The frenzied development activity in Manchester over the past 20 years has prompted the population to leap from 422,000 in 2000 to almost 600,000 last year. Much of this development has focused on apartments, and – as the pandemic highlighted all too clearly – people need access to green and pleasant spaces, ideally with a river, a lake or the sea for the sake of their wellbeing.

Despite the explosion in apartment living, there are virtually no green spaces in central Manchester. From this month that will change, with the opening of Manchester’s first public park in 100 years, and the first at any time in the city centre. 

Called Mayfield Park, the 6.5-acre park is part of a 24-acre site being developed by U+I in partnership with London and Continental Railways, Manchester city council and Transport for Manchester. The park offers delights such as a grassy play area, spaces for quiet contemplation, a children’s playground and – to top it all off – a river meanders through its centre. The wider development, worth £1.4bn, will include 1,500 homes, 1.6 million ft² of commercial space and 300,000ft² of retail and leisure space.