Plans for Manchester city centre’s new public park go on display

Plans for a proposed new park in Manchester city centre have gone on display as part of a public consultation into the masterplan for the historic Mayfield district of the city.

The 6.5-acre park would be the centrepiece of the proposed £850m regeneration of the Mayfield area, which covers 24 acres of under-utilised land close to Piccadilly Station.

The site includes the disused Mayfield Railway station, its cavernous depot and the River Medlock which winds its way through the site.

The plans envisage five distinctive neighbourhoods clustered around the park and detail the retention of the main historic buildings on the site. These include the Mayfield Station including its platforms, the Mayfield Depot and the associated railway arches which form the site boundary along Temperance Street.

The plans are being promoted by the Mayfield Partnership – a joint venture between LCR, Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and regeneration specialist U+I – which has published a new Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the city centre site.

The SRF is a formal planning document which broadly outlines what the Partnership wishes to develop on the site.

James Heather, development director at U+I, said: “We are very keen to hear people’s views of our outline proposals and hope to welcome many people along to our exhibitions. We know from the feedback we’ve received so far, on our social media channels for example, that people share our fascination with the site and the opportunities it brings.

“Mayfield is a site like no other in the city centre and we are going to create something genuinely unique which all people of the city can enjoy.”

The Temperance Street display, opening next week, features a winter wood display to reflect the new green space which would be created by the development.

The framework outlines the development principles the Partnership will pursue to deliver its vision of creating “a world-class, transformational, distinctive and imaginative commercially-led neighbourhood, anchored by Mayfield park, which will become a powerhouse of socio-economic productivity”.

If adopted by Manchester City Council, the SRF will guide the site’s development by setting a vision and key design parameters which will become a material consideration for decisions on future detailed planning applications.

The draft framework was approved for consultation by Manchester City Council’s Executive on February 7. A period of formal public consultation has now begun.

Following this consultation, an updated document, incorporating comments from the public, will be presented to the Executive later in the year for consideration for final adoption.

U+I was formally appointed as the development partner for Mayfield in December, 2016.