The government have reversed the decision of Warrington councillors and given permission to Gulliver’s World to build a hotel at the children’s theme park. Construction is expected to begin in 2008
Blackpool Zoo has been put on the market by owners Grant Leisure. The company, part of the Mice Group, took over the running of the popular tourist attraction from the council in 2003. Mice issued a profit warning on Friday, causing its share price to drop 23 percent.
Construction of the £30 million hotel and business complex at Southport’s Floral Hall should begin in the next few weeks after Sefton Council and property group Neptune signed a development agreement this week. The ambitious scheme will include a 133-bedroom hotel, an exhibition hall, casino and numerous restaurants.
Car parking charges in Chester are set to rise by up to 50 percent if the council’s budget is approved next month. Conservative councillors claim the proposal by the controlling Liberal Democrat/Labour pact is to subsidise a rise in council spending and inefficiency.
Britannia Hotels have made the headlines this week for the wrong reasons. Four of their hotels, including three in the North West, have been included in a list of the top ten dirtiest hotels in the UK. The survey, by users of the popular TripAdvisor site, rated the Britannia Hotel in Stockport as the dirtiest in the UK. The Britannia Country House Hotel in Didsbury was in eighth place, while the Britannia Airport Hotel Manchester was ranked tenth. None of these hotels are listed on this site.
Manchester’s Chinese community will be celebrating the arrival of the year of the pig on Sunday 18 February in Chinatown. Festivities planned include martial arts demonstrations, dance performances, parades and more. All are welcome.
The Olympians on Ice shows at Blackpool Pleasure Beach this weekend have been cancelled. Pleasure Beach is offering anyone who had booked the opportunity to transfer their tickets and see performances of Hot Ice, showing from March 28, or claim a refund. Call the box office on 0870 444 5566 for refunds or ticket transfers.
New dates for the Kylie Minogue concerts at the MEN Arena that were cancelled due to illness have been announced. Tickets for Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 January are valid for new dates on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 January, while those who attended the concert that was abandoned last Saturday can enjoy another performance on Tuesday 23 January.
Kylie Minogue was forced to abandon her concert at the MEN Arena in Manchester on Saturday due a respiratory tract infection. Shows in Manchester on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 January have also been cancelled, but her management team are hopeful that those on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 can still go ahead.
Manchester City Council is poised to introduce parking charges in the city centre on Sundays and in the evening, claiming this is necessary to ease traffic congestion. It is expected to make a final decision at the end of the month.
It would be easier to stomach if there were viable transport alternatives. But with increased rail fares and a generally inefficient public transport system, people are simply going to frequent other areas. Manchester city centre is in serious danger of becoming a ghost town is this plan is allowed to proceed.