U+I prepares to welcome people back to Mayfield

The historic 24-acre site in Manchester city centre, near to Piccadilly station, will re-open to the public next month as a street-food destination and workspace with a small community garden. [GALLERY]

The Partnership’s long-term plan for Mayfield is to create an £850m mixed-use community over the next 10 years, delivering 1,300 homes, 800,000 sq ft of office space, a 350-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure facilities and a park. An amended strategic regeneration framework for the site is set for review in October.

The temporary use for the site was granted planning consent earlier this month and temporary shipping containers will be installed on the land next to the former Mayfield train station on Baring Street, housing street-food traders at ground level with offices on the upper floors.

The weekly street-food fair, put on by Grub Manchester, will include six traders, along with craft beers created by Manchester’s Runaway Brewery. The food fair will initially operate every Friday and Saturday from 12 noon to 10pm and every Sunday from 12 noon to 8pm.

The opening will also mark the start of a project to create a community garden on the site, overseen by the Green Health Alliance, which is made up of Growing in the City, Men’s Shed Project, Hulme Community Garden Centre, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group’s Real Food Wythenshawe, Debdale Eco Centre and The Green Fingers Debdale.

U+I, the development partner to the Mayfield Partnership joint venture, will move its Manchester office from Jordan Street to a shipping container overlooking the regeneration site.

The Mayfield buildings were last in regular use in 1984 when the Royal Mail operated a parcel depot from the site.

Richard Upton, deputy chief executive of U+I, said: “We are deliberately starting small and will provide the conditions for Mayfield to grow in the coming months and years. For now, we are simply looking forward to welcoming people back to Mayfield.”

U+I was confirmed as the developer for the £850m project last October, chosen by the Mayfield Partnership, made up of London & Continental Railways, Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester.

The community and workspace facilities have been designed by architect Studio Egret West, masterplanner to the project.

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