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City park will be 'catalyst' for development

Gemma Sherlock & Richard Stead
BBC News, Manchester
BBC A metal structure sits in a fenced area, surrounding by orange, yellow and purple poles. It is a sunny blue sky, with trees and tall buildings in the distance. A man wearing a blue hard hat and hi-vis jacket can be seen entering the structure. BBC
Ancoats Green park features the only slide in the city accessible to wheelchair users, the council says

An industrial wasteland which has been transformed into a "beautiful green" parkland will become the "catalyst" for major redevelopment works, a councillor has said.

Ancoats Green park will be equipped with open spaces, new play areas and accessible equipment when it opens on 17 May.

It forms part of a wider £40m Manchester City Council programme to redevelop the Ancoats area of the city centre.

Council leader Bev Craig said the new parkland space gave "a real chance to regenerate an area of the city that has sat empty for too long".

Play areas with accessible equipment - including the city's only slide for wheelchair users - open grassed areas, footpaths and space for small events, all form part of the new city centre park.

A woman with short, blonde hair, smiles at the camera. She is wearing black-rimmed glasses, a grey blazer and a black top and necklace. Behind her is orange, yellow and purple poles forming a fence, and trees and grass.
Council leader Bev Craig says the new city centre park will make the future developments surrounding it more attractive

Its opening supports the building of 1,500 new homes nearby.

The first council-owned This City housing development at No. 1 Ancoats Green is expected to be completed this summer.

Craig said: "We were really keen to take a bit of land that people didn't know much about, that had grass on it but was hidden away, and work with the local community to create nice play facilities and a lovely space.

"We have turned this area into what will be a thriving place for people to live."

A playground with a swing set, roundabout sits in the centre. A green patch of grass and wildflowers sits to the right. Blue skies, trees and tall buildings can be seen in the distance.
The site lay derelict since closing down in 2019

The project has used upcycled materials throughout, including referencing historical flint glass works in the park features.

Lindsay Humblet, from Planit Architects who helped design the park, told BBC Radio Manchester: "The biggest is the huge new slide which sits within a 10 metre bottle, and we did find the original wine bottle which is hard to believe but it came from the site.

"We want to create a place for everybody."

A man with dark and grey hair, wearing a white shirt and green blazer, looks at the camera on a sunny day. Behind him is a sandy colour path, grass and trees, and in the distance are tall buildings.
Lindsay Humblet, part of the design team, says he hopes the community will be proud of the space

Mr Humblet added: "I hope there will be an ownership and a pride around this space for years to come."

The park has been funded by Homes England, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority via the Brownfield Land Fund, and the city council.

A community event will take place on 17 May to celebrate the park's opening, hosted by This City.

CORRECTION - 16 May 2025: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Central Retail Park was opening on 17 May rather than Ancoats Green.

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