Council takes New East Manchester under its wing
New East Manchester (NEM), the body responsible for overseeing regeneration efforts in east Manchester, is to be subsumed into Manchester City Council, guaranteeing a future for its operations.
Speculation had surrounded the fate of the organisation following the closure of other urban regeneration companies including Salford URC and Preston Vision.
However, chairman Simon Bate has said that following a meeting of the organisation’s board yesterday, “it has been agreed in principle that NEM will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Manchester City Council, who remain firmly committed to the continued regeneration of East Manchester for the long term”.
“The company has successfully laid strong foundations over the past decade, and the future regeneration of East Manchester will build upon this, working closely with the City Council and other public bodies, local communities and the private sector to encourage development and unlock investment,” said Bate.
Like many of the other regeneration bodies, New East Manchester had received funding from both the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the Homes and Communities Agency.
However, it began scaling down the staff numbers two years ago. There are currently around 20 staff working on the organisation’s programmes, but these are seconded via the City Council and will remain as council employees.
New East Manchester will retain responsibility for a number of ongoing initiatives including the Central Park development area at Newton Heath and ongoing regeneration plans for the Eastlands area surrounding the City of Manchester stadium.
