Manchester Garden City is a joint initiative between design practice BDP and CityCo, Manchester’s city centre management company.

With support from Manchester City Council, local residents and businesses our aim is to deliver a greener, healthier and more vibrant Manchester – a truly 21st century garden city.

Follow our progress on Twitter @mcr_gardencity

Take a look at our Garden City photo stream on Flickr here.

Get in touch at gardencity@cityco.com

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Our manchester garden city schemes

MGC 1 – piccadilly basin: canal-side

For our first project, BDP designed a scheme to landscape and improve the canalside in the Piccadilly Basin. Funded by Manchester City Council and CityCo, the inaugural site was cleared and planted with the help of the Community Payback scheme, local residents and volunteers from neighbouring businesses.

On the south side of the canal are sun-loving annuals including sweet pea and runner beans, as well as herbs such as chives and sage. On the opposite bank, wild flowers and red and white clover have been sown in striking blocks of colour to provide a haven for native butterflies, bees and dragon flies.

Further enhancements to the scheme were made at our 2012 Spring and Summer Spruce-Up events; including two new willow trees, lots of border maintenance, new plants and wildflowers to add to the ongoing greening of the site.

Upcoming work will include re-staining of the seating and removal of graffitti.

View before and after photos

Read press releases

Manchester’s first Garden City project gets underway

CityCo and BDP invite volunteers to spruce up city centre green spaces

MGC 2 – piccadilly basin: grow-boxes

As part of the Piccadilly Basin scheme, ten Grow Boxes were installed, located on the edge of Dale Street car park. Northern Quarter residents are looking after the new urban vegetable patch, managed by the Northern Quarter Greening Group..

Since the arrival of the Grow Boxes, residents have set to work planting flowers, fruit and vegetables including lettuces, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, courgettes, carrots, tomatoes, peas and strawberries.

New bug hotels, tyre planters and trees have since been added to the site.

To enquire about sourcing Grow Boxes for your business or city centre location, do contact us at gardencity@cityco.com.

View Piccadilly Basin planting images

Read press release

Green fingered city centre residents plant vegetables

MGC 3 – urban orchard

Our third MGC project saw the city’s first urban orchard planted in St. John’s Gardens.

The orchard, designed by 2011 gold-award winning RHS National Young Designer of the Year, Daniela Coray, was given a permanent home in Castlefield following the 2011 RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park.

The design called 'A Stitch in Time Saves Nine’, includes twelve crab apple trees laid out on a grid similar to traditional rural orchards. Amongst the trees are wildflowers such as Viper’s Bugloss, a biennial plant with violet blue flowers; Ox-Eye Daisies, a familiar native wildflower and Red Campion, a common spring-flowering plant found in woodland and meadows. Other plants include Good King Henry, also know as poor-man’s asparagus and perennial herbs Common Sorrel and Meadowsweet.

The entire garden was carefully transported from Tatton Park to the new location off Lower Byrom Street in St John’s Gardens.

View images

Read press release

RHS national young designer of the year opens orchard in Manchester city centre

MGC4 – Northern Quarter Church Street Carpark

For our fourth scheme, CityCo worked with BDP, Manchester City Council and the Northern Quarter community to deliver landscaping around the carpark adjacent to Thomas St and John St.

The longer-term vision is to further tranform the ditches and redundant spaces into a green, interactive, landscaped site that will bring business, residents and visitors together.

The first planting saw turfing, new borders and Grow Boxes installed to encourage the growing of herbs and vegetables; plus quirky new seating. This has been followed by a mural to liven up the concrete sides of Church St carpark and bug hotels to welcome new insect life to the garden.

More painting work, gravelling, allotment beds and lighting will follow.

View images

Read press release

Northern Quarter’s new pocket park complete

MGC 5 – Albert Bridge Gardens

Our fifth scheme transformed Albert Bridge Gardens, off Bridge St on the banks of the River Irwell. The works have brought the area back to life as a place to sit and relax; and compliment the regeneration of the opposite bank around Bruntwood’s Riverside development.

The space was re-landscaped with new ironwork railings to improve views to the river, wooden seating, magnolia trees, berries and lavender to attract bees.

The scheme was facilitated by CityCo, working with Manchester City Council, Salford City Council and Greater Manchester Police.

View images of the completed works

Read press release

Albert Bridge Gardens gets major revamp

MGC 6 – Victoria Street

Manchester Garden City’s sixth scheme is on Victoria Street adjacent to Manchester Cathedral. The design includes the city centre’s first children’s play area, complete with a sandpit and various wooden play apparatus including balancing beams, ropes and stepping posts.

The site also incorporates a temporary Cathedral building, which will be in place for 18 months. The 22m long wooden structure will host services and events whilst the floor of the main Cathedral is re-laid for a new heating system.

There are also ornamental flowers and shrub beds to add all year round colour, and allotment-style ‘Grow Boxes’ for local residents and businesses to plant their own herbs and vegetables.

New artificial grassed areas, seating and a large wooden chalet will cater for Manchester Cathedral community events and children’s activities. The scheme will all create a pleasant place for people to take time out from the bustle of the city centre.

The project also sees the introduction of a new cycle lane, connecting Victoria Street to Greengate.

Located just at the end of Deansgate, in the area that was closed to traffic in March, many of the materials are recycled from Chris Beardshaw’s Groundwork Garden at RHS Hampton Court show as well as wooden decking and chalets from last summer’s Canal Festival in Piccadilly Basin, and picnic benches donated by KRObar.

View images

MGC 7, 8, 9…watch this space…

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waterways

Revitalising the city’s canal and river networks is a key priority for CityCo.

We want to see the Rochdale and Bridgewater canals, and the River Irwell, celebrated, and back to use as bustling green routes through the city centre and connecting the city with Salford Quays.

Therefore as part of our Manchester Garden City initiative, led by CityCo and BDP, we are working closely with Canal and River Trust, Manchester City Council and Salford City Councilon measures to improve the city’s waterways in the longer term.

Strategic projects are work in progress. Smaller measures have included ecology surveys, installation of duck houses and bat boxes, and a series of gabions to provide a home for water dwelling plants. More interventions will follow.

We also produced an urban programme of events for the Canal and River Trust’s 2012 Canal Festival including a float-in movie, art installations and greening projects – all aimed at putting the Piccadilly Basin section of the Rochdale Canal on the map, raising the profile of the area and encouraging more use.

Our waterways work is part of a longer term vision CityCo has to ensure Manchester is developing as a world-class city, and will incorporate environmental enhancement schemes, animation initiatives such as community events and elements to address the safety and welcoming nature of the waterways.

View images of new duck, bat and bird boxes

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the manchester garden city initiative

Manchester Garden City is a joint initiative between design practice BDP and CityCo, Manchester’s city centre management company.

With support from Manchester City Council, local residents and businesses our aim is to deliver a greener, healthier and more vibrant Manchester – a truly 21st century garden city.

Greener
• Fostering a range of biodiverse environments
• Increasing permanent public green space and improving waterways
• Shaping temporary green spaces on car parks and derelict land
• Exploring potential for sustainable infrastructure

Healthier
• Unearthing opportunities for community gardening and food production
• Creating spaces for cycling, walking and sports

More vibrant
• Introducing facilities for children’s play and exploration
• Facilitating new events and activities that bring life to neglected spaces

Alongside we are working to encourage ecological planning and development policies and develop an ongoing maintenance strategy for green space.

Keep in touch

To register interest in volunteering or pledge your support for the scheme, please email gardencity@cityco.com and we’ll be in touch.

Follow Manchester Garden City on twitter @mcr_gardencity