'It's catering for the rich' - Manchester's skyscraper boom is showing no signs of slowing down

That isn’t a surprise, it’s been true for as long as this wonderful city has existed, but not all changes are obvious positives for everyone, and the increasing number of skyscraping apartment and office blocks are casting a shadow over parts of the city, in more ways than one.

The proposed new builds offer great economic opportunity, and will no doubt tempt well-off people from further afield into the city, boosting the wealth of the area. The draw of podcast rooms and puppy grooming facilities is obvious and is objectively a good thing for the city’s finances and plans for development.

The downside of that comes in the lack of affordable housing that is going up. The Labour government have set strict targets for councils now on building homes, and work is expected to start on these cheaper accommodations soon, but for now, the constant march of luxury apartments is chasing students, young people, creatives and lower-income families away from the city centre, and away from places like the Northern Quarter, a place that has become the beating heart of Manchester’s cultural identity.

With all of this in mind, we went out onto the streets of Manchester to ask people their view on the developments. Would the new skyscrapers provide a route to a better local economy, which could lead to better affordable housing down the line, or should there be more focus on it now? Hear from people on the street in the video at the top of this page.