What its neighbours think of mega arena

IT’S been years in the making, but Co-op Live Arena’s opening season has finally arrived.

- MAISIE GRICE

A ‘test event’ with Rick Astley took place last night, welcoming the first 11,000 fans to set foot in the venue at a cut-price £5 a ticket.

The schedule of full gigs starring huge acts – from Peter Kay to Barry Manilow – will attract many thousands more excited fans over the next few weeks. But for those living on the streets surrounding this vast new structure in east Manchester, which first broke ground back in 2021, ‘excited’ is not the only word that sums up the mood.

The arena is located at the heart of the Etihad Campus – right next to the City stadium – so it’s fair to say that residents of this area has long been used to the big crowds and traffic that having a top Premier League club on your doorstep inevitably brings.

But the prospect of evening gigs, with entertainment on up until 11pm, and more cars trying to park up around the arena is causing some trepidation. When filled to capacity, there will be up to 23,500 revellers heading inside making it the largest indoor arena in Europe.

Take a walk around some of the quiet residential streets close to the Co-op Live Arena off Alan Turing Way, and you are immediately struck by the many signs warning that these streets are ‘permit holder only’ zones. The resdients’ parking scheme has been extended by the council to more streets in recent months to prepare for the arena opening.

But some who live here have been going a step further – by taking their own precautions. On Darley Street, ‘do not park here’ signs are visible in front of houses, with residents keen to stop people driving into the area and parking in front of their drives.