Magnificent news.

Brilliant news sure was a case of David and Goliath with Peel.. Oustanding result and great news for the Castlefield comunity including our freinds Bar Eight!!

So much potential I'll be happy to see it up and running again,great for castlefield great for Manchester

Really delighted with this after our long running campaign to stop the hideous apartment block being built. Really is testament to people power. As long as it is well run with reasonable opening hours I think most residents will be very happy with this addition to the area. I look forward to engaging with the operators during the licensing process.

We're really pleased that after a long time our neighbour is coming back home. It will be nice to have a solid operator running the old girl and we look forward to the re-opening

The Pant-yr-Ochain is a brilliant pub. Can't wait for this redevelopment!

Well done and a great use for the site. Very pleased for all of the residents who put a great deal of effort and energy behind this 'fight'.

I have a feeling this will turn out to be a hollow victory.

Not only has Castlefield be left with a pretty horrible building, but one that is probably unsustainable as a pub. If it wasn't viable when the economy was buoyant, what hope for it in the aftermath of one of the worst economic crises in living memory?

No, instead of getting their knickers in a collective twist over aesthetics (the proposal was unquestionably a cut above most other new-build apartment blocks in Castlefield), the Residents Association should have brought all their pressure to bear to improve the type and size of apartments within the proposal, for example by pushing for an overwhelming majority of 3 and 4 bedroom duplex style apartments rather than the usual mix of cramped 1 and 2 beds that discourage people from staying for any length of time and putting down roots. If any area in the city centre could sustain this type of accommodation, Castlefield is probably the most likely candidate and you could still incorporate a ground floor commercial unit for a pub or bar.

So instead of an exemplar housing project that could have served as a test bed for a new, more sustainable style of city living, the RA have effectively cut off their nose to spite their face. We are left with an ugly and unsustainable 90s pub building set against a backdrop of even uglier apartment blocks and in another few years we will be back to square one.

Carol MNovember 16th 2011.

Actually, Anonymous, the issue of the type & size of apartments was raised by the Castlefield Forum in its objection to the Peel planning application. We suggested that the location could support fewer, more spacious apartments. We also expressed our disappointment that there were only 1 and 2 bedroomed apartments when we understood that it was now Council policy to encourage the development of more 3 or 4 bedroomed accommodation so as encourage families with children into the city centre.

Carol MNovember 16th 2011.

Actually, Anonymous has made a wrong assumption that residents were only concerned about aesthetics. Castlefield Forum made it clear in its response to the planning application that we felt that this location could support fewer, more spacious apartments. We also made the point that we were disappointed that there were only 1 and 2 bedroomed apartments. We understood that it was now Council policy to encourage the development of more 3 or 4 bedroomed accommodation so as encourage families with children into the city centre.

Jill JillianNovember 16th 2011.

"Against a back drop of even uglier apartments " you should have complained at the time like these residents have done xx

AnonymousNovember 17th 2011.

Yeah cos Dukes and Albert's are really struggling.

Great news. My favourite pub, The Hand & Trumpet in Wrinehill is a Brunning and Price pub, it has great food, drinks and staff. If The Wharf is anything like the rest of their pubs I'll definitely be a regular.

Anon above saying there is no market for a good pub is wrong. The evidence of good pubs across the region proves that people want 'good pubs' but not anonymous, ill-thought through ones. Have a good manager, a good range of food and drinks, a good atmosphere, careful fit out, correct pricing and things work extremely well.

So it was worth our protests - I'm as pleased as punch, though I'm sure Peel will always do what they want anyhow. Were they just jerking our chains?

Anon(the first) please read the original articles, you'll see that all residents supported development of the site, we just wanted it to be put to good use for larger homes rather than buy to let pods which are 10 a penny. We also wanted Simpson to get of his self designed throne, visit the site and actually design something that at least showed some imagination.

I do hope the new pub works out and becomes viable, you only need to look at Dukes to see how a pub/bar/restaurant should be and it's rarely quiet in there. I can't see Bohemia lasting much longer though, they've missed the mark by quite a margin.

When you see ludicrous phrases like 'star trek flats' bandied about the press, it does make you wonder really how constructively the RA engaged with the developer / process. I suspect there was at least a faction who didn't want to see anything built there or rather nothing that didn't conform to their particularly conservative tastes; ironic considering the shocking standard of stuff that has been built in Castlefield in recent years.

But credit where its due, the revised proposal (not the one pictured above) was much improved. Shame it didn't get passed really, concerns about size and type of accommodation aside. I suppose the next step for Castlefield RA and the local councillor is exploring what opportunities are offered up by the Localism Act which received Royal Assent yesterday, in particular around stuff like neighbourhood planning.

www.communities.gov.uk/…/…

JS3November 22nd 2011.

Out of interest where is it you live? We're hardly a bunch of NIMBYs, we just showed an interest in an area that's been neglected for years and should be made more attractive to tourists and residents, not buy to let investors.