Corporation Street, Manchester
Encyclopedia
Corporation Street is one of the major streets which bisects Manchester city centre
. The street starts where Cross Street meets the junction of Market Street and ends at the junction of Dantzic Street. Major buildings located or adjacent to the street include the Manchester Arndale
, Exchange Square
, the Wheel of Manchester
, The Printworks
, Urbis
and New Century Hall next to the CIS Tower
.
The street is the location of the 1996 bombing in Manchester
by the IRA
. Since the bombing, the street and surrounding vicinity has undergone large scale reconstruction. The surrounding area of Corporation Street has been an attempted target for various factions such as the IRA
and Al-Qaeda
with the intent of a terrorist attack since 1991 and most recently in 2009.
To eliminate this threat, the section of the street between the junction of Market Street to Withy Grove is partly pedestrianised between 1100 and 1900 hours, with the aim of making it more safe for passing pedestrians and eliminate the threat of another attack like the 1996 bombing in a crowded public area. A series of road bollards have been installed to only grant access to authenticated emergency service and bus vehicles during the prohibited hours.
(IRA) was blamed for both incidents, in which the devices were placed in soft furnishings during shopping hours. After the second, Christmas shopping continued much as normal the following day in the unaffected stores. One unnamed fireman noted "What bugs me is if there's a big one planted there's a lot of glass around here, and a lot of people will be killed".
Two men parked a van containing a 1500 kg (3,306.9 lb) bomb on Corporation Street between Marks & Spencer
and the Arndale at about 9:20 in the morning on Saturday 15 June 1996. At about 9:45, a coded warning was received by Granada TV
, the local television station. About 80,000 people were cleared from the area by local police and store staff using procedures developed after another IRA bombing incident in 1992. The bomb exploded at 11:17, shortly after the army bomb squad
arrived from Liverpool
and began making it safe. Nobody was killed by the bomb, but over 200 people were injured, some seriously, mostly by flying glass and shrapnel, though one pregnant shopper was thrown in the air by the blast.
company Swiss Re
estimated that the final insurance payout was over £400M, making it, at the time, the most expensive man-made disaster ever.
About twelve buildings in the immediate vicinity on of the explosion on Corporation Street were severely damaged. Overall, 530000 square feet (49,238.6 m²) of retail space and 610000 square feet (56,670.9 m²) of office space were put out of use. Insurers paid out £411 million (£ as of ) in damages
for what was at the time one of the most expensive man-made disasters ever, and there was considerable under-insurance.
Victims of the bombing received a total of £1,145,971 in compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
; one individual received £146,524, the largest amount awarded as a result of this incident.
According to Home Office
statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover. The heaviest damage was sustained by the three buildings closest to the bomb: Michael House, comprising a Marks & Spencer store and a six-storey office block; Longridge House, offices for Royal and Sun Alliance, an insurance company; and the Arndale Centre, a shopping mall. Michael House was deemed beyond economic repair and demolished. Marks & Spencer took the opportunity to acquire and demolish the adjacent Longridge House, using the enlarged site for the world's biggest branch of Marks & Spencer. Marks and Spencer's fortunes changed during construction, and Selfridges
subsequently co-occupied the building. Marks & Spencer became tenants of part of the Lewis's
store in the interval. The frontage of the Arndale was badly damaged and was removed in a remodelling of that part of the city centre.
The glass domes of the Corn Exchange and the Royal Exchange were blown in. The landlord of the Corn Exchange invoked a force majeure
condition in the lease to evict all tenants, and the building was converted into a shopping centre. The dome of the Royal Exchange, home to the theatre, was found to have shifted in the blast; its repair and refurbishment took two and a half years.
The possibility of taking the opportunity to rebuild parts of the city centre was raised within days of the bomb. On 26 June 1996, Michael Heseltine
, the Deputy Prime Minister, announced an international competition for designs of the redevelopment of the bomb-affected area. Bids were received from 27 entrants, 5 of whom were invited to submit designs in a second round. It was announced on 5 November 1996 that the winning design was one by a consortium headed by EDAW.
, Sir Howard Bernstein argued that regeneration of Manchester was already under-way, as evidenced in the Manchester's new found ambition to bid for the Olympics in 1992 and 1996. The Nynex Arena, Europe's largest arena at the time opened in 1995 and has since proved itself a successful venue.
is located on Corporation Street opposite the Wheel of Manchester
. A bridge crossing Corporation Street connects the Manchester Arndale to Selfridges.
In 2010, Manchester City Council
proposed a 120 m (393.7 ft) wheel, to be operated by World Tourist Attractions, as a replacement for the existing transportable installation, with Piccadilly Gardens
the possible site and completion expected by Christmas 2011.
Urbis, located adjacent to Corporation Street was opened in 2002 and hosted exhibits on popular culture such as music and art including Mancunian culture.
Urbis temporarily closed in February 2010 for a revamp to transform the building into the National Football Museum which will move from Preston. The new Football Museum is due to open in early 2012.
and the 2007 London car bombs
highlighted the danger that still exists post-IRA attacks on British mainland.
The bollards have gained a reputation for being unreliable, with a special fire engine ending up lodged on a rising pair of bollards in 2008.
In March 2009, a Metroshuttle bus collided with the retractable bollards and three people had to be taken to hospital with 'minor' injuries.
In April 2009, footage was captured showing an ambulance having to do a u-turn and find an alternative route after the retractable bollards failed to lower.
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
. The street starts where Cross Street meets the junction of Market Street and ends at the junction of Dantzic Street. Major buildings located or adjacent to the street include the Manchester Arndale
Manchester Arndale
Manchester Arndale is a large shopping centre in Manchester, England. The centre was built in the 1970s when many other cities were constructing large malls. Manchester Arndale is the largest of a chain of Arndale Centres built across the UK in the 1960s and 1970s...
, Exchange Square
Exchange Square (Manchester)
Exchange Square is located in the English city of Manchester. The square was heavily redeveloped after the IRA 1996 Manchester bombing. This reconstruction included the moving of two pubs to make room for the new Marks & Spencer store....
, the Wheel of Manchester
Wheel of Manchester
The Wheel of Manchester is a transportable Ferris wheel installation at Exchange Square, Manchester, England.The first wheel was first installed in 2004...
, The Printworks
The Printworks
The Printworks is an entertainment venue, located on Withy Grove in Manchester city centre, England. It opened in 2000 and was launched with fireworks and a radio roadshow featuring many local and international acts, headlined by Lionel Richie....
, Urbis
Urbis
Urbis is an exhibition centre located in Manchester, England. From 2002 to 2010, the centre hosted changing exhibits on popular culture topics including urban living, art, music, fashion, photography and videogames alongside talks, gigs and special events....
and New Century Hall next to the CIS Tower
CIS Tower
The Co-operative Insurance Tower, or CIS Tower, is an office tower building on Miller Street in Manchester, England. It was completed in 1962 and rises to 387 feet in height. The Grade II listed building, which houses Co-operative Financial Services, a part of The Co-operative Group, is...
.
The street is the location of the 1996 bombing in Manchester
1996 Manchester bombing
The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on 15 June 1996 in Manchester, England. The bomb, placed in a van on Corporation Street in city centre, targeted the city's infrastructure and economy and caused widespread damage, estimated by...
by the IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
. Since the bombing, the street and surrounding vicinity has undergone large scale reconstruction. The surrounding area of Corporation Street has been an attempted target for various factions such as the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
with the intent of a terrorist attack since 1991 and most recently in 2009.
To eliminate this threat, the section of the street between the junction of Market Street to Withy Grove is partly pedestrianised between 1100 and 1900 hours, with the aim of making it more safe for passing pedestrians and eliminate the threat of another attack like the 1996 bombing in a crowded public area. A series of road bollards have been installed to only grant access to authenticated emergency service and bus vehicles during the prohibited hours.
Early 20th century
Footage captured in 1901 showed that the junction of Cross Street and Corporation Street was a centre for horse drawn carriages ferrying people from one place to another.1996 bombing
The centre's profile, and the presence of several national chains, made it a target for terrorists. Arson attacks in April 1991 were followed by several firebombs in December 1991 which caused extensive damage to four stores. The Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) was blamed for both incidents, in which the devices were placed in soft furnishings during shopping hours. After the second, Christmas shopping continued much as normal the following day in the unaffected stores. One unnamed fireman noted "What bugs me is if there's a big one planted there's a lot of glass around here, and a lot of people will be killed".
Two men parked a van containing a 1500 kg (3,306.9 lb) bomb on Corporation Street between Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
and the Arndale at about 9:20 in the morning on Saturday 15 June 1996. At about 9:45, a coded warning was received by Granada TV
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
, the local television station. About 80,000 people were cleared from the area by local police and store staff using procedures developed after another IRA bombing incident in 1992. The bomb exploded at 11:17, shortly after the army bomb squad
Ammunition Technician
An Ammunition Technician is a British Army soldier trained to inspect, repair, test and store, and modify all ammunition and explosives used by the British Army...
arrived from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and began making it safe. Nobody was killed by the bomb, but over 200 people were injured, some seriously, mostly by flying glass and shrapnel, though one pregnant shopper was thrown in the air by the blast.
Damage and impact
The bomb blast destroyed much of the surrounding beyond repair and so it was a decided it would make better financial sense to reconstruct Manchester city centre from the ground up. Marks and Spencer's and the adjacent Longridge House were condemned as unsafe within days, and would be demolished. The frontage of the Arndale on Corporation Street and the footbridge were structurally damaged. The reinsuranceReinsurance
Reinsurance is insurance that is purchased by an insurance company from another insurance company as a means of risk management...
company Swiss Re
Swiss Re
Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd , generally known as Swiss Re, is a Swiss reinsurance company. It is the world’s second-largest reinsurer, after having acquired GE Insurance Solutions. The company has its headquarters in Zurich...
estimated that the final insurance payout was over £400M, making it, at the time, the most expensive man-made disaster ever.
About twelve buildings in the immediate vicinity on of the explosion on Corporation Street were severely damaged. Overall, 530000 square feet (49,238.6 m²) of retail space and 610000 square feet (56,670.9 m²) of office space were put out of use. Insurers paid out £411 million (£ as of ) in damages
Damages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
for what was at the time one of the most expensive man-made disasters ever, and there was considerable under-insurance.
Victims of the bombing received a total of £1,145,971 in compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. The Authority administers a compensation scheme for injuries caused to victims of violent crime in Great Britain and is funded by the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales and the devolved...
; one individual received £146,524, the largest amount awarded as a result of this incident.
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover. The heaviest damage was sustained by the three buildings closest to the bomb: Michael House, comprising a Marks & Spencer store and a six-storey office block; Longridge House, offices for Royal and Sun Alliance, an insurance company; and the Arndale Centre, a shopping mall. Michael House was deemed beyond economic repair and demolished. Marks & Spencer took the opportunity to acquire and demolish the adjacent Longridge House, using the enlarged site for the world's biggest branch of Marks & Spencer. Marks and Spencer's fortunes changed during construction, and Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
subsequently co-occupied the building. Marks & Spencer became tenants of part of the Lewis's
Lewis's
Lewis's was a large department store in Liverpool city centre. It was formerly the flagship of a chain of department stores under the Lewis's name, that operated from 1856 to 1991, when the company went into administration. Several stores in the chain were bought by the company Owen Owen and...
store in the interval. The frontage of the Arndale was badly damaged and was removed in a remodelling of that part of the city centre.
The glass domes of the Corn Exchange and the Royal Exchange were blown in. The landlord of the Corn Exchange invoked a force majeure
Force majeure
Force majeure or vis major "superior force", also known as cas fortuit or casus fortuitus "chance occurrence, unavoidable accident", is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of...
condition in the lease to evict all tenants, and the building was converted into a shopping centre. The dome of the Royal Exchange, home to the theatre, was found to have shifted in the blast; its repair and refurbishment took two and a half years.
The possibility of taking the opportunity to rebuild parts of the city centre was raised within days of the bomb. On 26 June 1996, Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
, the Deputy Prime Minister, announced an international competition for designs of the redevelopment of the bomb-affected area. Bids were received from 27 entrants, 5 of whom were invited to submit designs in a second round. It was announced on 5 November 1996 that the winning design was one by a consortium headed by EDAW.
Reconstruction
Whether the bomb acted as a catalyst for development has polarised opinion. Chief Executive of Manchester City CouncilManchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
, Sir Howard Bernstein argued that regeneration of Manchester was already under-way, as evidenced in the Manchester's new found ambition to bid for the Olympics in 1992 and 1996. The Nynex Arena, Europe's largest arena at the time opened in 1995 and has since proved itself a successful venue.
Buildings and landmarks
Manchester Arndale
The main entrance to the Manchester ArndaleManchester Arndale
Manchester Arndale is a large shopping centre in Manchester, England. The centre was built in the 1970s when many other cities were constructing large malls. Manchester Arndale is the largest of a chain of Arndale Centres built across the UK in the 1960s and 1970s...
is located on Corporation Street opposite the Wheel of Manchester
Wheel of Manchester
The Wheel of Manchester is a transportable Ferris wheel installation at Exchange Square, Manchester, England.The first wheel was first installed in 2004...
. A bridge crossing Corporation Street connects the Manchester Arndale to Selfridges.
Wheel of Manchester
Located adjacent to Corporation Street in Exchange Square is the Wheel of Manchester, a 60m ferris wheel installation which provides views over Manchester city centre and beyond. The first wheel was installed in 2004, before being replaced by new one in May 2007.In 2010, Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
proposed a 120 m (393.7 ft) wheel, to be operated by World Tourist Attractions, as a replacement for the existing transportable installation, with Piccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, situated at one end of Market Street and on the edge of the Northern Quarter...
the possible site and completion expected by Christmas 2011.
Urbis
Urbis temporarily closed in February 2010 for a revamp to transform the building into the National Football Museum which will move from Preston. The new Football Museum is due to open in early 2012.
Reasons
After the 1996 bomb a decision was made to limit the amount of traffic allowed onto Corporation between Withy Grove and Cross Street. IRA bombings had since reverted to the use of vehicle bombs on as a disguise for a bomb attack as evidenced in the Manchester bombing and various other bombings such as the Armagh bomb in 1998 for example and so crowded areas on major streets provided a high risk to pedestrians. The failed 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...
and the 2007 London car bombs
2007 London car bombs
On 29 June 2007, in London, two car bombs were discovered and disabled before they could be detonated. The first device was left near the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket at around 01:30, and the second was in Cockspur Street, in the same area of the city....
highlighted the danger that still exists post-IRA attacks on British mainland.
Bollards
A credit-card sized key is attached to the windscreen of authenticated emergency and bus vehicles which is automatically scanned and lowers the bollards allowing the vehicle to pass through. The bollards are accompanied by a warning sound which warns nearby pedestrians of the rising or lowering or the bollards.Notoriety and criticism
The bollards surrounding Corporation Street have gained notoriety in the media and online with CCTV footage of cars colliding into rising bollards.The bollards have gained a reputation for being unreliable, with a special fire engine ending up lodged on a rising pair of bollards in 2008.
In March 2009, a Metroshuttle bus collided with the retractable bollards and three people had to be taken to hospital with 'minor' injuries.
In April 2009, footage was captured showing an ambulance having to do a u-turn and find an alternative route after the retractable bollards failed to lower.