Manchester Cathedral want to hold a Christmas market, but the police and council aren't happy

Both police and council officers have hit out at a plan from Manchester Cathedral to hold a Christmas market.

The cathedral wants to host its own festive event on November 7, featuring a series of chalets and bars along Cathedral Street — which it owns. But GMP is concerned over how ‘public safety will be managed and the exact area where the market will be located’.

And the council’s licensing team says it is worried about the ‘lack of a layout plan for the event, how numbers will be monitored and prevented from leaving the site with alcohol, and that there is no market licence or street trading licence in place to cover the event’. Their disquiet has been revealed in documents newly released to the public ahead of a crunch meeting between the parties, scheduled for Wednesday (June 19).

READ MORE: The controversial Greater Manchester restaurant that won't be seen again

“There is no mention as to how they are to manage customers that are wanting to take alcohol away from the area,” GMP’s objection, written by PC Hussain, says. “How are they to manage the public safety of customers along Cathedral Street if service vehicles are to pass?

“The chalets are to be situated on the pavement and on the opposite side of the businesses have their tables and chairs set up meaning customers will be walking in the middle of the cobbled road.

“It is unclear if the chalets are to be placed on the grass that is part of the Cathedral or on the grass section that is bumpy and contains trees. How are they to manage the footpath area also and also how are they to manage this section to stop people taking alcohol away?”

Manchester City Council’s objection, written by Tracy Hill, adds: “The application states it is for a maximum of 499 people but the application does not state how this would be monitored [or] make any mention of any provision to prevent customers leaving with their drinks.

“Any customer leaving with a drink would be breaching the public spaces protection order in place in Manchester city centre and could be seen as undermining the licensing objective ‘to prevent a public nuisance’.

“The intended market area is not covered by the Cathedral Licence so will need to be covered by a TEN [temporary events notice] and a Market Rights Licence or individual Street Traders Licences to allow this activity to take place.”

The one-day-event is not connected to the Manchester Christmas Markets which are organised by the council and take over swathes of the city centre.

The Cathedral says it has submitted the application now to ‘respond to any criticism or concerns and make sure we get this right’.

A spokesperson said: “Manchester Cathedral has stood at the heart of the city centre and its events for hundreds of years.

“Last year we trialled the opening of a small festive bar within the Cathedral grounds as part of the Christmas markets, and received positive feedback from those who visited. This year we would like to create a family friendly Christmas village around the Cathedral, and it is our intention to work with the city council and the wider area to stage something that enhances the Christmas market experience in our city.

“It will also contribute towards the annual £1.4 million running costs of our Grade I listed Cathedral. We have submitted this application now, as opposed to later in the year, so we can respond to any criticism or concerns and make sure we get this right.”