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Five years ago this week, New Islington was in uproar.

More than 5,000 residents from the city centre neighbourhood next door to Ancoats s igned a petition pleading with Manchester council to stop a developers’ bid to build offices on what many considered its heart — New Islington Green.

A patch of grass around the area’s tram stop, New Islington Green was not a council park. It still isn’t.

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But its four acres of grass were, and are, popular with dog walkers, picnickers, and runners — so plans to build a campus of office blocks were met with fierce opposition.

Despite the 5,000 signatures, London-based General Projects’ plans were approved by Manchester council in December 2020.

They were then able to

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