Manchester stock exchange building being renovated by Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs as a boutique hotel has been occupied by homeless activists
When Manchester United footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs got planning permission to turn the historic Manchester stock exchange into a boutique hotel replete with basement gym, spa and rooftop private members’ terrace, they envisaged opening it up to an exclusive and moneyed clientele. Instead, a group of homeless people with little or no money have moved in with Neville’s blessing.
The hotel, which is undergoing extensive renovations before opening its doors to paying guests, was occupied on Sunday by a group of squatters and housing activists called the Manchester Angels. Instead of the usual response of property owners – rushing to court to obtain an order to get the uninvited new incumbents evicted – the famous footballers who own the building have told them they can stay, not just for a few days but throughout the coldest months of the winter.
Continue reading...