It started with a Facebook post about needing to settle debts, and has divided a community ever since
Chorlton Irish Club pictured in 2021(Image: Google Maps)
Two weeks into the first Covid-19 lockdown, trustees of the Chorlton Irish Club posted a letter on Facebook.
It said they were going to sell the Irish Association Social Club (IASC), to give the High Lane venue its official title, to help pay off debts. Within an hour of news emerging at 6.21pm on April 6, 2020, there was heartbreak.
“So sorry to read this, I have always had a warm welcome and a great night when visiting your centre,” one fan said. Another added: “Gutted.”
A row was about to break out. The next 2,146 days have been filled with uncertainty for the club. But on Friday (Feb 20), dignitaries opened 29 new flats on its old car park.
They not only represent an ongoing council commitment to build 10,000 ‘genuinely affordable homes’. They also represent the beginning of the end of the row which tore through Chorlton Irish Club.
The club was a popular spot for comics, but it also hosted a vegan fair in 2014(Image: Manchester Evening News)
After announcing the sale, IASC trustees struck a deal with Southway Housing to sell off the club’s car park in 2021, something which bosses were ‘extremely happy’ about.
“The agreement will see affordable housing provided within the community, enable IASC to clear all their debts and see the club and some parking retained for the benefit and future use of its members,” said trustees.
Members in the Friends of Chorlton Irish Club claimed the agreement was made ‘without consulting the club’s membership’.
As time passed, Southway finalised its plans for 29 affordable flats. Even securing much-needed housing proved tricky, with neighbours fearing car parking chaos and a loss of light with the proposed four-storey block.
Lib Dem councillor John Leech, who sat on Manchester’s planning committee at the time, said the club will be left with just 13 parking spaces if the car park is built on. He said: “I just don’t see how realistically on a busy event at the Irish Club there wouldn’t be complete chaos outside.”
Emerald Way resident Maimuna Ndow with Jeff Smith, MP for Manchester Withington (left) and John Bowker, Southway Housing Trust Chief Executive (right)(Image: Southway Housing)
The move did get approval and work began as planned. There was time for one final twist in the tale last year, when the IASC appointed Metis to formally sell the club. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the property is under offer, although details of the potential buyer remain scarce.
That brings us to last Friday, when the first families moved into the 29 shared ownership homes built by Southway, aptly named Emerald Way.
Jeff Smith MP was ‘really pleased’ to see ‘shared ownership schemes like this’, calling them ‘a great way to help people onto the housing ladder who might otherwise not be able to afford to buy their own home’.
One new resident, Maimuna Ndow, was delighted. She said: “I love Chorlton and coming back here brings back a lot of happy memories. It has a lot of history and there are lot of great nature walks in the area.”
She added: “Since moving into Emerald Way I have discovered even more about the great vibe Chorlton has and it’s a really chilled place to live. I have had fun going out for food and drinks with friends.”
It may be that Maimuna would like to visit the club next door but it remains closed. And almost five years on from that Facebook post, its future remains uncertain.