The last time I checked with regards the Plymouth Grove Hotel Public House, I was told it could not be demolised due to listed status. This however as never stopped both Manchester City Council and property developers in the past and judging by the yet more poorly designed housing, so called redevelopment, I can sadly see this pub going the way of demolition as many historical buildings have already gone in Manchester.

Neither do those in charge at Manchester City Council have the skill, intelligence and creativity to save, reuse and sustain buildings of social historical importance and neither do they understand that since Thatchers destruction of the this country, we are a service industry and thus destination for tourists. Surely tourists want to see a little more than a Supermarket or MacDonalds!

I’m sure you have to consider climate as a factor in spending taxpayer money for facilities that will only be popular 5 or 6 days a year compared to 300 days as we here in Burbank. It’s almost August and last weekend was the first nice weather of summer in Manchester.
There is of course, the paddling pool in Stamford Park, Stalybridge, in what is today called Tameside.

Now if you go up to Calderdale, there are lots of little valleys and streams, pools etc where local folks can splash around and generally have a ‘cool’ time!!

If the current situation is anything of a marker for redevelopment then listen to this: recently I went to meet my 10 year old son off the train from Leeds to Victoria. As they often change the departure platforms around at Victoria, I always look at the arrival signs to check which platform he would be arriving at (not I was on the last minute so didn’t have time to mess around). So where had the arrival boards gone?? I asked the security guards who now check tickets but know nothing about trains (their only interest in life is purely catching ticketless passengers!). So of course, there were no other station staff around to ask. The manager’s office was closed as usual, and you can’t get past the barrier guards without a ticket!! So how do you meet a young boy off his train or a little frail ole lady getting of the train, I ask myself. Customer service at Victoria is mostly non existent (a bit like the seats that have all been taken away). The station is the pits! I really do hope they do something about it but if there idea of taking away arrival signs, seats, and station staff is anything to do with improvements, then god help us!!!