Manchester’s Mayfield Park opens Thursday
The public will soon be able to explore the 6.5-acre park, the first of its kind in the city centre in more than 100 years.
Mayfield Park is the first phase of the £1.4bn Mayfield project, which comprises 1.6m sq ft of commercial space, 1,500 homes, and 300,000 sq ft of retail and leisure.
Designed by Studio Egret West, Mayfield Park sits off Baring Street by Manchester Piccadilly and will be open to the public at 12:30pm on 22 September. It is being delivered by the Mayfield Partnership, which includes developer U+I, Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and LCR.
The park sits on brownfield, with the River Medlock winding through it. The park’s construction also saw this part of the River Medlock uncovered for the first time in 50 years.
Embracing the river landscape, Mayfield Park includes nearly 54,000 sq ft of riverside habitat geared towards boosting biodiversity in the area by supporting fish and insect populations. Bats and birds will also have areas to enjoy, including 146 new trees.
Main contractor PP O’Connor began work on the park in December 2020. The park’s project team includes civil and structural engineer Civic Engineers, river engineer Buro Happold, contractor landscape architects Gillespie and Layer.studio, landscape contractor Ashlea Landscapes, playground designer Massey + Harris, project manager Faithful + Gould, and planner Deloitte.
Mayfield Park is meant to boost biodiversity in the area by providing habitats for local wildlife. Credit: Studio Egret West
Far more city centre parks are needed for growing city centre population living in small apartments with no space for exercise, children to play or dogs to run around.
By Anonymous
Fantastic. It’s the wrong end of town for me but amazing news for anybody in this area.
By Thumbs Up
Any patch of green in the city centre has to be welcome. Now let’s get the rest of Mayfield underway.
By Anonymous
Another poster child for the success of Manchester’s regeneration
By Anonymous
After having had the opportunity to get a sneak peek around the park, this is really exciting news. It will be a huge asset to Manchester’s city centre, and will almost certainly be extremely busy from the moment it opens – highlighting how much the city centre has been lacking in this sort of quality public open space.
Looking forward to visiting with my kids (the question is, who will be brave enough to go down that impressive slide over the river!)
By Jen Potter
Any baby swings? There’s none at Hulme Park
By Phi
Well done all involved. Great for the city.
By Simon
They need a few more sites like this all over the city centre and preferably turn the remaining car parks into green spaces including the ones around NQ, Gay Village and China Town. And of course move the met underground and replace with walking/cycling routes.
By Anonymous
Fantastic! Can’t wait to have a wander round
By Steve
Great news, looking forward to visiting it.
Manchester has lost so many green spaces in the past few decades hopefully this is one of the first to reverse the trend.
By Peter Chapman
@Peter Chapman – curious to know what green spaces Manchester has lost in recent decades? I can think of loads of brownfield sites, surface parks and other post-industrial derelict sites, but green sites?
By Simon C
This is great to see, utilising empty space by making it greener!
By Matt Vibrant Parks
Would like to see a lot more street 🌳 tree planting throughout Greater Manchester.
Enhances areas and helps deal with vehicle emissions and provides shade.
By Manc
Will we now get Manchester overgrown bushes etc cut back after spending billions and 2 years doing this park
By Anonymous
IS there dedicated parking? All parks of a reasonable size have family parking, Heaton Park, Roundhay Park, Battersea Park.
By YS
@YS. There’s car parks nearby and plus there’s a very big railway station with the Metrolink too.
By SW
YS- on your comment about parking Heaton Park and Roundway Park are nowhere near their city centres. Mayfield should be one of the best connected parks around in terms of public transport and we should be actively discouraging people from driving into the city centre wherever possible. Really looking forwards to enjoying this Park hope it’s the first of many new green spaces for Manchester
By Anonymous
There’s parking on Baring Street but it may not be enough, parking onn Temperance Street is not advisable
By MancMan
It’s 6.5 acres…hardly Heaton Park sized. It will be aimed at the locals and the office workers, of which there will be many when they move onto the next phase.
By Anonymous
Re Simon C… Hough end, Christie Fields, Nell Lane, Piccadilly gardens, whitworth park have all been completely built on or had part of their green space eroded.
By Peter Chapman
@Peter Champman none of which are in the city centre barring Piccadilly Gardens. There are many green places in Greater Manchester which are the same distance away from the city centre of those that you have mentioned.
By New Wave
Hopefully one of many schemes that is needed in the city centre. Empty car parks including Central Retail Park next please.
By Anonymous
Yes!!!!!!!!!!
By Martyn
Fantastic. It’ll make such a difference.
Most large Victorian cities were designed at a time when green lungs : recreational space was understood. It’ll be a challenge to create another couple of city centre parks, but so necessary
By Owen Cooper
Looks brilliant,well done to all involved.
Hopefully it’ll stay a nice plesent Park with non of the badness around piccadilly gardens.
By Pete in the city
This is amazing… but the city centre needs a few more of these before we can really start celebrating.
Central Retail Park next?!
By Anonymous
Hello. Can we have Piccadilly Gardens back too?
By Anonymous
Can I Cycle around Mayfield park ?
By Iain Greenwood .