To most, it is one of the best-loved corners of the city. Popular bars, restaurants, and shops make the Northern Quarter a magnet for fun-loving Mancunians and visitors every day of the week. But there is a problem in one part of the bustling neighbourhood that has been getting noticeably worse in recent months. Residents, businesses, and police are all aware of an 'uptick' in anti-social behaviour.
The area has long been a magnet for low-level incidents of this kind, including street drinking. This was an issue acknowledged by Manchester council when it first announced plans to demolish the car park back in November 2024. Yet in recent months, residents say that behaviour has become more aggressive and intrusive, and often involves more people than before. Both the usage and dealing of illicit drugs, they say, is becoming more brazen, carried out in the open, in broad daylight, in the area surrounding the multi-storey car park off Tib Street and Thomas Street.
When the Manchester Evening News visited the area on Tuesday evening (June 9), multiple groups of men were seen gathered on the side-streets surrounding the car park. Drugs were openly consumed on Thomas Street. At one point, a woman who appeared to be heavily under the influence was lifted up from a bollard on the cycling route by two men, who were part of the wider gathering.
"I see it every day," Tony Farrell, 55, told the M.E.N. "Every day. It's constantly going on around here." Tony lives on the Smithfield Estate, which is often regarded as the 'coolest council estate' in Manchester, if not the country. Right in the heart of the Northern Quarter, it is a location that many people would deem to be enviable. But with criminal behaviour on the streets surrounding their homes, Tony says it is not a view that is shared by some on the estate. He mentions a friend, who has lived with his partner on the estate for six years. Tony said: "She said 'come on, let's pack up and move, I'm sick and tired of living round here'."
It is a frustration that Tony shares. He said: "I'm not a big man. I'm just a quiet tenant that lives here. It's just getting worse around here. I'm fed up." Tony says he witnesses drug dealing in the area on a regular occurrence. Like other residents in the area, he believes the problem has become considerably worse since Piccadilly Gardens was fenced off in March. He notices a 'route' that drug dealers patrol on the streets surrounding the car park, with nearby Back Turner Street and Kelvin Street 'a very hot place day and night', he says. Tony believes that those involved are operating in 'gangs'.
"They pretend that they are just innocent, knocking a football about with each other," he said. "I'm not playing the blind man, I see everything." During the recent bank holiday weekend, Tony says one man tried to 'mug' him after others in the group had offered to sell him cocaine. He said: "I turned around there was a guy that's standing by me. He says 'do you want to buy any coke?'." Tony replied with a joke about 'having plenty of Coke Zero already', using a soft drink pun to try and deflect the group's attention, but he says the man would not leave him alone, before another man tried to take his phone.
"I said 'listen bro, I just said to you in a nicer way, go away from me'," said Tony. "I went to walk away, a male came running over to me, giving me a hug. I had a hoodie on with pockets, and phone was in there. As he's hugging me, he's shaking me, for my phone to come out. I said 'bro, don't be like this'."
'Happening more and more'
When proposals were first announced to knock down the multi-storey car park and redevelop the area, the town hall acknowledged that the site had become a magnet for criminal activity. Council leader Bev Craig said at the time: "The Church Street car park has for some time felt out of step with its surroundings, detracting from the wider area both in look and feel, and in the way the current building layout attracts anti-social behaviour." But residents who spoke out to the M.E.N. all shared the same concern, that anti-social behaviour had increased in recent months. It is a situation Greater Manchester Police is well aware of.
After GMP made two arrests during a patrol last month, PC Oliver Hunt wrote on the force's Bee in the Loop platform: "The arrests followed increased patrols and targeted intelligence work by local officers, who have been stepping up their presence in response to community complaints. Residents and business owners in the Northern Quarter have reported a noticeable uptick in disruptive activity in recent weeks, including open drug use, street-level dealing, and disorderly conduct. Officers have been paying particular attention to William Fairburn Way, Thomas Street and the surrounding areas."
The area has also been the focus of police attention in recent days. Multiple GMP vans were seen on Thomas Street on Friday (June 12), with officers focusing their attention on the area surrounding the car park. One Northern Quarter resident, who asked to remain anonymous, says that 'uptick' in anti-social behaviour turns aggressive on occasions. He said: "A month ago, I was walking home from a friend's. Some homeless guy asked me for change. I didn't have any money on me and I told him. He called me a liar and threw a can of beer at my head. That kind of incident is happening more and more. I would say it's getting more and more aggressive. People are getting more bold about these kind of things. I've reported incidents in the past - maybe once a year there would be something - but we're noticing shocking and aggressive behaviour more and more now."
He added: "There has always been drunken behaviour. But now it's more, I would say, drug related issues. Homelessness has definitely gone up with the cost of living as well." The resident, aged 30, says incidents of aggressive behaviour are usually carried out between members of the groups who loiter around the car park. On June 1, he witnessed a 'mass brawl', which led to a cordon surrounding part of the multi-storey and at least one person stretchered away on an ambulance. Those responsible had already scarpered by the time officers arrived. "That was the first time I've seen a group of people doing something like that there in the car park," he said. "They were a group of people shouting. It was like two people that were initially having an argument. Friends of one group started pushing the friends of the other, and it just escalated then from there."
Emily, 28, has lived on nearby Church Street since September 2024, and elsewhere in the city centre prior to that. She believes the number of people gathering to cause trouble in the area has increased. "There were always some people that used to hang around there, drinking cans, but they would keep themselves to themselves," she said. "If you didn't bother them, they wouldn't bother you. It was always a known entity and it was never any risk. But one day I walked down there, and there were way more people than usual. Usually you would have a group of about five to 10 people, but it was more than 20 people. Ever since then, it just seems to be a recurring issue. A couple of times I've been past there, I've seen people taking hard drugs - I believe it to be crack cocaine."
Emily believes the issue is a blot on the Northern Quarter and that 'no one wants to see it'. Having lived in the city for a decade, she believes the scenes are the closest she has witnessed to the 'spice epidemic' of 2017. "From a resident's perspective, it's just really sad, because the Northern Quarter is meant to be one of the jewels in Manchester's crown," Emily added. "We want people to come here - visitors, tourists, people that live in Greater Manchester - to have a nice time, have a drink or something to eat. If somebody just stumbles across that sort of thing, it's just really horrible. It's city centre living, there are things that you get... people singing and shouting on a Friday or Saturday night. I'm more than happy to put up with a certain level of noise. But it gets to the point where it crosses a line."
'This is not a street I'm walking down'
City centre campaigner Fiona Moinuddin is a familiar face in the Northern Quarter. Like others, she believes anti-social behaviour has 'massively increased since they closed Piccadilly Gardens off', with a 'group of people marauding round'. "I was walking around the Northern Quarter myself and there were about 10 people on the floor, behaving out of control," she told the M.E.N. "When you see that you go 'this is not a street I'm walking down, I'm turning round, I don't feel safe'. It was the middle of the day."
Fiona also described scenes similar to those found on Bury New Road when the counterfeit trade had spiralled out of control, before it was closed down. "They have got lookouts," she said. "Police turn up, someone starts whistling and they're off somewhere else." Fiona regularly attends the Police and Communities Together (PACT) meetings in the city centre, where residents and businesses share their concerns to inform GMP of recurring issues. At the latest PACT meeting for the Northern Quarter, she says the strength of feeling about anti-social behaviour in the area was evident. "I was at the busiest PACT meeting I've been to, and it was all about anti-social behaviour," said Fiona. "A lot of people had videos of fighting in the middle of the day. I think it's a real issue. If you stand by the Church Street car park, there's just stuff going on openly, constantly, no question about it. I have witnessed it first hand myself and heard residents getting quite upset about it. There's a noticeable problem."
She added: "Normally at a PACT meeting, you are lucky if we get double figures, but the room was packed. People are really upset about it. There were quite a lot of businesses there, the pubs were there, residents from the Smithfield Estate - just a lot of people who were saying 'this is a real problem'." Residents are urged to report any concerns they have about anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in the area to GMP, in order to build up evidence for the force. Such intelligence ultimately led to the closure of a convenience store on Tib Street for three months, following a raid on June 1.
GMP said the raid followed reports of drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and 'associated criminality' at the premises. Anyone who enters the premises in breach of the closure order could face prosecution. Three men were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and subsequently bailed following the raid. Inspector Kam Hare, from Greater Manchester Police’s City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "This enforcement action follows ongoing concerns raised by residents and businesses across the Northern Quarter, particularly in relation to drug dealing, drug misuse, and associated anti-social behaviour. We will continue working closely with partners to gather intelligence, take targeted enforcement action, and ensure Manchester city centre remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone."
'We will take action'
Manchester council insists the issue is being taken 'very seriously'. While some people in the area face complex issues, including homelessness and substance misuse, the town hall is vowing to crack down on those who prey on those vulnerabilities for criminal means. In the longer term, the area which has become a hotspot for crime is due to be overhauled. The town hall last year approved plans to knock the multi-storey down and replace it with 300 new homes and new public spaces, in a project labelled a 'world-class development'. Glenbrook Property is currently consulting on the scheme, having purchased the car park from Manchester council.
A spokesperson for Manchester council said: "Tackling anti-social behaviour is an issue that the council takes very seriously, and we would like to reassure the public that their concerns are being heard and acted upon. Recently GMP, working with our council officers, issued a closure order against a premises in Tib Street which was connected to anti-social behaviour and other offences. We also know that many people who may congregate in this area may be sleeping rough, and dealing with a complex range of issues, such as substance misuse or poor mental health. Officers from the council are constantly on our streets in an attempt to connect with and support people away from this environment, and into safer accommodation. However, where there is clear criminality taking place we will take action alongside GMP to protect our communities, residents and businesses. Work is ongoing to transform the Church Street carpark which we recognise has become a focal point for anti-social behaviour. Preparations are taking place for its demolition and redevelopment into 300 new homes - including affordable housing - alongside new public spaces that will keep the Northern Quarter independent spirit at its heart."
Anyone with information about anti-social behaviour or drug dealing in their community can report it to GMP on 101 or online. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
