A NEW pocket park has been created as part of the Manchester Garden City initiative that was launched last year. The new green space is at the junction of Thomas Street and John Street in Manchester city centre and has been created with the help of local residents and businesses, Manchester City Council and CityCo, the city centre’s management company.
The banks bordering the car park will be planted with wildflowers including poppies, corn marigolds and cornflowers and woodland flowers such as white foxgloves and ox-eye daisies in the shaded parts.
The Northern Quarter pocket park is the fourth Manchester Garden City scheme, which aims to make the city greener. Others include planting at Piccadilly Basin, Grow Boxes on Dale Street car park and the orchard in St John’s Gardens. Funding for this project came from Manchester City Council, CityCo and Carillion Facilities Management.
Next to the Church Street multi-storey car park and at the heart of the Northern Quarter, the area has been transformed with new turf, up-graded paving around the ‘Brush and Shovel’ sculpture and picnic tables.
Work on the pocket park, that is a fifth of an acre in size, has also included pruning the trees to make the area more accessible. In the spring a herb garden will be introduced and the banks bordering the car park will be planted with wildflowers including poppies, corn marigolds and cornflowers and woodland flowers such as white foxgloves and ox-eye daisies in the shaded parts.
Following on from the success of the Grow Box scheme on the nearby Dale Street car park, eight Grow Boxes have been included in the scheme enabling local residents to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Radio 4’s Gardener’s Question Time’s Paul Peacock from City Cottage Gardens, who made the Grow Boxes, is offering free sessions in planting and will give away vegetable seeds to local residents.
Vaughan Allen, chief executive at city centre management company, CityCo said: “This work has greatly improved this neglected piece of land. We hope that everyone will enjoy this charming little park in the heart of the Northern Quarter. The Garden City project is all about working in partnership with residents to create tranquil green spaces where people can take some time out, read, eat a sandwich or simply just enjoy the city.”
Anyone wanting to volunteer or pledge their support for the Manchester Garden City initiative should email gardencity@cityco.com. Residents can get more information by visiting www.nqg.org.uk. For more information on Manchester city centre visit www.cityco.com.
Picture above shows: (l-r) Radio 4’s Gardener’s Question Time’s Paul Peacock with Pat Glazebrook, from the Northern Quarter Resident’s Association and one of the Northern Quarter’s youngest residents Lois Taylor aged 2 ½ .
