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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

“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