Press Releases

December 10 2008

Record of success in east Manchester

Hundreds of people with new jobs, better school examination results and some landmark physical developments are just some of the achievements by the urban regeneration company New East Manchester in 2007-8.

The organisation’s just-published Annual Report for the year to the end of March 2008 details a range of activity aimed at improving east Manchester as a place to live, work, invest, learn and spend leisure time.

Key achievements include:

• Helping 1,250 local residents get new jobs
• Providing specialist advice to 199 local businesses
• Securing planning permission for one of the largest residential developments in Manchester - 4,300 new homes in Holt Town
• Improving the number of GCSE passes A*-C for the sixth year running
• Increasing secondary school attendance to a record high level
• Supporting the impressive restoration of Gorton Monastery, and
• Creating a new local leisure facility in Openshaw - Sporting Edge.

In his introduction to the report, Company Chairman Robert Hough says: “The area has now been stabilised and the foundations have been laid to enable East Manchester to play its full part in supporting the continuing economic growth of the Manchester City Region.”

Mr Hough says that despite setbacks during the year including the Government’s decision not to proceed with the planned  Regional Casino at Sportcity and the beginnings of the global financial crisis, “New East Manchester remains confident that solid foundations are now in place to ensure that over the longer term our objectives for ensuring sustainable regeneration will be achieved.”

Speaking after publication of the Annual Report, Mr Hough said: “Opportunities that may help east Manchester to be in a much stronger position over the medium to longer term include the benefits of working with the Government‘s Ministerial Group for Manchester through, for example, development of a major leisure attraction on the former casino site.

“We are also working closely with the new owners of Manchester City Football Club, the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG), to ensure that we grasp any possible opportunities that brings.

”East Manchester will also benefit greatly from the extension of the Metrolink trams system, with two new lines through the area improving the already-good transport links with the city centre and neighbouring districts and offering real opportunities to attract new business and new residents to the area.”

Read the full report here (PDF 7.9MB).