Frequently asked questions
We have answered some of our most frequently asked questions below. If you have a question which is not included in this section please see who to contact.
- What is Irwell City Park?
- What is the vision for Irwell City Park?
- What is the rationale behind the project?
- Who lead the design for Irwell City Park?
- Where are its boundaries?
- Who is involved in the project?
- What will the benefits be to the people of Salford?
- How will the area be maintained?
- Will the area be safe and well lit?
- What are the next stages?
Irwell City Park is a project of exceptional scope and ambition encompassing an 8km stretch between Salford Quays and The Meadows. It is not a park in the conventionally understood sense of a public green space, but in the broader senses of the word:
- a space within a city, closely integrated into its fabric, yet distinct and separate from the dense urban context
- a multi-faceted recreational resource which will be populated and animated in innumerable unpredictable ways
- a place for meeting, gathering, celebrating, demonstrating, entertaining and meditating
Irwell City Park is also a city park in the sense that it is an integral part of a tight knit urban fabric and a place which will provide new linkages and a new sense of cohesion between different and often disparate parts of the city. Focused around five character zones from The Meadows to Salford Quays, the park will comprise five new bridges, 67,500 sq meters of new public realm and 5,355 meters of new or improved continuous walkway. It will:
- create one of the largest new parks in Greater Manchester at The Meadows, linking into the new Croal Irwell Regional Park and one of the first national public parks – Peel Park,
- have excellent new sustainable and exciting waterside places and spaces in its own right and it will integrate the multitude of existing places within Salford, Trafford and Manchester into a coherent whole. These spaces will form the stages for cultural and social events and gatherings and will be essential as magnets to attract people and to drive movement along the route between them,
- introduce new iconic infrastructure that will create a landmark for local people and visitors alike, symbolising the connectivity between the two great cities of Salford and Manchester and embracing the river as a fundamental part of the Regional Centre’s heritage and future,
- provide a continuous 8 km route which will ensure that a consistent quality, connectivity and accessibility is established from the outset which will set a benchmark for ongoing private-led developments,
- will quickly put the park on the map, providing a strong and identifiable identity and attract a wide range of people to use it in numerous ways from an early stage, thereby ensuring its longer term success,
- be a sustainable park, promoting the development and protection of natural habitats along the waterside, and reducing dependence on carbon-based forms of transport within the city centre.
What is the vision for Irwell City Park?
The vision for Irwell City Park is of a quality public open space that will reconnect Manchester, Salford and Trafford. The river will be moved from the forgotten periphery to the very heart of two cities, ensuring that it makes a momentous contribution to the physical, economic and social life of the city region.
The vision is underpinned by a number of strategic objectives which define the type of place Irwell City Park will become.
The key principles are to:
- create a cohesive and vibrant linear park with its own sense of place and character, exploiting the richness and fascination of the river and drawing on the energy and activity of the city centre;
- connect and enhance key facilities, visitor attractions and developments within a major new and active urban riverside destination;
- provide essential infrastructure to support this qualitative change including new riverside walkways, open spaces and bridges;
- build on the diversity of the historic waterfront and urban environment, creating places which are lasting and memorable;
- create new pedestrian and cycle connections between key parts of the urban centre to encourage integration with surrounding neighbourhoods and the commercial core of Manchester city centre, Central Salford and Trafford wharf;
- promote a well conceived pattern and structure to the provision of built facilities, urban in scale, of exceptional design quality and sustainable in construction, with flexibility to evolve and change over time;
- provide precious new recreational and leisure opportunities, breathing spaces and meeting places for local communities within centres for healthier living and less reliance on vehicular transport; and build stronger communities who are confident and proud to use this new and exciting park as their ‘back garden’
What is the rationale behind the project?
Since the 1980’s, the three authorities have made some interventions to stem the negative impacts of decline. Most notable of course has been the transformation of the former Manchester and Salford Docks into Salford Quays. Limited walkways have been installed to improve access to the river and riverside development but not of sufficient scale to revitalise the river corridor along its whole length from Salford University to Salford Quays.
The combination of government policy, funding opportunities, new land owners, increasing developer interest and the rebuilding of Manchester city centre after the IRA bomb means that there is now an opportunity to reverse the decline and reclaim the river as a focal point and linkage between Manchester, Salford and Trafford, and their respective communities.
The amount of private sector led development already underway or anticipated within the next decade is likely to bring about a fundamental transformation of the river corridor, and yet currently there is little to link this development together or ensure that it does not repeat the defensive and introverted character of previous development along its banks. Only a unified and co-ordinated strategy, backed at the highest political levels within all three local authorities, will ensure that the river is not lost to the cities as an asset for another generation.
Who lead the design of Irwell City Park?
Following an international design competition, Broadway Malyan was appointed in September 2006 to lead a team to prepare a Design Framework for Irwell City Park. This design framework, supported by extensive consultation with many thousands of stakeholders, provides us with an opportunity to transform the heart of the city region.
Irwell City Park comprises an 8km stretch from Salford Quays to The Meadows and includes five zones.
Who is involved in the project?
Core partners are Salford City Council, Manchester City Council, Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council and Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company.
Others partners on the project board are the Environment Agency, Bruntwood, community sector representatives Tom McMullen. Many others, including major developers are involved: Peel Holdings, Urban Splash, Bruntwood, Countryside, LPC Living etc.
Community consultation was extensive during design development – thousands were involved and over 1500 actively took part to influence the design process.
What will the benefits be to the people of Salford?
Irwell City Park will create, or significantly improve, 66,500 m² of public realm;
Upgrade infrastructure along and across the River Irwell, with works to 10 bridges as part of new and upgraded infrastructure;
A total of 274,000 m² employment floor space will be enhanced
An estimated 6,300 new housing units will be enhanced through Irwell City Park projects;
3.8 million people are expected to visit the Irwell City Park each year, generating some £47.3 million of additional tourism spend per annum;
Generate eight direct jobs and a further 484 permanent gross jobs as a result of tourism expenditure.
£12.4 million per annum in net value added as a result of employment created.
How will the area be maintained?
The core partners recognise the need for high quality environments and public realm within the park that complements the stunning and innovative developments already in train. A comprehensive maintenance regime has been agreed that will secure the park’s future. Working in partnership with private sector developers and our local communities, we are committed to setting standards of excellence that will become a benchmark for other developments across the country, and substantial resource commitments have been agreed across the core partners’ that evidences our commitment to achieve this standard. We will create and maintain a park that people will be proud of and want to spend time in, now and in the future
Will the area be safe and well lit?
Yes – a ranger service and new lighting with increased natural surveillance will create a safer place to be.
The Irwell City Park planning guidance, which will support the delivery of Irwell City Park, was approved by Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, Manchester City Council and Salford City Council in March 2008. Discussions are taking place around potential public and private sector resources that could be used to transform the area. An application for Northwest Development Agency support will be submitted in May 2008.
Project approval is anticipated July 2008. Work on the pre-implementation package of works is expected to commence in Summer 2008.
This page was last updated on 15 April 2008
Email this page to a friend
Bookmark this page using:
Find out more about social bookmarking.
These sites allow you to store, tag and share links across the internet. You can share these links both with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.
If you come across a page on our site that you find interesting and want to save for future reference or share it with other people, simply click on one of these links to add to your list.
All of these sites are free to use but do require you to register. Once you have registered you can begin bookmarking. Each of the sites works slightly differently so use the links below to find out which service best suits your needs.
Find out more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia.
