Monton Matters

• Approval of a 23-storey tower of 272 residential units has angered Eccles residents
• Development due to be completed in April 2025
• Councillor Mike McCusker says it could kickstart positive change in the town centre

Eccles residents have taken to social media to express their outrage at Salford Council for permitting a 23-storey tower to be built on Church Street.

The development will consist of three interlinked blocks of four, six, and 23-storey buildings, amounting to 272 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments.

According to the construction management plan, contractors BCEGI have been awarded a £41 million contract to begin in April 2022 and end in April 2025.

Existing properties on the site will be demolished, including Booths Furniture and The Top House pub.

Piling works are set to commence in June 2022, with work on the sub-structure beginning in July 2022.

On a public post submitted to nextdoor.co.uk, some locals have heavily criticised the development, and have even accused the council of ‘ruining’ Eccles.

They descrbe the propsed tower as an ‘eyesore’ and a ‘monstrosity’, and say the council is ‘destroying the heart of Eccles’.

Nearly 200 further comments were made on the post, some in favour of the tower, some against.

One person wrote: “The dictatorship known as Salford Council in action again. Just think how much extra money they can make with a high rise.”

Another added: “Re purpose old buildings , stop building ugly shoe boxes and charging the earth.”

Some have said that they have written to the council and local MPs in protest.

Others, however, are welcoming the promise of investment into the town.

One person said: “This could be the catalyst for further developments and improvements for Eccles. I’m all for it if this is what it brings”.

Another wrote: “Eccles has been missing a trick for years – perfect location, only 3 miles west of Manchester.

“If this tower brings in the young professionals with some income to spend then maybe the shopping centre will be invested in and maybe some new bars and restaurants will open”.

Councillor Mike McCusker, lead member for planning and sustainable development, said Eccles was in decline and believes this development could rejuvenate the town.

“One of the key things that’s shown about how you can help to revive town centres is about increasing the number of people living there,” he said.

“I think having those apartments there will change the mix of who’s living in Eccles, and therefore a broader range of people who might choose different shopping options, which might help open up any of the existing empty units on Church Street for other uses.”

He described the placement of the tower as “ideal”, being just opposite Eccles train station, providing transport links to Manchester city centre for commuters.

Councillor McCusker said: “Obviously, when you think about where do you build a tower, you try and build it somewhere that’s as sustainable as possible in terms of people being able to get in and out of the building without reliance on cars.

“And then of course, we’ve got the tram, the bus station, and you’ve got the M602 motorway links, so it’s kind of an ideal place that you would build a tower.”

He also identified next steps for Eccles, describing the shopping mall as ‘well past its sell-by date’.

Councillor McCusker explained that now, the focus needs to be on building up the nighttime economy by introducing more restaurants and bars into the area.

“I think this is an opportunity to increase the number of people living there, which will attract different sorts of businesses, and hopefully lead to some sort of rejuvenation of the town centre.”

• A video posted to Facebook shows two carers mocking an elderly patient’s speech
• The video has been viewed nearly 3,000 times with many calling for the carers to lose their jobs
• The carers were suspended after the incident but have since returned to work

An elderly woman’s carers have been allowed to return to work after an online video showed them mocking the way she spoke.

The ring doorbell footage, which has amassed nearly 3,000 views on Facebook, has left viewers ‘disgusted’ at the way 76-year-old Margaret Booth was spoken to.

In the video, two carers from Meridian Health and Social Care can be heard making ‘blah blah blah’ noises when Mrs Booth struggles to answer them.

One carer later asks her why she is ‘wittering’, shortly after which Mrs Booth leaves the room.

Mrs Booth suffers from mixed dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, meaning she sometimes struggles to finish her sentences.

She has received care for the past two years as she has difficulty completing tasks such as cooking for herself.

After a fall in the bathroom 18 months ago, her family had interior cameras installed, and all of her carers were informed.

Mrs Booth’s son, Duncan Rimmer, was made aware of the incident with her carers after his ‘fuming’ sister alerted him to the footage.

He said: “I had a look and I was obviously disgusted.

“We complained and said we want this investigated.

“The next thing I heard was that they’d been suspended.”

He explained that, on the day of the incident, Mrs Booth had already eaten and was trying to explain this to her carers before being mocked.

Both carers in the video were suspended a couple of days after the incident on 2 February 2022.

Mr Rimmer was informed on 17 February that they have since returned to work.

When he called Meridian to verify this, it was confirmed that the carers had been reinstated.

He was apologised to over the phone, but has yet to receive a formal, written apology from Meridian or the carers themselves.

Meridian Health and Social Care have a ‘Good’ Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating and specialise in dementia, among other things.

Since the incident, Mr Rimmer has been made aware of previous complaints against one of the carers in the video, including by an ex-colleague.

He has confirmed that his mother is okay, adding: “In one way, it’s lucky that she forgets.”

In a statement, Meridian Health and Social Care said: “We were shocked to learn of the behaviour of two of our team members, which was not in line with the values we stand for, and the high standards of care we expect, as an organisation.

“As soon as concerns were raised, we suspended both carers immediately.

“We launched a full investigation, including raising safeguarding concerns with the local council, and working with colleagues and clients to understand the circumstances in full and take appropriate action.

“Both carers now fully understand, and are deeply apologetic for, their actions.

“As part of our disciplinary procedure, they have been required to undertake a full course of stringent training, including refreshed dementia-specific training to ensure that this type of behaviour is not repeated.”

• The store is currently undergoing renovations and is advertising a February 2022 launch
• It will offer plastic-free refill stations and stock small-business-made gifts for sustainable shopping
• Workshops and events will also be hosted at the store

A new ‘social sustainable store’, which will feature plastic-free refill stations and gifts made by small, local businesses, will be opening on Monton Road this month.

Oats and Honey, the brain-child of Sophie Smith and her partner Jay Middleton, is currently undergoing renovations in preparation for its February launch.

The sustainable store will offer local residents the option to make eco-friendly choices when shopping for groceries and household products.

A refill station will allow shoppers to stock up on dry foods such as nuts, pulses, grains, oats, pasta, and rice, as well as household essentials including washing up liquid, laundry detergent, and hair care products.

The shop will also sell locally-made gift products sourced from small businesses, and will become the primary stockist of Sophie’s established sustainable gift business.

Booze and Burn sells candles and gift items made by repurposing glass bottles often sourced from Monton bars and restaurants to prevent them going to landfill.

The 31 year old said: “I know that there’s massive convenience with Tesco and things like that, but I do just think that it’s kind of what Monton is missing.

“I do hope that in a way with this offering as well as that, people can kind of just choose to be a bit more environmentally conscious and shop more sustainably.”

The store’s eco-friendly concept taps into a growing desire for sustainability among the UK public, with 61% of shoppers trying to limit their use of single use plastics last year.

Similar stores have opened across Greater Manchester, such as The Dispensary, which opened in Walkden in late 2019, and even ASDA in Middleton trialled the concept of plastic-free refills to great success.

As well as offering plastic-free shopping, Oats and Honey will serve coffee and Manchester-sourced drinks, and provide a relaxing environment where locals can go to read a book.

They’ll even be provided with their own personal bookmark so they don’t lose their place.

Sophie added: “It’s somewhere that we want people to feel comfortable to just come in and spend an hour or two.”

Oats and Honey will also feature a workshop space in the back of the store, where people can go along and learn crafts such as candle making.

Sophie and Jay, who both grew up in the area, are looking forward to joining the vibrant Monton high street.

Sophie said: “As well as the community of people that live there, the community of people that work there is really nice.

“It’s nice to all team up and work well together. It’s definitely community over competition.”

Oats and Honey will be opening in February 2022, though an exact date has yet to be confirmed.