Manchester is fast becoming perceived as the nations second main city with the growth of new business and overall improvement in the infrastructure of the City.
The BBC headquarters last year relocated to Manchester, and a stream of bars, restaurants, and rich looking tower blocks had fueled realistic speculations that the City is heading for a new London in every respect. Foreign investment is said to be responsible for a lot of the changes, as rich oligarchs from all over the globe seeing it as fertile ground for investment.
Already, several spanking new apartments have been built in many parts of the City, almost forcing out many of its residents who cannot afford the new price of housing in the area. Mancunians who live in the City earn over £70 less than those who work there but who live outside- a worrying sign that may explain some of the levels of crime seen in the city. Yes, the city is also known for its extreme gangster activities, in what has been compared to New York by some, certainly on par with London when it comes to extreme violence. Only a few years ago, gangsters went as far as attending a funeral in order to exact revenge on people there with whom they had grievance by executing more killings in front of grieving family members.
However, the boom the town is experiencing is quite something else. Several businesses are thriving beyond belief and income rates for high end professionals are on the very high side. New expensive buildings are displacing the old, forcing former residents to sometimes accept relatively small payments to relocate and allow room for professional heavyweight businessmen. Rose Linkins, who lives in the Salford area of Manchester, told The eye of Media that many ordinary Mancunians are feeling pushed out of their residence because of plans to convert them to the sort of new luxurious buildings and apartments in the area that are home to rich professionals but none affordable to ordinary members of Manchester.
The decision of the BBC to move to Salford has been blamed for some of the hard times facing local Mancunians
The BBC built MediaCityUK
located in Salford Quays in order to base most of BBC staff outside london- a lifetime cost of close to £1bn. The corporation which was criticized by the national audit office for paying out £24m in relocation costs, and senior executives’ expenses which increased following the move. BBC heads of various departments are big time earners who did not move to Manchester to live in low level homes; rather, spacious houses decorated with expensive furniture, excellent car parking and drive way, and an ambient environment. The fast paced development in Manchester will also raise the ambitions of criminals who want a short cut to a fast life, but Manchester police are ever on the ball, and making the most of all intelligence they can get their hands on.
