First phase of 113-acre Manchester park opens

The 2.7-acre St Catherine’s Wood, part of the emerging 5,000-home Red Bank neighbourhood within Victoria North, welcomed its first visitors on Friday.

Manchester City Council and Victoria North development partner FEC unveiled the city’s newest park at an event last week that gathered local stakeholders to the previously forgotten patch of woodland next to the River Irk.

Accessed via a pre-existing bridge off Collyhurst Road, the site has been transformed using part of a £51.6m Housing Infrastructure Fund grant from Homes England and £7m from the GMCA.

The park features accessible paths lined with gabion walling that wind up through the wood to an elevated plateau above via stepped, circular walkways and open spaces for relaxation and small events.

Three endangered Manchester poplar trees – a variant of the black poplar – have been planted as part of the park’s development. The scheme is the first element of a proposed 113-acre City River Park that will weave through Victoria North along the Irk connecting various underused public spaces.

St Catherine’s Wood, named after a now-demolished church of the same name that was located nearby, sits between the Irk and the development platforms created for future phases of Red Bank that the remainder of the Homes England grant paid for.

Found, FEC’s in-house neighbourhood management team, will be responsible for the day-to-day care and stewardship of the woodland.

Planit designed the project. Credit: via MCC

Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “This is a triumphal milestone for the Victoria North regeneration programme that is transforming this part of Manchester, while creating the latest city centre urban park.

“We know how important access to brilliant green spaces is to our residents and St Catherine’s Wood is the green heart to the major development across the Red Bank neighbourhoods – as well as Collyhurst and Cheetham that are both on the doorstep of this fantastic new park.”

He added: “Victoria North is a new town in our city – and St Catherine’s Wood is only a taste of what’s to come.”

The 5,000-home Red Bank is one of seven neighbourhoods planned at Victoria North, a 390-acre masterplan that could deliver 15,000 homes over the coming years. It is shortlisted as a potential new town by the government.

BAM Nuttall was the main works contractor for the new park, on site since September 2022 and designed by Planit.

St Catherine’s Wood is the latest new greenspace to launch in Manchester, following Mayfield Park. Another two new parks are planned as part of the future redevelopment of Manchester Business Centre off Water Street and the former Central Retail Park off Great Ancoats Street. A refresh of Ancoats Green completed recently, while work to improve Piccadilly Gardens is ongoing.

The park is the first phase of a wider 113-acre initiative. Credit: via MCC

Hilary Brett, development director at FEC, said: “The opening of St Catherine’s Wood is a landmark moment for Victoria North and for the communities that already call this part of Manchester home.

“As the first phase of the City River Park vision, it creates a significant new green space for Manchester that can be enjoyed by people today, while laying the foundations for the greener, healthier and better-connected neighbourhoods that sit at the heart of Victoria North.

“Manchester City Council has created a fantastic new space for the city, demonstrating the transformative role that early investment in green infrastructure can play in shaping places.”

Matt Stirton, principal landscape architect at Planit, said: “Transforming an overgrown and inaccessible woodland in the heart of Manchester into a safe and accessible space for local residents and visitors to enjoy has been extremely rewarding.

“The existing woodland has been enhanced with over 60 new semi-mature trees, including one of Britain’s rarest native trees, the Manchester Poplar. At ground level, a rich biodiverse field layer of woodland planting will take root, attracting pollinators and providing a valuable wildlife habitat.”

He added: “Visitors will benefit from accessible routes through the woodland with new lighting, wayfinding and educational boards providing insight into the area’s history and wildlife. Benches and viewpoints across the site will offer places to pause and enjoy framed views of the city.”