A BRIGHT FUTURE?The London Road Fire Station

The finest fire station in this round world(The Fire Call magazine, 1902)

1 · Introduction2 · Location: Uncharted Potential3 · Unique Municipal History4 · Timeline5 · A State of Decay6 · Potential Outcomes7 · Manchester Speaks8 · 2015 Survey9 · Potential Visions10 · Outreach, Research and Public Visions11 · Being Ambitious - From Local to International12 · Researched Visions13 · Local Aspirations for Mixed Use14 · A Mixed Use Public Access Model Is Viable15 · Let the People In16 · Selected Artwork17 · Debate page18 · Acknowledgements

Contents

IntroductionLondon Road Fire Station,is a striking Grade-II* listedbuilding, highly valued byManchester and the nation.

Described by Friends of London Road FireStation as a “Heritage Hostage” for 29 years.Britannia Hotels bought the building in 1986and despite several planning applications,various campaigns and an attempt tocompulsorily purchase the site, it hasremained empty and undeveloped.Friends of London Road Fire Station formedin 2013 following a public meeting of 150people concerned about the building.

Since forming, the FriendsTrust has been engaged ina wide range of activities:

· Petition started 2012 (by Secretary Adam Prince, prior to formation)· Public meeting and panel discussion 2013· Online surveys 2014 & 2015· Heritage Hostage exhibition August 2013· Piccadilly Gardens and Northern Quarter public outreach 2015· Social events and fundraisers – comedy and live music events 2013 – 2015· Attended 2014 Locality convention and national policy seminar with DCLG 2015· Involvement in national Community Assets in Difficult Ownership programme· Ongoing outreach to former residents – collating memories and photographs· Ongoing scrutiny role presenting to council planning and executive committees

Our Mission

To bring London Road Fire Station backinto positive use through a sympathetic,multi purpose redevelopment withambitious civic access.

Location London Road Fire Stationsits in a strategic location, offering excellent potential.

Gateway to Manchester:· Piccadilly Station, public transport interchange· Projected HS2 / HS3 / Northern Rail hub· A6 artery, key pedestrian routes· Proposed £1bn development “Gateway Quarter”

The regeneration of the neighbourhood is currentlyimpeded by the deterioration of this key building.Sensitive redevelopment of this site is key to thesuccess and growth of the Piccadilly area.

“Your campaign is clearly harnessing the entirely understandable anger that one of Manchester’s finest historic buildings, located at a prime city centre site, still stands vacant and at risk.”Simon Thurley, CEO English Heritage, November 2012(Email to Adam Prince, petition and campaign founder)

“The fire station is universallyrecognised as being the mostimportant example of its kind in Britain, perhaps the world. For 80 years, surviving two world wars,it served the inhabitants ofManchester and international trainees with pride. Its internalsecrets and memories remaininaccessible to the thousands of people who have worked, trained, lived and been brought up thereor, like countless Mancunians, have simply learned to love this magnificent building.”

Bob Bonner, curator of Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum and author of “The Finest Fire Station in this Round World” 1986.

The building has an important socialhistory as a mixed-use municipal building.It brought together a range of publicservices and modern facilities:

· Police station / coroner’s court / weights and measures / bank / social club / flats· Community – working life, family life· Huge numbers of people lived and worked there· International training centre

It was a symbol of civic pride and continues toinspire civic ambition. Many people who livedand worked there continue to share stories viaour Facebook page.

Unique municipal history

Diane Watson, Christmas at London Road Fire Station 1945 after WW2. ”The children, smiles caring, touch gentle as they whisper the secretsof their new postwar toys.”The Guardian Family section,Christmas 2013

Alan Cape trained here in 1961 with trainees from Iraq and Iran. He told us trainees sneaked out of their third floor dorm windows at night, using ropes, to go out on the town.

Patricia Mahon, National Fire Service, No. 27 Fire Force- some of the first women ever employed by the Fire Service.Helping to protect Manchester during WW2 in 1940s

Obituary of a Friend.Audrey Bendle (1923-2014) whosewish was to see her beloved London Road Fire Station revived as a civic building. Audrey and her family lived at LRFS from 1926-1937.

Alison Salisbury and friends:“childhood delight living at LondonRoad Fire Station ” in the 1960s

“The man who designed the building (in 1899), George William Parker,was my great-grandfather. He would be devastated to see this great publicbuilding decaying and off limits to the people of Manchester.” Colette Sealeaf

Timeline

George Parker conceives the initial design concept and then following a competition, architects Woodhouse,Willoughby and Langham bring the project to fruition. Artist J.J.Millson does the terracotta decorative artworks.Building work begins.London Road Fire Station opens.

The station receives listed Grade-II* building status.The station closes and is sold.Planning permissions and extensions granted. None acted upon.The building is placed on national “At Risk” register drawn up by English Heritage.English Heritage becomes increasingly involved over concerns of irretrievable deterioration.Manchester City Council urges Britannia to move redevelopment plans forward as building continues to fall into disrepair.Ray Makin, now President of Greater Manchester Business Chambers and previously Manchester Civic Society, is extremely critical of Britannia, the land speculation strategy and the damage to Manchester in stalling development of a civic asset.London-based developer Argent – part of the Piccadilly Partnership and creator of nearby Piccadilly Place – publishes alternative £25m plans to transform the building into a music and arts venue, but Britannia blocks the proposals.Britannia claims its efforts to turn the building into a hotel are being delayed by a “never-ending” list of new requirementsfrom council bosses. (This was refuted in 2011 in the conclusions of the CPO Report by the Planning Inspector.)The council reveals plans to seek a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to force Britannia to sell the building.Britannia unveils detailed plans to turn the property into a 4 star 227 bed hotel.Britannia wins planning permission for the hotel, but the council announces it will press on with the CPO.The appeal process begins.The CPO recommendation is to not support the CPO. Secretary of Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles rejectsthe case. Fundamental to this is Britannia’s promise to redevelop immediately after the threat of the CPO is removed.

1899:

1904: 1906:

1974: 1986:

1986-2014: 1998: 2002: 2004: 2005:

2006:

2008:

2009: June 2010:

Sep 2010: Apr-Nov 2011:

Nov 2011:

From civic pride, through decline, to hope : TIMELINE

Mar 2012:

Nov 2012:

Nov 2012:

Feb 2013: Jul 2013:

Aug 2013:

Nov/Dec 2013:

Jan 2014:

July 2014:

Sept 2014:

22 Dec 2014:

30 Apr 2015:

Jul 2015:

In a letter to English Heritage, Britannia’s financial director Robert Ferrari states that plans to develop the Grade-II* listed building while preserving its historic features would not be viable “either in the current climate or the sustainable future”.Council leader Sir Richard Leese announces the council is in the process of making a formal offer to buy the building from Britannia. This is rejected by Britannia and more “discussions” ensue.Petition to save the building is launched by local resident Adam Prince - this agitates Britannia, which issues a critical press release.150 people attend a panel discussion at the Mechanics Centre, resulting in the founding of the Friends of LRFS.Friends’ founding AGM and accepting of the constitution and a Big Band Fundraiser.Four-day “Heritage Hostage” exhibition of local artists, history and decline.Friends object to planning permission extensions being granted. Decision is delayed until after an external inspection by councillors on the planning committee. Friends are critical of the subsequently granted extension.Friends’ survey on possible uses and community perspectives of owners and the council, is widely reported in the media as pressure continues to mount.Friends accepted as 1 of 10 demonstrator projects on national programme Community Assets in Difficult Ownership with Locality and Jericho Road. English Heritage declares LRFS is one of its five most important national At Risk buildings.

The council announces its intention to pursue a second CPO unless Britannia signs a legal document committing to begin redevelopment within six weeks.The council confirms it will pursue the CPO. Friends’ Chair Emma Curtin addresses Council Executive advocating ambitious mixed-use for this civic asset. The council commits to arrange a meeting with the Friends.After two years of tireless campaigning, Friends of London Road Fire Station meets with Sir Howard Bernstein, Manchester City Council’s CEO, and Pat Bartoli, head of the council’s urban regeneration team, to discuss the situation. Bernstein praises the Friends of London Road Fire Station’s campaign. It is announced immediately after the meeting that Britannia Hotels has decided to sell the building.Public meeting with expert panel chaired by Manchester Confidential, discussing the importance of building, civic interest, future visions and strategy. 1st round of bids to buy the building is underway and Friends’ Publish “A Bright Future” Report.

From civic pride, through decline, to hope : TIMELINE continued

“This is a critically important buildingand a terrible example of the impotenceof the public and community sectors inthe face of irresponsible private ownership.”

Jess Steele, interview in 2014, founder of the nationalCommunity Asset in Difficult Ownership programme

A state of decay

There is a strong will within the city for the building to be restored and brought back into use but the owner has not delivered this. This table shows some potential outcomes from thestatus quo to options for development by an owner or a legal intervention by the city council.

Potential outcomes

Inertia• 29 years of broken promises• Minimal preservation

Develop• 1986-2015 Several planning permissions/extensions• Development yet to start

Legal• 2010-2011 CPO failed• Inadequate case, poor public

consultation, weak proposal• Britannia’s promise at Inquiry,

to re-develop, was accepted

Sell• 1st time on market since 1986• Offers exceeding £10m,

estimated minimum £20m to restore

Britannia’s Objective• Long-term land speculation?• Deterioration?• Demolition?• Obstructing another hotel?

Strategies• Repairs forced using Council or

English Heritage’s legal powers• Repairs notices could be issued

without later CPO, establishing council expectations of any owner

Risks• Repairs are completed but no

development ie: Playing “repairs game” to hold onto asset

Britannia’s Objective• Glass tower scheme?• Land banking?• Part demolition?

Strategies• 2014 MCC makes ultimatum• MCC market value offer rejected

Risks• Sale process began April 2015• Experts advise £10m price may

be too high, impacts potential redevelopment

Britannia’s Objective• Aim to win any 2nd CPO?• Increasing land value

speculation, easy redevelopment?

Strategies• Listed Building CPO does not

require redevelopment but could save building to re-devlop

• Town & Country CPO clear pro-posal, stakeholders visions align to demonstrate public interest

Risks• Lose 2nd CPO• Inadequate communication

with stakeholders• Redevelopment proposals not

being accepted as viable or beneficial by Planning Inspector

Objective• WOW! True: Offers <£10m accepted? • SOLD?

Strategies• Consultation• EU/Lottery/ HEP Grants• Partnerships

Risks• Unsympathetic & uninspired development• New owner with same approach

Objective• False: Offers <£10m rejected?• Prove market failure?

Strategies• Effective CPO • Competition • Public interest• Partners align• Grant Research

Risks• Lose 2nd CPO• MCC approach eg. Sequencing• Planning Inspector sympathetic to owner

BACK

GROU

NDFU

TURE

BACK

GROU

NDFU

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Friends of London Road Fire Station has conducted regular communityengagement exercises over two years. This process helps to demonstratea strong case in the public interest for the sensitive redevelopment of thebuilding. There has been a strong response from local people that theycare about this building, they remember its history and they want to seeit buzzing with activity once again.

· Petition – 5,750 approx signatures advocating mixed use· Spring 2014 survey - 220 responses· Easter 2015 survey - 435 responses· City centre outreach days

“London Road fire station campaigners call onYOU to back council purchase of historic landmark”(MEN) – April 2015, public outreach and poll

Manchester speaks

In 2014, Manchester City Council announced its intention to try and take ownership of the building usinga compulsory purchase order (CPO). In early 2015 the Friends Trust undertook consultation exercises todemonstrate public support for this approach and to support a public interest case for development,by a CPO if necessary. Through outreach days and a survey the public were invited to share their preferredideas for the future of the building. The Friends were keen to explore a range of ambitious ideas to be assessed later for viability. These act as a counterpoint to Britannia and the Council’s hotel proposals, which have not so far produced a positive outcome since they were first proposed 29 years ago.The survey had attracted 434responses through social media andmembers by June 2015.

97% see London Road Fire Station as an important community and heritage asset for Manchester87% want some sort of public access45% feel it should be mostly public35% half private and half public10% say it’s not up to public to decide3% want exclusively private

Top 3 desired uses in 11,500 sq m, plus 1,675 sq m of courtyard space· Museums and tourism· Heritage and history· Arts and performance

Out of 70 choices, the most popular larger ideas - indoor botanical gardens, event space, artisanmarkets, fire service museum, Manchester music museum and modern art museum.Other “smaller” functions were for exhibitions on lost architecture or Alan Turing, North West FilmArchives, the missing statue from 1906 resurrected and for live crafts and artists workshops

2015 Survey

“The building should provide something for Manchester people and to invite moretourism. We do not need nor want more of the same; bars, apartments, big hotelchains and cinemas. We need to provide more space for small independent businessesand celebrate all that has created Manchester.” Alison Binns via petition

“There aren’t enough places of interest like this in the city centre. Don’t turn it into just another elite hotel where you only getto admire its beauty if you are lucky enough to be able to afford a hotel room.” Leonore Wheatley via petition

“This is one of my favourite buildings in the city that I called home for 11 years. Let’s stopthe decay and the apathy. Let’s show the world the creativity and vision of the people ofManchester.” Katherine Middleton via petition

“A mix of public, private, high profile cultural and hotel use would be an amazing and more sustainable model.” Comment on survey April 2014.

“I would love to see a gallery space that also displays exhibitions of modern art, graphicdesign, illustration, digital communications, photography, sculpture and so on with abeautiful cafe/bar for public and private hire”. Comment on survey April 2015

Outreach, Researchand public visions

George, returning for a brief visit to the UK from his home in South Africa, was shocked to identify his fa-ther cleaning the London Road Fire Station tower. He said living here was his happiest memoryof Manchester.

Yigal Landley is tired of uninspiring uses of historic Manchester buildings and is angry at their demolition. He wishes to see something ambitious and inspiring inLondon Road Fire Station.

Julie Ward, North West MEP, at the Easter publicoutreach event at Piccadilly.

This mother and daughter rated their favouritefunctions for London Road Fire Station at Easter, wanting heritage, music, arts and culture to berepresented there.

“We need the past to help us connect with the present and builda better future. This is a connected community, engaged andempowered, not simply consumers.”Julie Ward, North West MEP, Friends of London Road Fire Station Easter outreach

“It is a scandal that this precious building is sitting there like a rotting hulk. We want to prove there is a use for it that is more than just the standard response of flats or a hotel. We have put forward something that is much more exciting, that preserves the building as a contemporary icon that will also be an economic asset.”David Partridge, from the Piccadilly Partnership, 2006 thwarted “Where the music lives” initiative

“The building could deservedly be brought back to life and will stand proud at the foot of one of the major corridors in and out of the city. I’ve always imagined it sitting as a beehive of activity, of mixed use and creatives.”Sacha Lord-Marchionne, Warehouse Project DJ & promoter, Ugly Duckling Group

“With an augmented focus and purpose towards preservation and restorationthrough regeneration, in the context of embracing the community managementapproach (through Friends of London Road FireStation), has much to commend it.”Stan Edwards, lecturer and honorary member of the Compulsory Purchase Association (CPA)

Potential visionsSunderland Old Fire Station was awarded £2.5 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund to become a cultural centre and is of importance in the city’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021. This drawing outlines a loose concept for the redevelopment of London Road Fire Station based on public consultation.

There is no harm in being ambitious.The Friends of London Road Fire Station take inspiration fromambitious projects in Manchester and from around the world.

USA:New York High Line: a disused railway viaduct became a popular elevated park. The project wasinitiated by a community group: Friends of the New York Highline.

Europe:Madrid: One of a kind Madrid Atocha Train Station

United Kingdom:Sunderland Old Fire Station: Lottery funding £2.5 million and City of Culture Bid

Manchester:Minto & Turner Mill: and Little David Street in Capital & Centric’s £150m Kampus schemeManchester Central: (formerly GMEX) former railway station turned conference centreRoyal Exchange TheatreMuseum of Science and Industry: developed from a community-led campaign

Being ambitiousFrom International to local

Images clockwise from top left: The New York High Line has made an important economic impact, Madrid’s historic central station makes use of botanical gardens and event space, Capital & Centric’s Kampus£150m scheme utilises creative visions for listed structures,Sunderland Old Fire Station was awarded £2.5 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund to become a culturalcentre and is of importance in the city’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021, around the corner from London Road Fire Station.

The building has enormouspotential and could besuccessfully developed in many different ways.This indicative strategicoverview suggests a rangeof facilities supported by community consultation.

Strategic overview

Pavilions

Introducing lightweight

pavilions to the courtyard

is a way of breaking up

the large space to allow

a range of simultaneous

uses. It potentially reduces

travel times around the

building with connections

at ground and upper

levels. It provides a

cost-effective way of

increasing the internal

floor area without a

significant impact on the

historic building fabric.

Events and night film screenings

A covered courtyard could be used for different

events during the day and night. The idea of using

the space as a venue was explored in 2006.

Tropical botanical garden

A covered courtyard featuring a tropical

botanical garden is very popular with the public.

This could be run as a museum facility or a

commercial space with seating for cafes and

restaurants.

A hive of activity

The building was conceived and used as a mixed

use development for many years. Its courtyard

arrangement and the way it is zoned support

this. This drawing illustrates some of the

community aspirations for the Fire Station.

Replace the missing statue

This statue of an angel with a laurel crown

riding a chariot above the main entrance was

never completed. +100 years on, could this

be resurrected or perhaps the plinth should

be home to changing temporary art works:

“Manchester’s 4th Plinth”?

Friends of London Road Fire Station’s work with the community demonstrates that thepeople of Manchester have high aspirations for the building. In its heyday it was a bustling civic building; since it was sold in 1986 it has lain empty. A successful development should echo the site’s history of mixed use and embrace the community’s desire for access.

Within the last five years, since Manchester City Council applied for a Compulsory Purchase Order and ultimately lost, much newhotel space has been built in the vicinity of London Road Fire Station. More is planned in current developments. Manchester stillneeds more hotel space beyond that, as its reputation as a destination grows and visitor numbers continue to rise. However,Friends of London Road Fire Station believe that the building is more than big enough to encompass both a hotel and a widerange of other mixed use, viable proposals. We will support any appropriate and viable solution but believe, after three decadesof waiting, it is important to be ambitious.

MANCHESTER BELIEVES IN BETTER

“Manchester is very keen to espouse the idea that ‘we do things differently round here’, but there’s a collective sense of trepidation that some of Manchester’s quirkier places could succumb to London-style redevelopment, blandification and gentrification.”Is Manchester’s Redevelopment Killing Its Culture? by Mof Gimmers, VICE msagazine

Local aspirationsfor mixed use

In 2010 Emma Gander’s dissertation “Rekindling The Flame”, about London Road FireStation, was nominated for the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects President’s Silver Medal for dissertations. In this piece of work she advocated viable mixed uses for the redevelopment of the building.

“This type of analysis is vitally important within our current economic climate, as both developersand politicians seek to address decaying parts of the urban fabric, search for ‘quick wins’ and release ‘added value’ within historically important sites.”Dr Chris Hewson and Sally Stone, lecturers at Manchester Metropolitan Universityand University of Manchester, joint Faculty of Architecture, describing why theyentered Emma Gander for the President’sMedal.

To date, 5,750 people have supported this model, as detailed in our petition.The Friends’ research details further civic ambitions from surveys of morethan 800 respondents, from our outreach initiatives and through our socialmedia presence of 3,000 followers and nearly 300 members.

A mixed use access building is viable

‘THEMED’RESTAURANT

HOTEL

MUSEUM

ARTSCENTRE

RETAIL UNITS

CAFE

SERVICES

1ST Floor

PRIVATEFLATS /HOTEL ROOMS /OFFICES

PICCADILLY PLACE

PICCADILLY TRAIN STATION

MARKET/EVENT SPACE

“Based on the President Medal nominee RIBA dissertation in 2010 by Emma Gander”

Hotel or not, whatever the development outcome, there are ways of allowing thecommunity to enjoy the fire station. It was built for the public but has been inaccessibleto them for decades. We encourage new owners to work with us to explore intelligentways of allowing access.

Some ideas:

· 2 – 4 October 2015 Manchester CuriousMany Manchester buildings will be accessible for one weekend. The Friends invite the owners tohost an event. Areas of the building can be made safe and opened up for public tours.Liverpool School of Architecture, Manchester Curious, Friends of London Road Fire Station, GM FireService Museum, The Police Museum and The National Trust could collaborate to provide an exhibition and volunteer tour guides and stewards.“To open as many special buildings and spaces in Manchester to the public. To engage the publicin architecture and to make architecture accessible. To highlight the value of architecture."Manchester Curious

· Heritage Open DaysThe owner/operator could commit to always open part of the building at this annual event.

· Community rates / community space / community projectsLimited space at off-peak times made available to community groups at reduced rates.Or a permanently accessible space within the building, eg tourist information or a museum.Support an oral history project to record the diverse memories of residents and staff.

Let the people in

The panelJonathan Schofield: editor, Manchester Confidential, followed the Fire Station story for years. Author of several books on Manchester and the North West, he has considerable experience in TV and Radio broadcasting.

Jonathan chaired the meeting and scrutinised the panellists’ answers and public statements and questions. He spoke about the excitement and importance of the revival of civic passion, where people were seeking to challenge and create change in planning and regeneration through campaigns.

Jess Steele: director, Jericho Road Solutions. Former Director of Innovation, Locality. Founder of Community Assets in Difficult Ownership programme

Jess spoke about the possibility of heritage lottery funding and EU grants to achieve civic uses for arts, cultural, heritage and history uses for London Road Fire Station. She strongly advocates the need for community in place-making and viable businesses.

Ray Makin: Chairman of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Atelier MB Architects, on Manchester’s Conservation and Historic Buildings Panel.

Ray spoke about the concern of pricing in the sale, which would affect developers’ ability to pioneer and prioritise redevelopment and civic uses unless a strong model was formed. He hoped viable uses could be developed if the building is sold, though he remained uncertain of the genuineness of the sale.

A bright future?public Debate 1st July 2015

As developers submitted the first round of bids to buy the building a public debate was held to consider its future and try and in-fluence a positive outcome from ongoing sale process. An expert panel considered

As developers submitted the first round of bids to buy the building a public debate was held to consider its future and try and influence a positive outcome from ongoing sale process. An expert panel considered the issues and took questions from the audience of +50 people. The event was broadcast on Channel M several times during the following week.

Bob Bonner: Curator, Greater Manchester Fire Museum, author of a book about London Road Fire Station, retired firefighter and FoLRFS Committee.

Bob spoke about the importance of this building and how unique it is in the world. Having lived in this nationally important building, Bob made an emotional plea for something better than just an exclusive hotel. He said: “The Old Fire Station has been in a coma. Time to make it live again.”

David Roscoe: Planning Development Manager, Manchester City Council, involved in the Fire Station case for years, has been inside it recently.

David described Manchester City Council’s desire to see a successful multi-use regeneration of the building. He spoke about the challenges that will arise with a sale and the wider importance of regeneration that will be created by a good model of redevelopment.

Trevor MacFarlane: theatre director, creative arts consultant, Culture Manager in the EU Parliament with a specific focus on North West ENGLANd

Trevor spoke about the ambitious revival of Manchester and felt that the fire station could be far more than a hotel at such a key location at the gateway of the city.

Emma Curtin: chair, Friends of London Road Fire Station, registered architect and a lecturer at the Liverpool University School of Architecture.

Emma Spoke about the role of the Friends of London Road Fire Station and the potential to satisfy the ambitions the city has for the building within a viable scheme. She invited developers and owners to work with the Friends and proposed “meanwhile uses” including tours and exhibitions in the building ahead of re-development.

Mark Watson: Member of the Victorian Society’s Northern Buildings Committee, and the Manchester Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas Panel.

Mark spoke about the historic importance of London Road Fire Station and the considerable financial undertaking needed to make a sympathetic redevelopment and remaining true to the building’s detailed and impressive aesthetics and structure.

Use your imagination - a bright future is possible

A bright future?public Debate st July 2015 The public debate on 1 July showed both expert and public passion for the redevelopment of this municipal icon in this once in a lifetime opportunity.

All panelists agreed the ideal redevelopment would include civic access and harness oppor-tunities to demonstrate community and publicly accessible functions in some of the build-ing. These could be models for heritage, arts, culture, leisure and tourism to enhance a ho-tel or business model and make this building an important destination for the city.

One bidder spoke about their proposal and bid for the fire station, which would have civic uses and leisure and heritage functions, which was well received by the audience. A wide range of ideas were presented and the consensus from experts and the public alike was that this building should have an important future in Manchester.

There is much scope for a final bidder to seek dialogue with the members of the Friends and the public. Expert advice could enhance and up the specification and plans for the re-development during consultation processes. Those in attendance clearly wanted the best for the city and to see a great future for this beloved Manchester icon.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis document was made possible by a grant from the Community Assets in

Difficult Ownership (CADO) programme supported by Jericho Road Solutions

and Locality. The Friends would like to thank all our members and friends for

their patient and enthusiastic support over the last 2-3 years.

Special thanks go to The Mechanics Institute, The Bull’s Head, CADO,

Studio Smith, Aphid Online, Evocati and the Liverpool School of Architecture.

Thank you!

“A Bright Future?” was collated in June 2015 by the Friends of London Road FireStation committee: Adam Prince, Bob Bonner, Emma Curtin, Louise Bolotin andLoz Kaye.

Design by Hauss.co

Image credits -

Cover image: Annual clean c.1957 – Greater Manchester Fire Service MuseumOur mission, fire station image – S L ScottLocation plan – Paul BowerView from roof – Photo by Scrappy NWCourtyard photograph - Greater Manchester Fire Service MuseumChristmas 1945 – Diane Watson family photo (published in the Guardian, December 2014)George William Parker – family photo courtesy of Colette SealeafNational Fire Service 27 Fire Force – family photo courtesy of Patricia MahonChildren 1960s – family photo courtesy of Alison SalisburyAudrey Bendle – family photo, with thanks1970s red fire engine - family photo courtesy of Mark Bowden1960s colour courtyard view – Greater Manchester Fire Service MuseumA state of decay – main image, Capita and Centric; smaller images by Urban Explorers (identities concealed)Potential visions – Paul BowerBeing ambitious – Various sourcesStrategic overview – Paul Bower“Pavilions” – Paul Bower“Events and Night Films” – Paul Bower“Tropical Botanical Garden” – Paul Bower“A Hive of Activity” – Paul BowerMixed use diagram – Hauss Studio, based on diagram by Emma Gander 20101960s courtyard view, colour view with cars and engines – Greater Manchester Fire Service MuseumUrban Explorers (identity concealed) and Capital & Centric photosPainting of entrance – Caroline JohnsonColour/black and white photograph – 0161 Tom

This is Manchesterwe do thingsdifferently hereTony wilson