Image: Manchester City Council
Ancoats Green will reopen to the public this weekend (Saturday 17 May) following a major refurbishment project that has now been completed at the city park.
The investment is part of a wider £40m public realm programme creating a new focal point for the neighbourhood alongside further public space that seamlessly links the newly opened Ancoats Mobility Hub and the Council’s first This City housing development at No. 1 Ancoats Green. The public realm projects are also helping to unlock 1,500 new homes -including more than 500 under construction by Manchester Life.
The renewed park space includes high quality multi-functional open spaces for the community, new play areas with accessible equipment, open grassed areas, generous footpaths and space for small events.
New walking and cycling routes connecting the park to the wider city centre will encourage active travel, along with significant new planting and increased biodiversity – including wildflower areas a new trees.
Ancoats green transformation in numbers:
- 1.06ha renewed park space
- 2823m2 of wildflower meadow planting
- 420m2 of new planted areas
- 63% net increase in trees – any trees removed (either due to disease or those with a limited life span) have been replaced 2:1
- Highly sustainable design with many of new surfaces made from reclaimed materials to create a permeable drainage system
The project has looked to celebrate the industrial heritage of the area, including referencing historic flint glass works in the park features. Upcycled materials from both the Our Town Hall and Albert Square project and walling stone from the former Prussia Canal arm that once ran through the park have successfully be re-used throughout the park. Reclaimed granite setts have also been incorporated into the spaces, while salvaged building stone has been used for seating areas across the park.
A family friendly community event will take place on Saturday 17 May celebrating the reopening of the park space, hosted by This City.
Funding for the project was received through Homes England, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority via the Brownfield Land Fund, and the City Council.
The Ancoats Regeneration Story
The public realm investment is part of the latest phase of the Ancoats Regeneration programme continues the internationally renowned regeneration of the neighbourhood.
The Green, alongside the now open Ancoats Mobility Hub, which will be managed by APCOA is helping to underpin the development of 1,500 new homes in this part of the city centre, including the Council’s first This City development at No. 1 Ancoats Green where the first homes are expected to be completed this summer, which includes 30% affordable housing capped at the Manchester Living Rent.
This phase of Ancoats investment aims to create a strong sense of place and a low-traffic, pedestrian first neighbourhood for the ongoing residential development that will bring this chapter of investment to a close.
The Ancoats Green redevelopment was designed by Planit and the key contractor was Alined Construction Ltd.
The Ancoats Mobility Hub and This City’s No. 1 Ancoats Green development was designed by Buttress Architects. The Hub was delivered by Bowmer and Kirkland and No.1 Ancoats Green is being built by Wates Construction Limited.
Leader of the Council Bev Craig said:
“We’re on a mission to invest more in our parks and green spaces. With over 150 parks and green spaces in Manchester, Ancoats Green is the latest park in our city centre to be created or refurbished to make sure our residents have access to brilliant green spaces. The Green will be the heart of this community, a place local people can take pride in, spend time with family and friends, and find a respite from the bustle of the city – all in a low traffic, sustainable neighbourhood.“This is also part of a £40m public realm investment in this part of Ancoats – including the new Mobility Hub – which is helping to unlock the next phase of regeneration in the neighbourhood – and the final chapters of a regeneration story going back two decades.
“Building on the Ancoats success story the next phase of investment will see 1,500 new homes built, which includes the Council’s first This City housing development at No. 1 Ancoats Green that will complete in the next few months – helping to increase access to genuinely affordable homes in the city centre.
“Ancoats Green is a great example of the council investing more in the priorities that residents tell us they want to see and is a beautiful addition to this area of the city. “
Anna Marohn, Principal Landscape Architect comments from Planit:
“It’s been a real privilege to work on delivering the new Ancoats Green. A verdant space in the heart of Manchester city centre for the community, celebrating the area’s rich heritage and with sustainability at its core.“The dramatic enhancements will see an increase in Biodiversity. The use of wildflower meadows, structural herbeacous planting, addition of 41 new trees, bug hotels and bird boxes integrated creatively throughout the space, will encourage nature back into the city. Climate resilient and reclaimed materials have been used extensively throughout the park, including SUDS with rain gardens located within the green, and porous asphalt for the footpaths.
“Many of the parks’ surface materials are reclaimed – using granite setts from the renovation works at nearby Albert Square and old coping stones – to create bespoke seating elements.
“The dramatic enhancements will offer the existing and future community a place to dwell, play, exercise and socialise for future generations to come.”
Commenting on their role in the design work for the Ancoats Mobility Hub, This City’s No.1 Ancoats Green development and Eliza Yard for ManchesterLife, Matthew Burl, Buttress director said: “The opening of the Ancoats Mobility Hub is about so much more than mobility. It’s about giving streets back to people, creating space for community life to flourish, and embedding sustainability into the everyday experience of the city. It’s been a privilege to help shape this important project for our own local neighbourhood of Ancoats. Our new housing development for This City, No1. Ancoats Green, is due to be finished this summer and Eliza Yard for Manchester Life will complete in the spring next year. Both will add thoughtfully designed apartments and townhouses to complement all of the benefits of Ancoats life and the new park.”
Designed by Buttress for Manchester Life Development Company on behalf of Manchester City Council, the Eliza Yard project reuses an existing surface car park in Ancoats, creating a unique new residential location that will contribute to the ongoing regeneration of the area. It is being built by Sisk.
