an issue out of nothing.
@@andrewashdown3541 I don't think I've made any claims about skyscrapers, I just find them visually interesting and very photogenic. I have mixed feelings about them. I certainly wouldn't say that NYC is a better city than Rome.
@@AidanEyewitness Fair enough - I withdraw my remarks
Very interesting video. Loved how you incorporated Google Earth. You wouldn't think the the UK was deep in recession witnessing all this. I wonder, since there's usually a lag when it comes to development, if things will come to a grinding halt in 2023. Or, is Manchester just an economic oasis?
I don’t think so, as the projects have been in planning for a long while and I think yes, Manchester is a magnet for investment, maybe to the detriment of other areas. In 2008, quite a few stalled or were cancelled. Many have since been completed. Thanks for your comment re Google Earth. It’s a good alternative for a drone-a-phobic person like me. And at least I know this drone won’t fall on anyone’s head. I can operate it over the airport and I won’t be arrested! And it doesn’t cost me a penny! Thanks Google!
The U.K. isn’t in a recession, never mind a deep one.
@@rinkydinkmcruk Okay, point taken.
Personally I used to love Manchester, but I was there 2 weeks ago and I was shocked. In such a short period of time since the last time that I had been there, all these new big buildings... dreadful. Manchester offered something different, the north more down to earth flair... you connected with a deeper rooted uk side... Now it's turning into another city with big buildings... one more. And you can't compete with london at... being london. Manchester was different, an alternative... now it's becoming one more. We are playing a different game which is not ours... and we'll be towards the end of the queue. Sad
Well that’s a clearly stated view, shared by many, but what was the alternative? Stay as it was, or is there a different path, where Manchester could have kept its individuality and flair, but still undertake much needed improvements?
@@AidanEyewitness In my humble opinion , there could be more creative and maybe cheaper options. 1-2 skyscrappers... would be ok, but this nonsense... the landscape has changed. They'll draw our attention upwards, when manchester beauty had been always down to earth. Grandiosity had been always at ground level. These soulless, uncharismatic buildings make out of manchester one of many
Well done Manchester
Thanks for your comment
Still behind Birmingham
I’m not into city rivalry and I really like Birmingham. Can you explain why Manchester is still behind Birmingham? Many thanks.
@@AidanEyewitness Culture, investment, population, food scene, ROI, HS2 and most importantly location.
Birmingham’s close proximity to London and the south will always see the city ahead of Manchester.
@@daranphilipson1025 Thanks, very interesting and the last point seems to completely go against the common view of Manchester from inside Manchester. The late Tony Wilson once said 'The problem with Birmingham is it's not far enough away from London to be a counterweight." Personally I think Manchester is too 'mancuno-centric'. I try to bring an alternative point of view. A few years ago i did the 'now' photos for the book Birmingham 'Then and Now' (Bamford series). I got to see quite a few places and I really liked it. I'm planning to do an AidanEyewitness update from there at some point.
@@AidanEyewitness I know a few people that live in and around Birmingham that work London.
Birmingham’s central position within England is a great advantage over Manchester not to far away from anywhere.
People talk about the North West and North East levelling up but it is never going to happen, it’s unfair on those areas but it is just geography.
But it's not tho is it
All the cities are the same, some just bigger than others, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool & Birmingham, all the same, London just bigger than all combined
I think I would say that Manchester is different, because there are far more tall buildings there than any other city outside London, but it could be over time, the other cities will deelop in a similar direction.
It is bigger and paid for by the graft during the Industrial Revolution of those cities you list. Glasgow built ships, Liverpool the greatest seaport of the empire, Manchester and Leeds combined and the surrounding towns contributed one third in output to the greatest economy on the planet. Birmingham was the workshop of the world, London sold fish and canned dog food.
How much is being financed by Chiiiiiinaaa?
That's a good question. I think quite a few of the projects are backed by money from China.
Ok Manchester is getting skyscrapers, trams, money pumped into it but Liverpool and Leeds are still bigger cities don't be fooled by Greater Manchester that's not the city itself and it confuses people with it having the name Manchester as part of the county name. Liverpool will rise and overtake Manchester in the future
Thanks, I must do a video about city vs city region or agglomeration with reference to Liverpool and Manchester.
@@AidanEyewitness I don't think it's fair what's happening to Liverpool it always gets left behind I'm convinced it has something to do with the prejudice the city gets from outsiders
@@garyrigby21 There is a bit of prejudice but I think nowadays Liverpool has generally a very good image. Personally I think it’s fantastic, for many reasons.
Liverpools is larger than the City of Manchester as in size I believe The City of Liverpool is 3rd in size after the Second City of Birmingham in population size and the City of Manchester is 6th in size officially
Dont worry, the City of Liverpool is larger in population thn the City of Manchester, where as the City of Manchester is the 8th largest City in the UK, the City of Liverpool is I believe the 5th Largest City in the UK
Manchester should be focusing on building beautiful buildings again, rather than selling its soul to investors who can do whatever they want. I appreciate this video, but many of these projects look quite depressing to me. Poor architecture, not much respect for the surroundings.
Well all I'm doing is just pointing out what's out there and letting people make their own minds up, though I throw in a bit of comment of my own. I was very opposed to the original Bootle Street designs by Gary Neville that involved demolition of the pub and police station façade. Now I read that he is very sorry about this and regrets it. At least he has learned his lesson. I don't remember ever seeing any apology from Manchester City Council for the grave mistakes they've made.
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🥱You definitely need a hobby
Producing these videos is my ‘hobby’ actually career.