BACK in December 2010 Manchester City Council’s Planning and Highways Department refused an application to transform a derelict property at 43 Thomas Street into a new bar.
In a process that took five months, consultations were held with nearly 100 local residents, businesses and relevant third party groups.
The prospective bar in question was Terrace and its ultimate refusal was covered by Confidential back in 2010.
‘It would appear that critical point is about to be reached or has been reached in this part of the Northern Quarter’
One of the objections raised about the venture was there were too many bars in the Northern Quarter already, and the saturation of drinking holes was causing problems.
As anyone who has wandered thirstily down Thomas Street recently will have noticed, Terrace is now open for business having been approved the second time around. Terrace is a good addition to the area with excellent beer choices. It also provides a use for a building which had been empty for ten years.
NQ Night Out
The startling thing is that in the two years since the Council claimed there were too many bars in the area, thirteen others have opened, including seven in the last six months alone - although some are utilising spaces that previously had a licence.
New NQ Bars:
Dusk Till Pawn, 6 December 2012
Hunky Dory, 16 November 2012
R House, 1 November
Terrace, 25 October 2012
Kosmonout, 5 September 2012
Blue Pig, 8 August 2012
Solita, 20 July 2012
Tusk, 13 July 2012
Tib St. Tavern, May 2012
Lola’s, February 2012
Bakerie, November 2011
Home Sweet Home, May 2011
Port St. Beer House, January 2011
That’s a baker’s dozen of recent bars after the council’s report had stated that, ‘growth in this sector [night time economy] in the Northern Quarter is beginning to cause problems for local residents relating to crime and disorder'. This was seen to be undermining the ‘regeneration of the area’.
‘It is always difficult to assess,' the report continued, 'at what point a shift in balance takes place and at what point in time a use that has been seen as being an asset to regeneration becomes a hindrance to regeneration. It would appear that the critical point is about to be reached or has been reached in this part of the Northern Quarter’.
That was two years and thirteen bars ago.
Taking the case in point of Terrace it was accepted second time around after amendments to the application changing its planning classification from A4 (‘purely a drinking establishment’) to ‘mixed use’ – in other words they do food. Plus Terrace opted against creating any outdoor space, a point which had previously drawn objections.
The Town Hall said to Confidential: “We refused the original application for the reasons stated in the first planning application, and this judgement was later backed up by the planning inspector on appeal. They later made some changes to the application, and put something in front of us which was acceptable”.
Fair enough.
But what seems to have been forgotten in the past two years are the objections raised about the sheer volume of bars in the Northern Quarter. What happened to those objections?
High Street before the 'modern bar' was invented
To give the planners their due their initial report did state that licences for bars 'now need to be considered very carefully in terms of their function, location, size, nature of the operation, access and impact upon amenity’.
So once Terrace had decided to go for food the picture changed. As we said, fair enough. But look beyond the words 'mixed use' and there's still a fully stocked bar lurking in the shadows. After certain times in the evening the food fades into the background and the drink takes over.
Situations change as fashions shift. The Northern Quarter’s charms appear to be diminishing come the weekends for many of the original regulars, and shifting to a more 'towny' crowd. Thomas Street and High Street on a Saturday in particular.
The community atmosphere recedes come 7pm on a Friday to return on a Sunday evening. Crowds are often the sign of a good area for a night out but surely there comes a point where an area's reputation for good bars along with increased demand becomes an issue affecting the qualities that made the place special to begin with.
High Street In SummerThe attraction of the burgeoning Northern Quarter scene of bars is self-evident, as a weekend destination it allows for bar crawls where you’re never more than thirty paces from the next bar or three, whether you want wine, beer, cocktails or everything in between.
The increase in popularity in recent years as a nightlife destination in its own right is testament to the creative and innovative sparks that catch light in the narrow streets.
But there is a problem and this is where some element of control might need to be exercised. If new venues continue to open at the current rate then the Northern Quarter's nightlife may be all we have left up there.
The orginal idea of a savvy independent area for shops, small businesses and food and drink may become 'binge central', a new Peter Street from the bad old days. If critical mass was reached two years ago, is the area primed to implode on itself?
For now it’s standing room only in the Northern Quarter.
Follow Ben on Twitter @BenPRobinson.
