The precinct that went from shoppers' paradise to 's***hole' - and its new hope
manchestereveningnews.co.uk'Once in a generation' plans were recently submitted to completely redevelop Wythenshawe Civic Centre. The proposals were part of a £20m levelling up bid to revamp the town centre which include the creation of a new public square, cultural hub, food hall and 1,500 new homes.
Although Manchester Council was to receive the disappointing news that their bid for the cash had been rejected, bosses vowed they were still "completely committed" to the redevelopment. The proposed changes to the Wythenshawe Civic Centre have been widely welcomed by councillors and campaigners, with shoppers saying late last year the precinct was a far cry from the bustling hub it once was.
The shopping centre opened in 1963, and has been expanded further since it was first built, most notably between 1999 and 2002.
Here, the M.E.N's Lee Grimsditch looks at the precinct's ups and downs through the decades. Read More: Lost pictures show Bolton's streets and people in years gone by Read More: Enjoy a stroll and some window shopping on Manchester's King Street in the 1980s In 1971, the Civic Centre Forum, containing a swimming pool, theatre, public hall and library, opened - completing a modern town centre in a vision of Wythenshawe as a 'garden city' away from industrial Manchester.
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