Leisure Attractions In Greater Manchester

[SteKnight]

Werneth Low through Hyde, if you fancy a nice walk and some great views (sadly the weather wasn't great photography weather, and I'm not a great photography person, so this'll have to do)

[flange]

Take off for BMX bikers

Don Frame

April 28, 2009

BIKERS flocked to Manchester's Platt Fields park for the official opening of the city's latest and most ambitious BMX Track.

It was built by Manchester council in partnership with British Cycling Federation and Sport England, which has contributed £315,000. The track is home to the Manchester BMX Club, which will offer coaching, racing and practice sessions.

Club members turned out in force to give people the chance to have a go on the new circuit, which it is hoped will help provide opportunities for sporting champions of the future.

The Olympic standard track will cater for everyone from beginners to international racers, and will give people of all ages an opportunity to sample bike racing in a safe and fun environment.

Two months ago it was announced that Manchester will cement its reputation as the world's cycling capital with a £20m BMX arena.

That facility, with seats for up to 4,500 people around a 100m by 70m track, would be the training base for elite athletes in the run up to the London Olympics in 2012.

It is due to be sited adjoining the existing Velodrome at Sportcity in east Manchester, the base for the all-conquering British Olympic track cycling team.

BMX - short for bicycle motorcross - racing is one of the world's fastest growing extreme sports. It made its Olympic debut in Beijing.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....for_bmx_bikers

[dd528]

Not sure where the best thread for this is. Don't think we have a park thread on here...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/m...er/8023248.stm

Fruits trees plan for city parks

Fruit will soon be growing on trees in many of Manchester's urban parks.

The city council has a three-year plan to plant 20,000 fruit canes, fruit and nut trees and fruit bushes in all 135 of the Manchester parks.

Residents will be able to pick the fruit, including strawberries, apples and raspberries as well as endangered fruits like mulberries and damsons.

Vegetable patches are also planned and will be planted with potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and turnips.

The council hopes the scheme will educate children in particular about where such produce comes from.

Workshops

Councillor Mike Amesbury, executive member for culture and leisure, said: "A local environmentalist approached us with the idea and we were immediately interested.

"We have been amazed by how many children don't know where fruit and nuts come from so we see this as a useful educational tool and a wonderful community resource where people can literally help themselves."

Information will be provided next to all the produce on how to tend it and when to pick it.

The scheme will be managed by friends' groups and volunteers. Park wardens will also host workshops on tending and harvesting the plants.

Debdale Park in Gorton and Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield already have apple, pear and plum trees in the grounds.

I think this is a pretty good idea.

[flange]

Construction has now started on the new Airkix centre next to Chill Factore.

[Slow Burn]

I went to the new videogame exhibition at urbis yesterday. It's brilliant. £3 in and well worth it! Video games (or computer games as I still prefer to call them) from the ZX Spectrum to Commodore 16+4 (which I owned and both loved and hated), Megadrive, Atari Jaguar... got the lot right up the present day monsters of XBOX360 and PS3 and you can play on everything! Could have spent all day there.

[spoonsbeatfish]

The BMX applicationd documents are now available to see. Looks pretty good, there's quite a few renders and artist imaginations.

http://www.publicaccess.manchester.g...=KIJPRQBC04200

[Mez]

God. I hope the National BMX centre doesn't end up like the oversized sports hall that those renders show.

[spoonsbeatfish]

Originally Posted by Mez

God. I hope the National BMX centre doesn't end up like the oversized sports hall that those renders show.

I was thinking the actual tracks would be different and have the ability to keep changing every so often (like climbing walls) e.g. 3 months so that different jumps and routes can be set for new competitions. I hope I'm right as if not the renders with regard to the tracks look pretty pants.

Apart from that though, looks professional and well designed to ensure good usage. The use of temporary seating to allow for other sports facilities when seating isn't needed but be able to increase capacity up to 4500 for competitions is an efficient use of space and facilities. The connection to the Velodrome to combine facilities and reduce costs seems an obvious but wise decision.

[butterfingers22]

Originally Posted by spoonsbeatfish

The BMX applicationd documents are now available to see. Looks pretty good, there's quite a few renders and artist imaginations.

http://www.publicaccess.manchester.g...=KIJPRQBC04200

Sorry to be a pain, that site doesn't work for me, could someone post a render of what's proposed please?

[flange]

[butterfingers22]

Thanks a lot, I think it looks fantastic!

[dd528]

Originally Posted by butterfingers22

Thanks a lot, I think it looks fantastic!

Me too! The irony is that the plaza out front looks perfect for street bmxing, but I bet security would chase you away in a heartbeat if you tried it!

[spoonsbeatfish]

Originally Posted by dd528

Me too! The irony is that the plaza out front looks perfect for street bmxing, but I bet security would chase you away in a heartbeat if you tried it!

There are actually two spots reserved for that sort of thing as part of the south plaza. Its not very clear in that site render but the spot furthest south in the render, triangular shaped with trees on its eastern and southern side is one of them and the other one is the site just north of it also visible in the last artist impression as the darker grey bit in the bottom right. The impression I got from the documents was that was going to be more of a free, freestyle area but that there wasn't currently the money to pay for it but it would happen at some point (same as the bridge across the canal to Asda and the Metrolink stop i.e. designed with in mind but not planned or paid for).

[spoonsbeatfish]

Oh another thing, in the initial masterplan, it proposed the area in the bottom right corner of the site map (light industrial units of poorish quality) as an area for possible future development (purely aspirational).

Anyone think of another facility which could be built there which would fit in with the Velodrome and BMX arena? Maybe a mountain bike centre connected to trails around Philips park? Or a proper skateboarding park (not an Olympic Sport but) could be used for the "Summer X Games" and other such competitions. I'd guess they could probably use the BMX facility though?

[flange]

BMX arena on track

Exclusive Mike Keegan

June 04, 2009

PLANS for a £20m BMX arena close to the Velodrome have been announced and the green light could be given as early as next month.

Town hall chiefs have released the images along with a planning application and want to fast track the 4,500 seat facility.

They have already consulted residents and hope the complex will be completed in time to become a training base for the 2012 London Olympics.

It is hoped the new building will cement the city's reputation as world cycling capital.

The Velodrome was the base for Britain's all-conquering track cycling team at the Beijing Olympics.

Manchester city council and regeneration firm New East Manchester have already invited companies to tender for the contract. The centre was originally promised by the government as compensation after plans for a supercasino on the site were pulled by Gordon Brown.

Tender documents show the track will be fully enclosed under a timber roof. It will include two four-court sports halls with changing facilities for community use.

The arena will have a permanent capacity of 2,000 with room for 2,500 temporary seats. It has already been earmarked to host national and international BMX competitions.

A target date of July 23 has been set for the proposals.

BMX made its Olympic debut in Beijing last year.

The last BMX world championships, also held in China, attracted 300 competitors from more than 30 countries.

In total the council is looking to spend £300m of private and public money to transform the Sportcity site. It is demanding `world class' attractions to replace the casino which would have created 3,000 jobs.

A spokesman for New East Manchester said the regeneration firm is `confident that with the right facilities we can help even more talented athletes achieve their dream'.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....arena_on_track

[JamesBMX]

I ride for Manchester BMX Club, based at Platt Fields and we've been eagerly keeping tabs on the proposed development of the indoor facility; looking at the artist's impressions I'm very pleased! I think improving Manchester's sporting facilities is excellent (especially BMX!!!) but not only that, adding to the range of new buildings we have in the city is important too, with some daring projects cropping up all over.

I hope you guys will come to watch some race action when the facility opens!

[CDX]

A new RIBA competition for a new extension to the Whitworth Gallery, not currently on the RIBA comps website, from a recently issued tender:

2009/S 109-157722
http://www.publictenders.net/modules...icle&sid=85463
CONTRACT NOTICE
...
SECTION I: CONTRACTING AUTHORITY
I.1) NAME, ADDRESSES AND CONTACT POINT(S):
Address: Organisation: The Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester,
c/o RIBA Competitions Office, 6 Melbourne Street
General address of the contracting authority:
www.architecture.com/competitions.
...
I.2) TYPE OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY AND MAIN ACTIVITY OR ACTIVITIES:
Other: Gallery.
Recreation, culture and religion.
SECTION II: OBJECT OF THE CONTRACT
II.1) DESCRIPTION
II.1.1) Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
UK-Manchester: the Whitworth Art Gallery - 21st century gallery in the park.
...
II.1.5) Short description of the contract or purchase(s):
This competition seeks expressions of interest from an architect for the design of a new gallery extension and alteration of internal and external spaces within the Grade II listed Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. The project will extend the South-west facing side of the Gallery adjacent to Whitworth Park to create a more user friendly space and improve the efficiency of the existing building. Buildings of particular historical or architectural interest. Architectural design services. Architectural services for buildings. Architectural services for outdoor areas. Architectural services for building extensions.
...
II.2.1) Total quantity or scope:
Estimated value excluding VAT: 8 000 000 GBP.
...
IV.3.4) Time-limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate:
15.7.2009 - 14:00.
...
VI.5) DATE OF DISPATCH OF THIS NOTICE:
8.6.2009.

[Mez]

Really glad this is on people's minds. I've always hoped the Whitworth could expand to become a high-profile gallery.

[staticmeltdown]

Originally Posted by JamesBMX

I ride for Manchester BMX Club, based at Platt Fields and we've been eagerly keeping tabs on the proposed development of the indoor facility; looking at the artist's impressions I'm very pleased! I think improving Manchester's sporting facilities is excellent (especially BMX!!!) but not only that, adding to the range of new buildings we have in the city is important too, with some daring projects cropping up all over.

I hope you guys will come to watch some race action when the facility opens!

I wonder if you know how this facility will rate compared to BMX centres in other cities (if indeed there are any)?

[staticmeltdown]

Originally Posted by Mez

Really glad this is on people's minds. I've always hoped the Whitworth could expand to become a high-profile gallery.

We could really do with a proper modern/contemporary art gallery, there's a fantasitc one in Seville I visted, and that's a much smaller city than ours.