Better market conditions in Manchester
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THE f3÷m. abattoir opened by the Minister of Agriculture at Manchester last week means greatly improved working conditions for operators bringing livestock into the market there and for those taking out meat supplies. The new building replaces the city's Water Street slaughterhouse.
Claimed to be the most modern abattoir in Europe, the plant has a capacity of 800 cattle. 1,000 pigs and 5,000 sheep in a working day. It is located at Philips Park, about two miles from the city centre. Livestock arrive at the east, end of the 20-acre site, either by road or rail. Both road and rail ramps feed into a 10,000 sq. ft. access platform and vehicle-turning area, outside the first floor entrance to the lairage. Accommodation is provided, with reception pens, for 1,500 cattle, 6,000 sheep and 800 pigs.
The market itself is a single-storey polygonal building, with an open delivery area of 210 ft. diameter at the centre. The plan shape was chosen so that all 57 stalls would have equal facilities for loading and access. The central area is reached by collection vehicles through an underpass.
A separate approach is made to the poultry hall, a curved two-storey block apart from the meat market but planned concentrically with it. There are 28 offices on the first floor and the same number of shops on the ground floor, all with central corridor access but with rear doors for dispatch purposes.