A photo of this view was actually taken during 2024 and we felt it was time for an update.

The location is Sheffield Street/ Baird Street/ Portugal Street East behind Piccadilly Station.

The top photo is from 2009 and shows an area that, at the time, was largely dominated by low rise light industrial uses, car parking, and very little residential.

The bottom photo is from early 2025 and shows the scale of change that has taken place in recent years, supported by the Portugal Street East Masterplan which seeks to regenerate and transform the neighbourhood surrounding the train station and create a sense of place for the area.

This includes Olympian’s under construction Fairfax development which comprises 488 apartments in 23 and 29 storey towers; Packaged Living’s The Castings; Forshaw Land & Property Group Ltd and Salboy’s Victoria House; and, just out of view to the left, Crusader Mill by Capital&Centric - a total of 1,000 new homes.

Alongside this it also shows the alterations to Sheffield Street along with the Transport for Greater Manchester East Manchester Metrolink line which opened in 2013.