Image: Trafford Council
Longford Park in Stretford, Trafford has received funding to improve the park for local residents, visitors and wildlife in the long term.
After the council was awarded a grant of over £3 million thanks to National Lottery players, through The National Lottery Heritage Fund in February 2024 as part of a wider £6m project, formal permission to start work at Longford Park has now been granted by the Heritage Fund.
This will involve the recruitment of new staff to engage the local community with activities planned in the park, the appointment of the project design team to fine tune the plans and costs, plus the selection of the contractor to deliver the physical improvements at the park.
Construction works, which will begin in 2025, include reinvigorated heritage buildings, reintroducing Longford Brook at the surface as part of a sustainable drainage system, plus improvements to footpaths, entrances, Pets Corner, play and sports facilities. Proposals aim to boost biodiversity in the park and make it more resilient to the impacts of climate change, as well as highlighting its rich built and social heritage.
A multi-themed programme of activities designed to attract and sustain visitors, volunteers and community involvement will be delivered alongside this work.
The permission to start comes at an exciting time for Longford Park. Recently, the gardening group from Friends of Longford Park created a garden of reflection under one of the art deco shelters. Featuring new plants courtesy of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund, benches commemorating the victims of the Manchester Arena attack and a mosaic, the garden is perfect for a moment of tranquillity.
Trafford Council are also providing Friends of Longford Park with two new water butts to help them water plants in their project spaces more easily and sustainably using rainfall. These are expected to be installed in the coming weeks.
Councillor Liz Patel, Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration at Trafford Council, commented: “This is a really exciting time for the future of Longford Park, as we celebrate being granted permission to start putting the steps in place for our plans for construction and community engagement work. I’d like to thank the Friends of Longford Park group for their ongoing work to help keep this important community space looking its best, and always being innovative when it comes to works on-site.”
Richard Bond, Chair of Friends of Longford Park, added: “Our gardening group has transformed a neglected area of the Park, working in four tons of top soil, planting up and sourcing two benches and a mosaic – it illustrates how a small group can achieve results that make a big difference.”
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “It is wonderful news that thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, work can begin to improve Longford Park for local people and visitors. Regenerating and conserving public parks is a priority for the Heritage Fund as we are committed to promoting environmentally sustainable heritage for everyone to access and enjoy for years to come.”
Why not head down to Longford Park and see for yourself? The community allotment group on-site are hosting an open day on Sunday 29 September, so there’s never been a better time to pop down and see what’s going on.
Find out more about Longford Park: Longford Park (trafford.gov.uk).
