Predictions for 2012

[retroscient]

A bit negative from me, but I think 2012 is going to be a rough year.

1. We won't get any tower proposals taller than 100m.
2. 17NWS will complete on time; some on here will be very critical of the final cladding but most of us will be happy.
3. We won't see any more major public transport projects proposed or unveiled - no new Metrolink, railway, water taxi proposals.
4. The HS2 terminus will be at Victoria.
5. No major developments at MediaCity or Spinningfields.
6. TMS won't be fixed quickly; we'll see it slowly enabled in phases, with many hiccups. It'll be autumn/winter before the entire network is running under TMS.
7. Axis won't go anywhere.
8. There will be one surprise "big deal" project announced, but I really have no idea what.

[LNGCats]

Forgot to add.

In May the people who live within the local authority of Manchester will vote against the idea of an elected mayor by a majority of 70/30.

Of the 11 referenda in the largest authorities outside London only Bristol will vote 'Yes', and then by 52/48.

[LNGCats]

Forgot to add II - Green Investment Bank will end up in London.

If it does not, it will be the scheme whose importance is so massively over egged on this forum it will break all records by those in the city forumers where it ends up.

[js1000]

Originally Posted by LNGCats

I have a suspicion that the HS station will be over in Salford, possibly where Exchange station used to be.

I hope not. I'm fed up of Salford being subsidised.

[LNGCats]

Originally Posted by js1000

I hope not. I'm fed up of Salford being subsidised.

eh?

[Joseph_Locke]

Originally Posted by LNGCats

eh?

I think he meant

"I'm fed up with large swathes of Salford being ripped up, diverted, pedestrianised and rebuilt with private money".

[iheartthenew]

Originally Posted by js1000

I hope not. I'm fed up of Salford being subsidised.

Huh? Please explain?

[LNGCats]

The MEN has gone to business and asked what they expect...

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereven...0111230%20(989)

[Lookin Up]

Nice list

Originally Posted by andysimo123

More than certain....

- Origin will stay a concrete hole. Agree
- Travel Lodge will build two more mash potato style hotels in the City. Probably
- Chethams, Metropolitan University Business School and One Commercial street will all finally be completed. Yes
- Axis will stay a TV Screen and nothing more. Afraid so
- Elisabeth House will be gone by April. - Yes
- Nuovo will stay a messed up building site. - I'm a bit more optimistic about this
- We'll all look at the Premier Inn on Dale Street thinking 'modular construction, 1970s, this looks cheap' and people will ask what MCC planners were thinking of.
- The Indigo Hotel by Co-op will start construction and be one of the best quality buildings built between 2012-2014. Will start but we don't know much about the quality yet
- Gateway house will be redeveloped - they haven't got a hotel signed up yet - or funding as far as I know, but would love you to be right - super building.
- Plans for the old BBC site will be shown off but nothing will happen on the ground. Sadly you're probably right
- ITV Trafford will shoot ahead with construction work. Yes
- More plans for the site of the intercontinental hotel will be shown off. Groan - there is no intercontinental project. The site? Who knows probably nothing
- The old ITV studios plans will stay under wraps until its sold off in 2013. Yes probably
- The new Etap hotel will shoot up. Already is
- Old Trafford Cricket Ground work will carry on, the Tesco next door will see ground work start. No doubt
- Nothing will happen at Jackson's Wharf. Don't know
- Co-op will show plans for the next stage of their masterplan. Think they're already committed to doing this when the dev partner is announced
Add in developments around Eastlands

Might happen....

- Ground work starts on the Exchange Quay Towers, they have planning but that's it.No pre-lets, no hotel signed up, no funding. Therefore unless they pull off a masterstroke....
- Another student development is proposed in the Southern City Centre. Probably but nothing interesting
- Elisabeth house replacement starts work during the summer. This should be under your list of 'more than certain' they have planning, pre-let and funding. Also have awarded a contract for the construction.
- FC United and Swinton will see work start on both their stadiums. Don't know
- Belle Vue speed way track will start construction. Don't know
- Barton Square will see construction work start with a new roof and second floor added. The second floor was integral to the original construction and left intentionally empty for future growth.
+ Possible expansion of the main building with larger stores being added on.
- Sale Sharks will make the mistake of moving into the Salford City Reds stadium. Don't know
- A changed and smaller Derwent Street will break into construction after ground work.Don't know
- Work on Brazennose House will start. A bit early for that - needs a pre-let
- The old Peterloo House will be knocked down. Possible
- Those Salford student flats will see construction start Don't know.


Unlikely but possible....

- Odeon is demolished. Depends if the cost of demolition is less than the cost of it sitting there. I fear a surface car park on this site for years
- The old Employment Exchange will finally see its last days demolished before works starts on a new hotel. Yes please, thought they had IHG signed up for a hotel but not sure about the funding.
- Peel will announce plans for the expansion of media city. Announcements are cheap. And largely meaningless.
- Spinningfields could see movement on a taller development but its much shorter than we all hoped. Depends what happens with Lloyds but I doubt it.
- Oddfellows house is demolished. I'd be surprised
- Work on the Embankment offices at Greengate could start. Actually might given Salford CC's <cough> brave guarantee.

Seems enough to look at without any transport predictions.

[heatonparkincakes]

Predictions for 2013.

I post this again.
[QUOTE=heatonparkincakes;69949139]I am disappointed Jrb hasn't posted so far.

Only so I can revive the goods words of Colonel Longford again...............

"I bet jrb was ridiculously optimistic and was simply hilarious."

Only to pass the "wildly optimistic as a Scotland football supporter before the inevitable defeat" baton to VDB


As predicted.

[Joseph_Locke]

Originally Posted by heatonparkincakes

Joseph "You are the Key and I am the" Locke and Zero Watcher will continue to make us all feel like amateurs.

What? I know nothing. Honest. Now, WZ on the other hand ...

[heatonparkincakes]

That is the trick. Appear to either be knowledgeable, when you aren't or play the canny peasant.

I am bored. My mind speculates what is the very worst scenario for 2012/13.

Aside from doomed South American predictions, lets think.

Manchester choose to have an elected mayor and then votes in Nick Leeson.

Ron Paul is elected US president, he withdraws US troops and the military industrial lobby causes a war in Iran to keep him in check.

Cue world wide recession.

UAE has a Jihad revolution and cuts ties with MCFC. The sky blues are 20th by Christmas 2012.

The Eurozone debts are called in, the Glazers debts then get called in and the reds are 19th by Christmas 2012.

HST to end at Leek. First Buses win the contract to transport passengers from there to Manchester on clapped out 70's heritage buses.

Either that or the HST will be planned to emerge at Eastlands as it will be financed by the UAE sovereign trust fund. That is until they have that Jihad revolution and it gets pulled.


The Metrolink is scrapped and replaced with rick shaws.

The MEN letters page seethes with Jeremy Clarkson types from Davyhulme who are "cock a hoop," but complained that is a breech of their human rights that they cant drive past their estranged children's school at 90mph, whilst answering a call on their mobile from their new Thai bride and eating a 14 inch Hawaiian pizza and smoking a roll up at the same time.

GM Police get it wrong again.

Cameron wins a majority after calling a surprise General Election sometime between the Olympics and the Jubilee.

Another summer of riots. This time its the elderly and the elasticated trouser department at Marks is the first to be raided.

The Euro collapses and takes with the rest of Manchester manufacturing sector.

The Smiths re united and destroy any remaining legacy that they had when they play Platt Fields and the front row consists of David Cameron, Michael O'Leary and Russell Brand. It doesn't even rain on cue.

Kurt Kat and Gdogg have a curious marriage and produce the most curious super furry cyber animal child, that proceeds to devour this forum and to inspire a film version of Jeff Noon's Vurt.

And Skyscrapercity closes down, forcing a whole generation to talk to their friends, lovers and family and to take a role in society, rather than twitter about it.

[js1000]

Originally Posted by Nathan Dawz

Why?

The purpose of HS2 is to connect city centres / airports to each other in as fast a time as possible (and increase capacity in the process).

For this to work Manchester's main station has to be at either Piccadilly or Victoria since both of these are already firmly plugged in to the centre of the local metrolink and rail networks.

Pomona, in public transport terms, is the middle of nowhere. No National rail links, very poor bus links and only connected to the Eccles line for metrolink services.

Some people want the HS station to be in Pomona so we get some fancy buildings and redevelopment - but that is completely missing the point of an integrated transport network. Frankly, if it's anywhere other than Piccadilly or Victoria (and even Victoria isn't ideal) then I'd judge it as a complete missed opportunity.

Totally agree. I hope to god the HS2 station isn't just plonked somewhere on the periphery of Manchester.

If you want to get from London to Manchester, you want to get from London to Manchester. Why would you want to be stuck by a former dockside, which you are not familiar with and will probably have to subjected to the torture that is the Metrolink to get INTO Manchester.

I hope it doesn't happen, but there are quite a few on here who claim plans for HS2 might be "surprising".

[LNGCats]

I'm always smiling Heaton.

The real world, not some fantasy world is good enough for me

[andysimo123]

Originally Posted by Lookin Up

Nice list

Cheers. Seems everyone else is negative, only looked at transport or didn't bother looking. Loads going on, just not much above the 60 meter mark. If people looked a little bit closer, theres three or four areas that could break that. Exchange Quay, another student development, Spinningfields and MediaCity.

My reason on MediaCity is that we know its attracting more smaller companies all the time and the BBC are moving more 1000 staff than they originally planned and that very well likely increase. If something else was announced on the site I doubt it would just be meaningless, it would more than likely happen with backing and money behind it. That extra BBC staff should also mean more support companies moving into the area. ITV are doing something similar but on the other side of the water, they might also require the same. I know the Salford Uni building has been reported as being quiet but how much longer will that last? ITV are planning their own site and SIS are planning their own site and neither are what you'd call small. Loads of others have been rumoured and linked to the site. I know theres some type of talent School planned and other channels haven't ruled out a move. I think anything else above that such as film making or internet companies such as google/facebook moving in is a little far fetched but once ITV, SIS, the extra BBC staff along all there support companies move in, I'd love to know just how much space is remaining over the site.

[LNGCats]

Originally Posted by LNGCats

Forgot to add II - Green Investment Bank will end up in London.

If it does not, it will be the scheme whose importance is so massively over egged on this forum it will break all records by those in the city forumers where it ends up.

Ahem, a third of the way through the year...

[heatonparkincakes]

I am worried my joke a prediction seems a bit too realistic.

Jrb still posting pics of Ypres.

Rumours that Kurt will smile in May continue

GM Police probably got it wrong as we speak

loads of bollix about football.

The usual baldy suspects on telly

[LNGCats]

Here you go...

[LNGCats]

Heaton.....

Last years efforts.

[LNGCats]

Originally Posted by LNGCats

Forgot to add.

In May the people who live within the local authority of Manchester will vote against the idea of an elected mayor by a majority of 70/30.

Of the 11 referenda in the largest authorities outside London only Bristol will vote 'Yes', and then by 52/48.

How good an I at guessing!