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- Local government structures
in the Manchester area are deeply flawed. There is no single local government
authority covering the wider city we call Manchester. The local authority
which calls itself Manchester, i.e. the City
of Manchester, is much smaller than, and most unrepresentative of,
the wider metropolitan area. A bad local government system is leading
to bad planning decisions.
- Due to the regional importance
of central Manchester, including the old centre of Salford across the
Irwell, control of its development should be given to a wider and more
representative body with input from conservation organisations and the
general public.
- The general public should
be encouraged to take much greater interest in the ongoing development
of the city around them. Programmes like the BBC's 'Restoration', organisations
such as CUBE (Centre
for Understanding of the Built Environment) and the Manchester
Civic Society can help in this task.
- Local broadcast media need
to highlight conservation and development of Manchester in much greater
depth.
- The general public should
be invited to give their opinion on buildings and developments after
they are completed, as well as before. Market research methods and new
technology can be used to gather this information.
- If a completed building
or development turns out by general agreement to be damaging to the
urban environment, the local authority which approved it should be fined
in the same way that companies are fined for polluting the natural environment.
- Local authorities should
be given awards for fostering buildings or developments which are generally
well-liked and considered to be enhancing to the city. The decision
should be made by the general public, not just the people we refer to
as 'experts', or bodies with vested interests.
- A museum dedicated exclusively
to the history, development and future of Manchester and its conurbation,
developed by locally-based organisations, should be set up in a landmark
building, with exhibits and displays that draw on the knowledge, talent
and collective memory of local or locally-connected people.
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