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Manchester Metropolitan University, Places and Southway Housing Trust aiming to build 120 homes on Ryebank Fields

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) has been accused of ‘pure hypocrisy’ in a row over its plans to sell Ryebank Fields in Chorlton for developers to build new homes.

Chantal Kerr-Sheppard, a Green Party councillor in Chorlton, said MMU promoted a ‘biodiversity’ campaign in May called Make a Metre Matter, which encouraged people to ‘plant and [make] green spaces’, while at the same time pressing ahead with its own plans to sell off a large patch of green land.

A planning application led by MMU along with Step Places and Southway Housing Trust is aiming to build 120 homes on Ryebank Fields. If approved, the job would involve work to fix the land’s ‘contamination with asbestos, heavy metals and hazardous hydrocarbons’, MMU said.

Councillor Kerr-Sheppard said the planning reports to build homes on Ryebank Fields, which are published online and have been seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, showed it would mean a ’40 per cent net loss in biodiversity’ for animal habitats in the area.

The planning reports also showed the application to build on the land would need ‘offsite mitigation’ to make up for the changes.

The Chorlton councillor said: “They plan to sell 46,000 square metres of open fields and rewilded green space at Ryebank Fields for development.

“According to MMU’s own biodiversity consultants, building on the fields will cause a 40pc net loss in area habitat biodiversity and an 81pc loss for watercourses, forcing them to buy out-of-area credits because no offset sites exist in Greater Manchester.

“The greenfield loss would be here. Any theoretical gain is somewhere else entirely.

“A university that insists local urban biodiversity is vital cannot propose a 40pc net loss on its own estate and offshore the damage. Using off-site credits to greenwash a massive local habitat reduction directly undermines their sustainability mission. That is pure hypocrisy.”

MMU said it ‘recognises there are different views about the future of Ryebank Fields’ and that the plans to develop the land would ‘would deliver much-needed affordable homes’ for the area.

Campaigners from the Ryebank Fields Community Group have been fighting to keep the ‘precious’ land as a community woodland and meadow. They have submitted an alternative planning application to ‘protect’ the fields from being sold to developers.

It is thought that the planning applications are set to be decided at a council meeting on September 24.

A Manchester Metropolitan University spokesperson said the plans to sell Ryebank Fields are part of wider changes to its campus.

They added: “As part of a wider strategy of consolidating the university into a single campus site in Manchester city centre, Manchester Metropolitan worked with Manchester City Council and identified Ryebank as a suitable site to meet the need for high quality and affordable housing as part of the council’s wider development plans for the Chorlton area.

“We recognise that there are different views about the future of Ryebank and respect the strength of feeling that the site generates within the local community.

“The site is privately owned by the university and has a complex industrial legacy containing historic contamination that requires appropriate management and remediation. Any realistic long-term future for the site must address these issues in a way that is safe, responsible and deliverable.

“The planning application being brought forward by Step Places and partners offers a balanced and sustainable solution.”

A mix of homes would be created on the land according to MMU’s planning statement, with 52 of these set to be for sale on the open market, and 42 properties would be ‘age-friendly’ and affordable apartments for social rent for people aged 55 and over, among other types of housing.

The university said the homes would include specialist accommodation for young adults with autistic needs, and that the development plans would ‘retain significant publicly accessible green space’, as well as ‘creating new pathways and spaces for community use’.

When clothes designer Jeff Banks reported on the Manchester fashion scene, he had to check out Affleck’s Palace. The indoor emporium of independent traders opened in 1982, fast becoming a regular shopping haunt for generations of students

Clip taken from The Clothes Show, originally broadcast on BBC One, 17 November 1986.

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The agreement builds on the firm’s £15m investment in the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre

Lockheed Martin Space UK has reinforced its commitment to the North East following the signing of a Master Research Agreement with Northumbria University. The agreement creates a framework for long-term collaboration on space research and innovation, building on the manufacturer’s previously announced £15m investment in the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST),.

The Master Research Agreement – the latest milestone in a growing strategic partnership between the two organisations – is designed to create a flexible structure through which Lockheed Martin Space UK and Northumbria University will collaborate on an evolving portfolio of research projects, while ensuring appropriate intellectual property protections.

Through its £15m investment, Lockheed Martin is helping to establish NESST as a centre for space innovation, skills development and technology advancement in the North East. It includes a £7.5m research and development programme which forms a key part of the commitment, supporting research that will accelerate innovation, strengthen regional capabilities, while helping to develop the next generation of space talent.

NESST is expected to open later this year and achieve full operating capability in early 2027.

Robert Lightfoot, President of Lockheed Martin Space, said: “This agreement is another example of Lockheed Martin delivering on its long-term commitment to the North East and to the future of the UK’s space sector. By combining Northumbria University’s outstanding research expertise with Lockheed Martin’s global experience and technology leadership, we can accelerate innovation in critical space capabilities while creating opportunities for skills development, collaboration and economic growth.

“From our investment in NESST and collaborative research programmes to our Space Camp initiative, which has inspired young people across the region for the past four years to pursue technical paths, we are proud to be helping establish the North East as a centre of excellence for space research, technology and talent development.”

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed earlier this year between North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and Lockheed Martin UK to align investment, skills development and supply chain growth, bringing a more coordinated public-private approach to regional economic development across the region.

Professor Andy Long, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, said: “This agreement represents a significant step forward in our partnership with Lockheed Martin and reflects Northumbria’s growing reputation as a leading university for research, innovation and enterprise.

“Through NESST and our wider collaboration, we are creating opportunities for researchers, students and industry to work together on technologies that will help shape the future of space exploration, communications and resilience.”

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Foofall levels in August were down on a year earlier shows new research from the Welsh Retail Consortium

Retailers in Wales experienced a fall in shoppers in August with the Welsh Government being urged to provide targeted support for the hard-pressed sector.

Latest research from the Welsh Retail Consortium show that footfall on the high street, shopping centres and retail parks, was down 1.3% compare to August 2025. In July it was flat on a year earlier.

In England there was a year-on-year fall of 2.1% and in Scotland a decline of 0.1%. Northern Ireland experienced a 2.8% rise. The only other rises in the nations and regions of the UK were in the east of England, up 1.9%, and the west Midlands, 0.7% The biggest decline, 4.9%, was seen in London.

In August footfall, defined as someone entering a shop, at Welsh shopping centres decreased by 1.7% and in retail parks by 0.3%.

Footfall in Cardiff decreased by 1.9%.

Head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, Sara Jones, said: “The heat may have stayed, but Welsh footfall cooled. August’s 1.3% fall shows that good weather alone is not enough to bring shoppers back when confidence remains under pressure. While this is a much softer decline than some of the sharper drops seen earlier in 2026, it shows that consumer confidence remains fragile.

“After a flat July, August’s return to negative territory is a reminder that good weather alone is not enough to bring people back into our town and city centres – retailers still need sustained support to drive footfall, boost spending and help Welsh high streets thrive.

“With members returning to the Senedd this month and the new town centres task force (set up by the Welsh Government and chaired by Simon Gibson) now in place, this must be a moment for action, not delay.

“Welsh high streets need practical support that tackles the pressures retailers face every day – from business rates and parking to public transport, safety, vacant units and investment in town centre regeneration. The task force must listen to businesses and deliver at pace, with clear commitments that help rebuild confidence, boost footfall and give retailers the conditions to invest and grow.”

Andy Sumpter, head of consulting and analytics for Europe at Sensormatic, which carried out the research for the Welsh Retail Consortium, said: “August saw Welsh retail footfall remain under pressure, with total visits down -1.3% year-on-year. While still in negative territory, this was a stronger performance than the wider UK, highlighting a degree of resilience despite the challenges facing retail.

“Above-average temperatures may have continued to influence shopper behaviour, although conditions were less extreme than July’s record-breaking heat. While all retail destinations remained negative, Retail parks proved the most resilient at -0.3%, while retailers within Shopping Centres fell -1.7%, suggesting consumers remained selective about where and how they shopped.

“With the crucial golden quarter fast approaching, retailers will take some encouragement from Wales’ performance. However, with inflation now at a two-year high and household budgets remaining under pressure, the focus remains on converting footfall into meaningful spend during the industry’s most important trading period.”

Music producer Benny Blanco has revealed he worked with a therapist to draw up a detailed checklist describing his “ideal partner” before eventually finding love with pop star Selena Gomez, with being “age-appropriate” topping the list of qualities he sought.

Blanco, 38, discussed the process during an appearance on “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” which aired Thursday, offering new detail on how a period of intentional self-reflection ultimately led him to Gomez, 34, whom he married in California in September 2025. The couple first went public with their relationship in December 2023 and announced their engagement roughly a year later.

Blanco told Robbins he had approached his therapist directly out of frustration with his previous romantic history, expressing a clear desire to understand what had prevented him from finding a lasting relationship.

“I really wanna find the right partner, and I’m doing something wrong. I can’t find the person that I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with, and I want to do that,” Blanco recalled telling his therapist.

In response, his therapist encouraged him to write out a specific list of qualities he wanted in a future partner. According to Blanco, the first item on that list was being “age-appropriate,” a quality he said he now views as essential compatibility.

“Then the second thing on my list was, someone who’s nice,” Blanco said. “Nice, caring, compassionate, like someone who’s a nice person.”

Blanco said he also prioritized finding someone with a generally positive outlook, along with the willingness to actively address personal struggles rather than simply enduring them.

“I wanted someone who woke up generally happy,” Blanco said. “And if they were sad, they were doing something about it. Like they were going to therapy, they were taking medicine if they need to, they were doing yoga. They were actively trying to change things.”

Blanco offered a lighter moment during the discussion, joking that his list avoided overly specific physical criteria.

“I want their like left toe longer than their right,” Blanco said, mocking the kind of narrow physical preference his checklist deliberately excluded. Instead, he emphasized that the list focused on broader personal qualities that served as a filtering mechanism for potential partners.

“These were like broad things, and if it didn’t meet those first five or six things, I couldn’t even pursue,” Blanco said.

Blanco also detailed the long and unusual timeline of his relationship with Gomez, noting that the two had known each other for years, through periods of professional collaboration, before their romance eventually developed.

“We first met about 15 years ago. We worked together five or six years after that, and then again five or six years after that, and had a casual friendship during the time. Then we started dating a few years after that,” Blanco said.

Blanco’s account builds on similar comments he and Gomez have made in past interviews about the deliberate, reflective approach he took toward dating before their relationship began. In an earlier joint appearance on the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast, Blanco described feeling that he had been searching for a partner in the wrong ways before ultimately deciding to get intentional about what he wanted.

“Before I met her, I was just another guy in L.A. trying to find the right person,” Blanco said during that earlier appearance. “I think I was maybe looking in all the wrong places.”

Blanco added during that same conversation that his broader goal extended beyond simply finding a romantic partner, describing a desire to build a family and a genuinely reciprocal relationship.

“I want to start a life, I want to have a family, I want someone who feels like my other half. I want it to be a real give-and-take, that perfect yin and yang,” Blanco said.

Gomez has echoed similar sentiments about the relationship in her own separate interviews. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, she described her relationship with Blanco as the “safest I’ve ever felt” in a romantic partnership. In a separate interview with Interview magazine, Gomez explained how a five-year period of being single before meeting Blanco helped prepare her for a healthier relationship dynamic.

“That time alone helped me appreciate someone like Ben,” Gomez said. “He gets so weirded out when I say this, but honestly, 10 years ago I couldn’t have accepted the kind of unconditional love and patience he gives me now.”

Blanco and Gomez, whose relationship became public in December 2023 following years of professional collaboration in the music industry, have continued to speak openly about their partnership across multiple public appearances since their engagement was announced. The couple collaborated on a joint album, “I Said I Love You First,” which they announced together in a press release after previously discussing their engagement publicly.

Blanco has also spoken separately about his desire to become a father, telling InStyle in an earlier interview that he hopes to have children with Gomez.

“I love kids; I love being an uncle,” Blanco told the outlet at the time. “I want to be a dad, though, God willing. I’m just dreaming and praying every day.”

Blanco’s latest comments on “The Mel Robbins Podcast” add further public detail to a relationship that has drawn significant media attention given both partners’ prominence in the entertainment industry, with Blanco’s Grammy-nominated production career spanning collaborations with numerous major recording artists, and Gomez’s decades-long career spanning music, television and film.

The therapist-guided checklist Blanco described reflects a broader cultural trend toward more deliberate, self-aware approaches to dating and relationship formation, one that has gained increasing visibility in recent years as public figures have grown more open about discussing therapy and personal growth work as part of their romantic journeys. Blanco’s willingness to detail the specific process that led him to Gomez offers fans additional insight into a relationship that، since becoming public in 2023, has evolved from a long-standing professional friendship into marriage, following what both partners have described as years of mutual respect and collaboration that ultimately deepened into romance at what they’ve each characterized as the right moment in both of their lives.