Have Your Say
‘Tis the season for consultation and we’ve pulled out a few to highlight.
The big one arrives courtesy of TfGM and will feed into a City Centre Transport Strategy. While the recent departure of Mobike from the city renders a few of the questions and multiple choice options irrelevant, there is plenty of scope to pitch your ideas and visionary thinking based on the safe, connected city that Manchester could be, rather than the congested, polluted, frustrated city that we currently see. But make sure you set aside a good hour or so to complete it and use the ‘save for later’ function to mull over your answers, and there’s also the option to view the key proposed transport interventions via the handy mapping tool, ‘MappingGM’, which also features the Beelines cycle network plans that are viewable and encourage public engagement and feedback.
Active in Greater Manchester and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire region, Opus Independents is one of many social enterprises aiming to make a positive difference to society and life in these areas. So feedback to Greater Manchester Social Enterprise Network’s consultation for a new Social Enterprise Strategy could be key to how achievable these aims are across the political landscape. Andy Burnham has indicated his support for the business model, but by their nature as social enterprises, the emphasis is on bottom-up, grassroots ideas and innovation, so any and all input will be important. The deadline for comments via email to info@gmsen.net is 23 September, and then the strategy will be launched at a Social Enterprise Summit event on Thursday 15 November, which will also provide a platform for social enterprises to showcase their wares, aims and ambitions with the wider audience.
In recognition of the work carried out by existing social enterprises, Salford CVS is welcoming nominations for its annual Heart of Salford Awards. There’s a deadline of 14 September for your suggestions and the event itself takes place on Wednesday 21 November from noon. Its categories are available to see here, and include both individual volunteers and organisations.
Over in Trafford, they have the Stretford masterplan in the consultation crosshairs, with an open conversation event scheduled for 2 October, with online registration here. The masterplan includes coverage of the Lacy Street corridor (whose previous designs have been heavily opposed), the town centre, the Essoldo Cinema and the Civic Quarter in proximity to the University Academy 92 site.
Finally, there is an opportunity to input into the Great Ducie Street Strategic Regeneration Framework until 17 September. This envelops the area surrounding the former Boddingtons brewery site and on the west is bounded by the Irwell and Sherborne Street West, stopping just short of the White Hotel venue. Its other bounds are Cheetham Hill Road, Carnarvon Street, Trinity Way and Southall Street, with Strangeways Prison due immediately north.
Whichever way you do it, make your voice heard in the planning stages.
