Manchester's first city centre park in 100 years unveiled
Mayfield Depot has been transformed into a 6.5-acre green space
Last updated 22nd Sep 2022
Manchester has a new park and it’s the first the city has seen in more than 100 years.
Mayfield Park opened its gates on Thursday afternoon to the public who were greeted by six and a half acres of greenery.
The Park itself is eco-friendly, having saved over 240 tonnes of Co2 by reusing old tyres and metal that we left on the site, and using them to create the bridges found dotted around the green space.
Councillor Bev Craig said: “It’s just fantastic to see people come and enjoy it.
“This was baron land and we want to build a new neighbourhood here but we thought rather than starting with homes or offices we’d start with a park and we’d build around it.
“This is the start, it’s not the end of the project.”
The council are hoping to add more flats and office spaces in the surrounding area, creating more than 1000 new jobs.
The Park has a river running through the heart of it that had been underground and unseen until it was restored when the park was built.
It is also home to over 100 new trees and more than 1000 new bushes and shrubs have been planted.
Pernille Olsen, an ecologist for Buro Happold, said: “The site was completely inaccessible in 2017.
“We’ve put soft edges to the river which means we’ve been able to plant native habitats which are good for wildlife, for birds, for insects, for pollinators.
“It is truly a place that wildlife will use which is rare in today’s world.”
Wildlife has been accommodated in the park, with Canadian geese, brown trout and Kingfishers being spotted in the river.
There are also bat boxes placed around the park and as well as providing sensitive lighting for them to fly around at night freely.
At the end of the park is a play area, which has an 18-metre slide that takes the user across the river, as well as a range of other slides, climbing frames and see-saws.
The park was officially opened at 12:30 on Thursday, with Councillor Bev Craig cutting the ribbon which was greeted by a cheer from Manchester school children.
In her speech just before cutting the ribbon, the Councillor said: “Manchester residents told us they wanted to see more green spaces in the city centre, and that’s what we’re doing."