Internationally renowned screenwriter Russell T Davies will break ground to commence building works at Manchester’s new state-of-the-art LGBTQ+ centre at Sidney Street, Manchester on Thursday, August 6, 2020.The old centre, which was the first of its kind to be built in Europe, was demolished in June to make way for the new three-story £2.4 million redevelopment that will help an additional 50,000 people each year.Opened in 1988, the old Sidney Street centre served the LGBTQ+ community for over 30 years but was built at a time when safety and discretion were the biggest concerns for many of its users.
Extra security features, including high windows, mirrors on reception and no post-box were incorporated to make people accessing the building.