I Am The Resurrection...

The demise of Manchester's industrial and manufacturing industries left many areas of the city in neglect, impoverished and in need of redevelopment. One such area and possibly Manchester's most ambitious programme of urban renewal is New Islington. Part of Ancoats, an area closely linked to Manchester's industrial past, the area has witnessed dramatic changes over the last decade. Ironically, the large scale housing project has been severely hampered by the the collapse of the housing market in recent years stalling its progress. The current redevelopment is not the first attempt to revive Ancoats, the Cardroom council estate, named after part of a cotton mill, was previously sited here. In February this year the latest phase of the Metrolink tram system began running services through the area. Dominating the area is the Chips building, designed by architect Will Alsop. The building shape is intended to resemble three chips stacked on top of each other, the writing on the exterior is a link to the area's industrial past. I'm glad this was explained to me as I thought it looked like a pile of shipping containers with some extremely neat graffiti on the sides. Developers Urban Splash are currently embroiled in a protest by locals against their proposed demolition of the old Ancoats Dispensary; the only remaining part of the hospital that had previously dominated the area (read my previous post here). The area is still a 'work in progress', it has the look of an architect's playground with bizarre and quirky build designs and glass-sided apartment blocks that appear more like offices than homes, there is even a cluster of the new homes called 'The Guts'. The test of the planning vision will be long-term and goes beyond the dubious cosmetics, will this area become a community that harmonises and integrates better than previously? or will our grandchildren be witnessing something completely different albeit with a sense of history repeating itself. Its hard to imagine future generations fighting to preserve and protect Chips with the same strength of pride of heritage as that of the long battle to save Ancoats Hospital.