Manchester United legend Gary Neville has confessed that he made a "huge mistake" in his development project in the center of Manchester, which cost £400 million or about $510 million.
Neville is a wealthy businessman who has become well-known for his punditry work on Sky Sports. He is the co-owner of Salford City, a League Two team that has been promoted four times in nine years and is engaged in a number of other real estate projects.
Expensive Plan for Manchester
In 2016, Neville and fellow Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs revealed plans to redevelop Jackson's Row in the center of Manchester into an estate called St. Michael's. Neville proposed a mixed-use building with a five-star hotel, apartments, offices, and dining establishments.
Campaigners voiced fear that the idea would destroy Manchester's precious heritage. Thus they opposed the initiative.
According to Mirror, when Neville first got the idea, he planned to knock down the historic Sir Ralph Abercromby tavern, but now he realizes it was a "huge mistake."
It has been around 18 months since Neville and his partners in the company began working on a revamped strategy. The former England defender is optimistic that the initiative, which he calls a "bumpy ride," would result in the creation of 2,200 permanent employment and an additional 700 construction positions.
Neville was a guest on the BBC show Wake Up To Money, where he elaborated on the strategy. He claims that difficulties have persisted throughout for several reasons.
Late Realization
In 2018, the proposal gained approval. When asked about the project's planning problems, Neville said that he acknowledged the mistake he made and took responsibility for them. But he is certain that it would usher in huge economic prosperity and make housing more accessible to those on lower incomes.
Mirror reported that although he is pleased and proud of this project, Neville admits he now wishes he had not tried to destroy the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub. He added, "I don't know why or how I was thinking that at the time."
In his own words, "I love old buildings, I have always renovated old buildings, the idea that we looked at that pub and the front of Bootle Street police station and thought we should knock it down, that was a huge mistake... I have openly admitted that we got it wrong but we have been corrected and we have owned up to our mistakes and we are now on site."
Sir Ralph Abercromby is an old Manchester bar that dates back to the 18th century and is said to have been included in the BBC series Life on Mars. It has been said that the inspiration for the bar in the hit television show came from the tavern that Neville planned to demolish.
