This ghost town shopping parade is finally going - and feelings are bittersweet

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Weeds shoot up between cracks in crooked paving stones strewn with broken glass. Beneath the afternoon sun, rusting signs hang forlornly above shops long since abandoned.

Just a stone's throw from the thriving city centre, Eastford Square in Collyhurst is a place time has forgotten. Viewed from Rochdale Road, the derelict shopping parade is little more than an eyesore. But it hasn't always been this way. For decades it was the hub of a thriving community.

From the Post Office and the butchers to later the hairdressers and the chippy, the shops on Eastford Square offered locals everything they needed on their doorstep. Now, the square's days are numbered as plans to bulldoze it take a major step forward.

READ MORE: Compulsory purchase powers approved for Collyhurst estate demolition

Manchester council now owns the site after acquiring the final shop unit following several years of negotiations with its owner. Eastford Square has been 'identified for development' as part of an ambitious plan to transform north Manchester forever.

Under the Victoria North scheme, a joint venture between Manchester council and Far East Consortium (FEC), 15,000 new homes will be built along the River Irk valley. While it is not yet clear what will replace the shopping parade, the majority of locals have welcomed its demolition.

Yet there are still those who look back with fond memories. Susan Lever, 65, has lived in her flat in the nearby Roach Court tower block since 1968.

Collyhurst-born and bred, she remembers the area when it was throbbing with life. "It was thriving round here," she said.

"It had everything you wanted. You had all the shops and then three pubs within walking distance.

"The chippy was one of the best ones going about