The town that got 'grim' as shops closed 'one by one'... now it's been given £20 million

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A Greater Manchester town has been promised £20m funding by the government as residents say this is ‘the change they desperately needed’.

In Wythenshawe’s civic centre - the heart of Manchester’s largest district - Richard points to the line of closed-up and derelict shops. “The stores have been closing one by one, including the market,” he says. “We’ve needed change here for a long time.

Hopefully, it's enough to restore and revive the area,” the resident of 54 years told the Manchester Evening News. His words came as it emerged that £20m funding has now been agreed by the Department of Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC) to transform the 1970s shopping centre and surrounding areas. READ MORE: 'Am I going to die?' - Hospital told woman she had breast cancer via an email READ MORE: The year 'all hell broke loose' at Manchester Black Friday sales with 'punch ups and broken bones' Manchester council's regeneration plans include delivering a new public square, new shops, net zero carbon commercial, community and cultural space, and around 1,600 new homes - including affordable housing - built on council-owned land.

Locals told the M.E.N they hoped the funding will ‘liven up' the town, bringing new opportunities, jobs, and economic activity into Wythenshawe. “It’s depressing and grim here since the majority of the civic centre shops closed,” Richard said. “People don’t linger here.