Property

New park planned for Manchester as ‘green heart of Ancoats’ vision is unveiled

A big facelift for the area.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 15th February 2023

There could be a new park in Manchester if plans submitted yesterday go ahead.

Manchester City Council has proposed creating a new ‘green heart of Ancoats’ as part of the neighbourhood’s regeneration story.

It’s good news for all those who campaigned for the former Central Retail Park to be turned into a green lung, although this particular proposal is a little further away.

The planning submission focuses on three areas, including Ancoats Green, a new public realm on Prussia Street, and Jersey Green.

Ancoats Green will include walking and cycling routes from Poland Street to Butler Street, and from Portugal Street to the Rochdale Canal.

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Lit walkways will improve safety and resident comfort while travelling through the area at night.

Ancoats Green on a map
The location of Ancoats Green. Credit: Planning documents

The routes will also connect the wider community to the new ‘Ancoats Mobility Hub’, designed to reduce vehicle traffic in Ancoats.

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It’s hoped that the investment into the area will ‘encourage active travel as the natural option to move across the neighbourhood’.

The ‘green transformation’ of Ancoats includes 600 sq metres of new planting, 4800 sq metres of wildflowers, and 748 sq metres of wetland planting.

It also includes a 76% net increase in trees, with any trees removed because of disease replaced by two new trees.

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32% of the new surfaces will be made from reclaimed material, which create permeable sustainable drainage systems.

How the Ancoats Green area looks currently. Credit: Google Maps

The new public spaces will also celebrate Ancoats’ rich glass and bottle manufacturing history, which will be referenced through the design of the entrance ways and street furniture.

Ancoats Green is expected to complete by 2024, with new play areas (including accessible play equipment), open green spaces and generous footpaths.

Granite paving stones from Albert Square – removed during the Town Hall’s renovation – will be re-used here too.

Following that, Jersey Green works will commence in 2025 with improved footpaths and additional seating, and the removal of the Jersey Street Bridge to create a new green corridor.

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Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Ancoats and New Islington is a great place to live, and we want to make the area even better with more and new green spaces, and a play park for children to reflect the growing number of families living there.

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“We are committed to creating more and improved green space across the city and provide access to high quality parks close to where people live and work.

“Although this is a challenge in the city centre, this investment is a statement of our intent to deliver green space for our communities – and the proposals for Ancoats join a range of green investment either underway or completed.

“This includes the new Mayfield Park completed last year, Cotton Field Park in New Islington – which will open out to new green space at the former Central Retail Park – and Electric Park, the city’s first zero carbon green campus.

“Longer-term, the Victoria North regeneration programme will deliver 43ha of new interlocking green space from the city centre through to Collyhurst.

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“These are examples of the long-term ambition we have for Manchester to create a greener, cleaner place to live – that celebrates active travel and provides opportunities for our residents to walk and cycle through attractive green neighbourhoods.”

Featured image: Supplied

Property

Manchester United reveal first images of ambitious plans for brand-new stadium

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man United new stadium designs Old Trafford regeneration project

After much talk of whether Old Trafford would be redeveloped or an entirely new stadium would take its place, Manchester United have confirmed their plans to build a brand-new home ground and revealed the first new images.

Put simply, it looks incredible.

Not only will a 100,000 capacity see it overtake Wembley (90k) as the biggest arena in the UK but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Sports group now spearheading the rebuild of the club aim for it to become “the world’s greatest football stadium”.

Unveiling the first official images along with a CGI concept video as somewhat of a teaser trailer for the new stadium, the ‘centrepiece of the Old Trafford Regeneration’ project, Stretford and beyond are set to look very different.

The first thing to note is the striking shape of the new stadium complex; while many fans were worried designs would resemble another shiny metallic bowl shape like many other new stadiums across Europe and the globe, chief architects Foster + Partners have gone for a much different visage.

Lord Norman Foster, the company’s executive chairman, said as part of the full announcement: “This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today. It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar.

“The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square.”

Revolving around three tall spires – a trinity, if you will – the new Man United home campus will be covered by the large netting-esque feature which wraps around the main stadium structure itself.

Credit: Foster + Partners
“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport”, says Ratcliffe.

Set to cost in the region of £2 billion, it is believed the huge undertaking could be completed within the space of five years.

With support from the government as part of the official Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which Mayor Andy Burnham, the likes of Gary Neville, Lord Sebastian Coe and other notable figures serve on, the wider goal is for the redevelopment to transform the area and expand further into South Manchester.

The club claims ‘New Trafford’ (not an official name) will create 92,000 new jobs, involve the construction of 17,000 homes and bring an additional 1.8 million visitors to the area annually.

As per further particulars shared online, it is said that the ground would be visible from the Peak District and even the outskirts of Liverpool “in optimum conditions”; the tallest mast will be larger than Beetham Tower and 15.5% of the seats will be reserved for hospitality.

You can see more images of what they hope the stadium and atmosphere to look like during a night match down below:

“We are proud to be supporting that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance”. (Credit: Foster + Partners)

Although millions of fans will be torn over the decision to leave the existing ‘Theatre of Dreams’, it has been widely reported that the cost of renovating Old Trafford as fans know it today could prove almost as costly as building the new sporting arena entirely.

Commenting on the plans, the club’s legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has backed the move. He said as part of the official statement: “Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that includes the stadium we play in.

“Old Trafford holds so many special memories for me personally, but we must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where new history can be made.”

It’s also still unclear as to what will happen to Old Trafford, although the belief is that it will remain intact next to the new stadium nearby and be used for Man United Women’s fixtures as well as youth games.

You can hear Lord Foster talking through the plans and see the design in more detail down below:

The new ‘Wembley of the North’.

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Also remarking on the plans, Mayor Burnham, added. “Our common goal on the Task Force has been to try to unlock the full power of the club for the benefit of its supporters and for Greater Manchester as a whole – creating thousands of new homes and jobs.

“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012 [something he’d already said this time last year]. Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world.”

“To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realised, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the North West and the country will be huge.”

How do you feel about the plans, Reds?

Featured Images — Manchester United (via club website)

Property

Up to 7,000 new homes and a ‘major’ new urban park planned for Strangeways regeneration

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Strangeways CGI

Up to 7,000 new homes and a major new urban park are just some of the things proposed for the Strangeways regeneration scheme.

Both Manchester City Council and Salford City Council will be working in collaboration on the ambitious long-term regeneration for the Strangeways and Cambridge areas of the region, and the draft proposals have now been unveiled, outlining the vision that will ‘guide wide-scale investment and development’ across the 130-hectare location over the coming decades.  

The draft Strangeways and Cambridge proposals present a ‘high-level vision’ for the area, according to the two Councils.

The plans include up to 7,000 new homes across seven distinct ‘neighbourhood’ areas, many of which will be ‘affordable’, increased commercial floorspace of around 1.75m sqft creating 4,500 jobs, a major new urban park.

The proposals support Manchester’s target to become a zero-carbon city by 2038 and reacts to other environmental factors in the areas.

Crucially, the Councils say the proposals also reflect how HM Prison Manchester – formerly Strangeways Prison – remains a ‘significant barrier to the regeneration ambitions in this part of the city and how they will work with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) around the ‘long-term future’ of the prison.

A ‘people first’ approach to the regeneration will be prioritised, while the existing architecture and heritage buildings in the area will be celebrated.

“We know this area has challenges, but we also know that there is energy and a community brimming with potential,” commented Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council.

“We will deliver huge change in Strangeways in the coming years, working alongside the people who live and work there, and as we move to consultation in the coming weeks, we want to speak to local people and businesses about how we can make this part of the city thrive.”

Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, added: “The proposals in the framework seek to identify the best possible options for this area, which include the exciting opportunity to create a new city park for all, with an option for appropriate levels of mixed-use development, to continue to drive sustainable growth. 

“I’d urge everyone with a vested interest in this area, whether you’re a resident or business to engage with the consultation process and work with us help shape the future of this part of the city.”

In order to discuss the proposals, Salford Council’s Cabinet will meet on Tuesday 11 March and Manchester’s executives will meet on Friday 14 March.

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Following approvals from the respective Councils, public consultations will then begin at the end of March.

Featured Image – MCC & SCC

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