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Castlefield Viaduct ‘sky park’ receives £2.75m funding towards major extension

More green goodness is on the way.

Emily Sergeant - 9th July 2025

The National Trust has today announced an exciting development in the transformation of Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct.

The New York-inspired elevated urban park on the giant Grade II-listed Victorian viaduct in the heart of the city centre officially opened to the public back in July 2022, and has been an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life ever since… but now, it’s time for the next phase of the journey, and a significant proportion of the funding needed for this project has been secured.

National Highway’s Historical Railways Estate Team, working in partnership with the National Trust has committed £2.4 million to fund a significant part of the structural and foundation work for ‘Phase 2’ of the project.

A further £100,000 will be funded by Manchester City Council, £100,000 has been pledged by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and a grant of £150,000 is also being given to the project from the Railway Heritage Trust.

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The funding will go towards increasing the scale of the current ‘sky park’ experience and turning it into a nature-rich through route, including the addition of The WaterAid Garden – a gold medal-winning garden from last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Other supporters and funders are now being urged to donate to cover the remaining amount needed to ‘green up’ the extension.

As it stands, current visitors to the viaduct can walk through a series of spaces and gardens before coming to an untouched and overgrown section of the structure beyond a glass wall, and it’s this untouched section where the Phase 2 transformation will take place to extend the viaduct experience for visitors from 150-metres to more than 350-metres.

Plans include winding paths through planted areas to encourage people to take time out from the busy city below and connect with nature.

A second entry and exit point will also be added to the west side of Mancunian Way via a lift and stairway, turning it into a through route for the very-first time, and making it more accessible for people with limited mobility.

A longer-term masterplan could see the viaduct join up to other areas of the city, increasing access towards Salford and Trafford, and taking the benefits way beyond the physical structure of the viaduct in Castlefield.

“This funding is brilliant news for Castlefield – a hugely inspiring project to bring nature and green space to communities across Manchester,” commented Hilary McGrady, who is the Director-General of the National Trust.

“Its popularity over the past few years demonstrates how residents and visitors to the city value access to the outdoors and experiencing nature up-close in an innovative industrial heritage setting.

“This is something we want to continue and do more and more of in the years to come, and that is why this funding is so important.

Read more:

• Manchester’s new ‘sky park’ on Castlefield Viaduct opens
• The first new Manchester city centre park in 100 years has finally opened
• Authorities are preparing to ‘turn the tide’ on Greater Manchester’s housing crisis

“Our aim over the next 10 years is to ensure more people have access to nature particularly in our towns and cities, and to bring nature to people’s doorsteps wherever they live.”

Featured Image – Paul Harris (via National Trust)