Manchester City Council have unveiled plans to buy up the comedy club owned by late comedian Bernard Manning and turn it into a state-of-the-art ‘community health hub’.
The Embassy Club on Rochdale Road in Harpurhey was most recently owned by Manning’s son Bernard Manning Jr. He first put the building up for sale in 2014 – with its future hanging in the balance ever since.
Now discussions are entering their final stage for the Council to purchase the historic venue and its land after being approached by the current owner about their intention to sell.
Opened by Manning in 1959, the Embassy became one of the UK’s best-known working men’s clubs and a significant stop on the comedy circuit. Over the decades, it hosted household names including Les Dawson, Ken Dodd and Peter Kay, alongside countless touring acts.
But it was also closely associated with Manning’s brand of often racially-charged stand-up material, for which he was criticised. Manning died in 2007, aged 76.
Under the proposed plans, the site would be redeveloped into a brand new health centre and community hub for Harpurhey residents. The project would tie into the area’s wider regeneration framework, which aims to deliver more than 300 new homes and improvements to local amenities.
The development is also expected to incorporate adjacent council-owned land along Rochdale Road, positioning the scheme as a gateway to the wider Harpurhey area and supporting further investment set out in the Local Infrastructure Plan.
Improving health and wellbeing in Harpurhey is said to have been identified as a key priority, with the new hub forming part of the Council’s wider Making Manchester Fairer programme, which seeks to tackle health inequality across the city.
The plans come alongside other long-term investment, including the recently announced Pride in Place project, which will deliver £20m to Harpurhey over the next decade, with funding directed by local residents towards neighbourhood priorities.
Councillor Gavin White, Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council, said: “Whilst we are still finalising the plans for the final purchase of this site, it sends out a message that we as a Council are committed to investing in our communities and improving health across the city.
“Providing high quality and accessible healthcare is vital. By centring them in the heart of our communities we are making it easier for people to see their GP, a practice nurse or to access a range of services that will improve their lives in the long run.
“We are excited to be able to bring forward this development, and to keep our residents in Harpurhey updated as it progresses.”
The proposed health hub also coincides with the upcoming Healthy Happy Harpurhey festival on March 22, which will see community walks, fitness and dance workshops, health checks and sports sessions taking place across the neighbourhood, aimed at encouraging residents to take steps towards better health.
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