A trial six-month closure of the streets surrounding Cutting Room Square is set to be trialled, beginning this week (Friday 26 August).
During the pandemic a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) was brought into place in the Ancoats Neighbourhood, a plan which was met with broad public support.
As part of the ongoing commitment by Manchester City Council to provide safe and attractive, traffic-free public spaces, this trial is being launched to gauge public opinion on making this change permanent.
The proposals being put forward for the TTRO include:
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Closing Blossom Street to vehicles between Cotton Street and Sharrett Street
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Closing Cotton Street to vehicles from its junction with Blossom Street to a point just to the south-east of Hood Street
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Closing Hood Street from its junction with Cotton Street to a point just to the south-west of the Halle building’s servicing door
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Closing Hood Street (except for vehicle loading/unloading) from its junction with Murray Street to a point just to the south-west of the Halle building’s servicing door
Bicycles will be permitted through the area as normal.
Existing pay-and-display parking bays will be removed, while car club bays and disabled parking bays will be retained but relocated to areas outside the TTRO zone.
Measures will go live from Friday 26 August and will run for a provisional six-month period to build feedback from the public and businesses.
Depending on this feedback the TTRO could be expended further to trial new changes or made permanent if the changes are found to be beneficial for the neighbourhood.
To comment on the proposals residents can do so by email phlegal@manchester.gov.uk
The deadline to respond to this consultation is 26 February 2023
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We’re excited to launch this consultation in this part of Ancoats. It's a well-used and vibrant part of this growing neighbourhood and during the pandemic the emergency pedestrianisation of this area made it clear what benefits can be brought by limiting cars and other vehicles from some of our streets.
“This consultation will be running for an initial six months so I would encourage people to use the square during this period, experience the new environment and give us your feedback.
“Ultimately we want to see Ancoats as a green and clean urban space, an ambition we are working to realise through a wider strategy to put green space and active travel at the heart of the Ancoats community. The trial to pedestrianise the roads around Cutting Room Square is another step in this direction."