Work has begun on the £1.4bn Mayfield regeneration development, a mixed-use urban neighbourhood in the heart of Manchester
To coincide with work beginning on the first phase of the Mayfield regeneration, new visualisations of how the project will look when completed have been released.
Overall, Mayfield is set to transform a previously derelict part of Manchester’s industrial heritage to deliver 1,500 homes, 1.6m sq ft of commercial space, 300,000 sq ft of retail and leisure facilities and 14-acres of new public realm.
The regeneration scheme is being led by the Mayfield Partnership, a public-private venture comprising regeneration specialist U+I, Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and developer LCR.
‘Transformative and sustainable’
Designed by Studio Egret West, Mayfield Park will be a transformative and sustainable public amenity for the people of the city and Greater Manchester, created along the rediscovered and rejuvenated banks of the River Medlock.
A park charter, created by the Mayfield Partnership in consultation with the local community and industry experts and following extensive research, will be published in spring 2021.
This will outline the partnership’s ambition for the park and a set of promises to the people of Manchester, ensuring Mayfield Park becomes an exemplar urban public green space that endures as a safe, stimulating and sustainable place for everyone in the city long into the future.
‘For the people of Manchester’
Richard Upton, chief development officer at U+I, said: “This is a momentous moment for Mayfield and the people of Manchester – we are now a significant step closer to creating the city’s first new public park in over 100 years, which will be the locus of the new community that will be created in the heart of this great city.
“The park is for the people of Manchester and is without doubt the most important element in the whole neighbourhood, which is why we are delivering it first and we will be working closely with the community to help shape the plans for this urban oasis.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on how vital high quality, accessible green spaces are for our wellbeing, and Mayfield Park will offer a place of solace and inspiration in the centre of Manchester long into the future.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, commented: “I’m so pleased to see ground broken on the Mayfield Park development.
“If we needed a reminder of the importance of accessible green spaces and the benefits they can bring for our mental and physical wellbeing, this year certainly brought one.
“A new public park can give a real lift to this part of Manchester, creating important new community assets and jobs.
“As part of a much wider vision for the city centre, it can help to boost our economic recovery and transform urban space for the people who live, work, and do business here.”
‘A project of exceptional ambition’
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, added: “There are some development projects that have such transformational potential that we await their beginning with great anticipation. Mayfield is most definitely one of them.
“This part of the city centre has been under-used for decades and it’s brilliant that we can now celebrate the first shovels going in the ground on the new city park and a green sanctuary at the heart of our city – followed closely by significant investment in new commercial space and new homes.
“Mayfield is a project of exceptional ambition. And ambition is the very tonic we need as we navigate our way out of the Covid-19 pandemic towards economic recovery – in part through high-quality, impactful investment in our city, such as this.”
The delivery of Mayfield Park will support approximately 150 new construction jobs. It is envisaged that Mayfield will create opportunities for more than 10,000 office, retail, leisure jobs, in addition to over 630 FTE construction jobs, up to 2,500 supply chain roles and 25 apprenticeships annually.
