Mayfield wins green flag award

Mayfield wins green flag award: The coveted Green Flag Award® – an international award scheme that recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces – has been granted to Mayfield Park in Manchester with the judges declaring that they had ‘never seen such an outstanding urban park in 20+ years of judging’.

It’s the first Green Flag Award for a new city-centre park in Manchester and the eighth industry award for Mayfield Park which opened in September 2022. The award underlines the exceptional design and management of Manchester’s first new park for 100 years. The 6.5-acre park will eventually double in size as part of a whole new city district over the coming years.

Established in the UK over 25 years ago by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the Green Flag Award®, celebrates the achievements of parks and green spaces in 17 countries across the world including Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

On announcing the Award, the Green Flag Award judges said:

“In our 20+ years of judging we have never seen such an outstanding urban park. The original design and specification standards are exceptional, the facilities are of the highest standard and the site security and cleansing is excellent. The play facilities are inspired and exciting, the horticultural and arboricultural standards are brilliant, and the biodiversity of the site is cared-for and blooming. It was a real pleasure and privilege to be the first to judge this world-class park.”

Since opening, Mayfield Park has been celebrated as ‘an inspiring benchmark for the park of the future’ by respected horticulturist Nigel Dunnett and applauded for challenging the perception of what a modern urban park can be. Among the eight national and international awards it has received this year are accolades for excellence in landscape design, place regeneration and the natural environment.

Laura Percy, Senior Development Director at Landsec U+I on behalf of the Mayfield Partnership, said:

“We’re thrilled to win this prestigious award for Mayfield Park. This is recognition to all those who helped to create and deliver this incredible green space and to the management team who ensure every day that it is a vibrant, welcoming and safe space for everyone to enjoy. It’s a joy to come to work every day here and see kids playing and people from across the region coming to visit.

“Providing access to quality green space for the people of Manchester, irrespective of where they live, is at the core of our vision for the transformation of Mayfield, and it will be the reason thousands of people will choose to live and work here in the future.

“Urban parks like ours bring huge value to our neighbourhoods both in terms of their economic value in developing and transforming our cities, and the social and environmental value they can bring to people and the planet. We are so proud to have integrated nature and ecology back into Manchester city-centre and we hope to be flying the Green Flag over Mayfield Park for many years to come.”

ABOUT MAYFIELD PARK

Mayfield Park has a fascinating 250-year-old industrial story. Previously a contaminated area of Manchester that had been derelict for more than 50 years, it has been reimagined and transformed into a biodiverse landscape that responds to the climate crisis and provides a nature-filled haven for visitors to enjoy.  The 6.5 acre site is now home to a mix of water and wetlands, 140 trees, tens of thousands of bulbs, plants, wildflowers and shrubs, play areas and rain gardens.

The previously concealed River Medlock, which runs through the site, has been opened, providing a flood defence for the rest of the city with the capability to hold 12 Olympic swimming pools worth of water and a new wet-dry habitat which has encouraged the beginnings of a new ecosystem, already home to a rich variety of fish, birds and plant life. The soft, almost wild planting design follows a naturalistic aesthetic that crosses the line between civic space and urban garden – something that is completely at odds with the average park in the UK.

The Park is an inspiring example for how privately-owned public spaces can operate. Designed by Studio Egret West, it was made possible by a public-private partnership between Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, LCR and the developer Landsec-U+I.

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, who opened Mayfield Park in 2022 said: “Mayfield Park is an outstanding example of how we are putting green space for the public to enjoy, and wildlife to thrive in, at the heart of a major regeneration scheme.

“Transforming a disused brownfield site into a world-class urban park is no small undertaking and it’s pleasing that the quality of the space has been recognised.”

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