The plans for a new green space in Manchester have been put to the public in a consultation lasting just under a month. Major investment at Ancoats Green is now underway to create a much-improved city centre park space as part of the closing chapter of the regeneration of Ancoats that began more than 20 years ago, alongside the redevelopment of the retail site adjacent to Cotton Field Park at New Islington Marina to make a new city centre park.
Open from Tuesday 27 August, the consultation will gather feedback from local residents, businesses and other stakeholders that will help guide proposals to create a new government digital campus and a new city centre park space.
The council agreed an updated Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the land in March 2023 that set out the high-level development principles for the site: to create low carbon commercial office space and high-quality, accessible green space to support continued economic growth in this part of Manchester’s city centre.
New Manchester Digital Campus: A state-of-the-art government digital campus will use five acres of the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats. This new office complex in the city will bring together a number of Civil Service departments with a focus around digital skills.
Once complete, the campus will be home to around 7,000 civil servants, creating significant opportunities for employment and wider economic development.
New City Centre Park: The new park space will help meet the need for quality, attractive green space in the city centre – which will also open up access to the existing Cotton Field Park and Ancoats Marina. The site will accommodate new walking routes, helping to link to other city centre active travel investment in Ancoats, Northern Quarter and out towards the Etihad Campus.
Detailed design work will continue following consultation to deliver a park space comparable in size to Ancoats Green, which is also currently undergoing redevelopment works.
Local people and businesses can take part in the public consultation and provide feedback online or at two in-person public consultation events on Tuesday 10 September at Halle St Peter’s, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, M4 6BF.
Session one will be 12pm to 2.30pm, and session two at 5pm to 7pm. Anyone with accessibility needs – or no access to the internet – can call 0808 175 3408.
The consultation will end on September 23, following which the proposals will be finalised and separate planning applications submitted later this year.
Ancoats Green will act as the green focal point for the Manchester city centre area, with walking and cycling routes from Poland Street through to Butler Street, and from Portugal Street to the Rochdale Canal. The Green will have a highly sustainable design, with at least 30% of new surfaces will be made from reclaimed materials to create a permeable drainage system , and granite paving stones removed from Albert Square (as part of the ongoing Our Town Hall project) will be lovingly reused at Ancoats Green, celebrating the city’s story and reducing the carbon footprint of the development.
Jersey Green and Prussia Street will begin their transformations in 2025 and 2027 respectively, and will remain open with improved footpaths, additional seating and better connections to Miles Platting and New Islington, and the Prussia Street greenway will link the Rochdale canal with Ancoats Green via Jersey Street.