Co-op Live is finally about to open... but what does it mean for its neighbours?

It's been years in the making, but Co-op Live Arena's opening season has finally arrived. A 'test event' with Rick Astley headlining takes place tonight (Saturday, April 20), welcoming the first 11,000 fans to set foot in the venue at a cut-price £5 a ticket.

The schedule of full gigs starring huge acts - from Peter Kay to Barry Manilow - will attract many thousands more excited fans over the next few weeks. But for those living on the streets surrounding this vast new structure in East Manchester, which first broke ground back in 2021, 'excited' is not the only word that sums up the mood.

The arena is located at the heart of the Etihad Campus - right next to the Manchester City stadium - so it's fair to say that residents of this area have long been used to the big crowds and traffic that having a top Premier League club on your doorstep inevitably brings.

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But the prospect of evening gigs, with entertainment on up until 11pm, and more cars trying to park up around the arena is causing some trepidation. When filled to capacity, there will be up to 23,500 revellers heading inside making it the largest indoor arena in Europe.

Take a walk around some of the quiet residential streets close to the Co-op Live Arena off Alan Turing Way, and you are immediately struck by the many signs warning that these streets are 'permit holder only' zones. The Residents' Parking Scheme has been extended by the council to more streets in recent months to prepare for the arena opening.

But some who live here have been going a step further - by taking their own precautions. On Darley Street, 'do not park here' signs are visible in front of houses, with residents keen to stop people driving into the area and parking in front of their drives.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous and has a makeshift notice up requesting people do not block her drive, noted that despite the signs, selfish parking does still sometimes happen around football games. She hopes those going to the arena won't do the same.

“People try it but the sign stops it most of the time. People who come here wouldn’t like it if it was them so they shouldn’t do it to us," she says.

Late night noise is another worry. "It’s not an ideal situation really," another resident told the M.E.N about the arena opening. "At least most of the football games finish for around 6pm. The concerts won't. A lot of kids live around here and it’s not fair to them potentially being kept up later at night if there's disruption."

Sam Chambers, 32, has lived in the area for the past two years with his girlfriend and is keeping an open mind - though he has his ‘worries’ over losing the place where he parks his car due to having no driveway.

“It worries me a bit, that someone could block my car from getting out of the road or stop me from parking near my place. We just have to wait and see really."

However, he doubts there will be any issues with anti-social behaviour. "I don’t really see how people going to a concert can be any worse than people heading to a match," he adds. "Most fans are respectful and leave after, some kick off - but not all of them - so I doubt people will be angry after a concert."

Others feel residents here should know exactly what to expect by now. Jack Morris, 24, who lives near to the Etihad and also works in the area, said: "When people move around here they know they’re moving near to a football stadium and it will be noisy. Same with the arena, people knew about it as soon as (it) got planning permission.”

In the build-up to Co-op Live's opening, the residents' parking scheme was expanded further around the Etihad, covering streets in areas like Ancoats, Beswick, Bradford, Clayton, Miles Platting and Newton Heath.

Manchester City Council has confirmed that the permits are free for residents, while they can also apply for a single visitor’s permit free of charge and a second costing £5.

Lost permits will be free to replace the first time, yet Manchester City Council will charge £45 to replace it for a second time.

Manchester City Council says the highway department is issuing the permits, ensuring all residents who need one receive one and that it rolls out smoothly, yet some we spoke to were still worried about how much of a deterrent the scheme would be.

Asked what measures they will be taking to patrol these zones on gig nights, the town hall said enforcement officers will be out ensuring restrictions are being complied with on the streets.

With the prospect of extra traffic after gigs and shows also raising concerns among residents, Transport for Greater Manchester has announced that anyone with a gig ticket will be able to ride the Metrolink for free for four hours before and after shows at Co-Op Live across all four zones.

Additionally, post-event shuttle buses, also included in the ticket price, will run from the Blue car park on the Etihad campus to Piccadilly Gardens with the aim of reducing traffic and crowds after events have ended.

These initiatives will run for the Co-op Live’s opening season, up to and including June 30.

Fran Wilkinson, TfGM's Customer and Growth Director, said: "We are delighted to have partnered with Co-op Live to bring the people of Greater Manchester this groundbreaking travel offer ahead of the UK’s biggest arena opening its doors in our city centre.

"It’s vitally important that there are no barriers to people enjoying everything our city region has to offer and initiatives like this - together with our plans for a new walking route from the city centre to the Etihad Campus – demonstrate our commitment to a thriving night-time economy.

"This new offer will provide safe, reliable and sustainable transport to and from Co-op Live and I hope everyone gets on board as they head off to enjoy a show."

There is only one official car park designated for Co-op Live users, off Alan Turing Way, although this sparked confusion in the past week because while gig-goers believed they would be available to book a month before gigs, Take That fans complained they were unable to do so before the band's opening run of shows at the start of May.

Since our article covering the situation, official parking has now gone on sale for £25 a car.

Local businesses in the area are aiming to do their bit to ease the parking situation too - with pub and school car parks already used for parking for Manchester City games looking to open for Co-op Live gigs in the weeks ahead.

Local pub The Corner Shop, popular with City fans on match days, confirmed that car parking will be available there for Co-op Live events, as well as food and drinks before and after the shows at the arena. The pub, at Rylance Street, is a few minutes walk from the venue.

Mary D’s, another popular Manchester City bar, on nearby Grey Mare Lane, is also offering similar facilities on Co-Op arena nights. They will allow the use of their ‘secure car park’ as well as music to get revellers in the mood for a gig and drinks before and after concerts.

Meanwhile The Resurrection School car park has announced it will open for select gigs, including the Take That, Liam Gallagher and The Killers shows initially, charging £15 on the night, but places need to be booked in advance via their Facebook page. Julie Swatkins, 62, runs the car park and is Beswick born and bred.

"It's a good thing for us, as all the monies raised from the car park go back to the school," she says, although she wonders aloud whether residents' parking permits from the council will remain free.

"I live near here myself and it's now all permits 'round the roads here for parking. I've been here since day dot and they always said when they were building it, it would not impact on our lives. If the council ever made us pay for permits, then that would be impacting our lives," she adds.

We asked Co-op Live about some of the issues and concerns residents raised. They said there are NO ongoing complaints from residents that have been raised with them.

They added that they have an active designated resident’s online form for contact and are setting up a private, direct phone line. They also run a quarterly forum for residents, and a monthly newsletter to keep everyone updated.

Gary Roden, Executive Director and General Manager, Co-op Live: "We are dedicated to ensuring that Co-op Live does not negatively impact our residents and continue to work with residents’ groups and local councillors to ensure full and effective collaboration.

"Through ongoing consultation, we have worked with Manchester City Council to extend the Residents Parking Scheme on roads close to Co-op Live and are implementing a full noise management plan around our events.

"We continue to encourage residents to contact us through our designated contact channels, as well as our monthly residents newsletter. Any feedback received will form a key part of our ongoing development post-opening."

He added: "We value our relationship with our immediate neighbours and invite conversation at all levels. We also look forward to welcoming residents to Co-op Live courtesy of our postcode ticket ballot, which all have now received access to."

With superstar names scheduled to appear in the weeks ahead including Olvia Rodrigo, Nicki Minaj, Liam Gallagher and Elbow, some locals are simply looking forward to experiencing a concert in the vast new venue for themselves.

Olivia Powell, a university student who lives near Mary D’s bar, said: "I’m really excited for it. I managed to get tickets to Olivia Rodrigo and the fact it’s close to where I live is really good. It makes me want to get more tickets for gigs there."