Work starts on £1.4bn Mayfield regeneration project

The Mayfield Partnership has announced construction work has now started on its £1.4bn regeneration scheme, which will include Manchester’s first new public park in over 100 years.

When finished, the previously derelict part of Manchester’s industrial heritage will be transformed to deliver 1,500 homes, 1.6m sq ft of market-leading commercial space, 300,000 sq ft of retail and leisure facilities and 14 acres of new public realm.

The regeneration scheme – one of the largest in the UK – is being led by the Mayfield Partnership, a public-private venture comprising regeneration specialist U+I, Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and developer LCR.

Earlier this year, the UK Government pledged £23m of investment from its Getting Building Fund project to Mayfield Park as part of its strategy to support ‘shovel ready’ schemes that will help to drive economic recovery following the pandemic.

Mayfield is the first scheme that has received investment to now start on site.

A park charter, created by the Mayfield Partnership in consultation with the local community and industry experts and following extensive research, will be published in spring 2021.

This will outline the Partnership’s ambition for the park and a set of promises to the people of Manchester, ensuring Mayfield Park becomes an exemplar urban public green space that endures as a safe, stimulating and sustainable place for everyone in the city long into the future.

A Friends of Mayfield Park group will also be launched early next year to ensure full community involvement and wide public engagement in the delivery of the park and kickstart meanwhile activities with local groups and charities as work progresses on site.

New Start visited the Mayfield site in April 2019 for an in-depth feature on the project.

Manchester City Council approved the first phase of the project in February.

‘This is a momentous moment for Mayfield and the people of Manchester – we are now a significant step closer to creating the city’s first new public park in over 100 years, which will be the locus of the new community that will be created in the heart of this great city,’ said U+I’s chief development officer, Richard Upton.

‘The park is for the people of Manchester and is without doubt the most important element in the whole neighbourhood, which is why we are delivering it first and we will be working closely with the community to help shape the plans for this urban oasis. The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on how vital high quality, accessible green spaces are for our wellbeing, and Mayfield Park will offer a place of solace and inspiration in the centre of Manchester long into the future.’

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham added: ‘I’m so pleased to see ground broken on the Mayfield Park development. If we needed a reminder of the importance of accessible green spaces and the benefits they can bring for our mental and physical wellbeing, this year certainly brought one.

‘A new public park can give a real lift to this part of Manchester, creating important new community assets and jobs. As part of a much wider vision for the city centre, it can help to boost our economic recovery and transform urban space for the people who live, work, and do business here.’

Photo Credit – Supplied