Plans for first Manchester park in 90 years revealed

Plans for a 6.5 acre (26,000 sq m) public space is part of a £1.4bn regeneration of land near Fairfield Street

Plans to create Manchester's first public park for more than 90 years have been submitted to the city council.

Mayfield Park is proposed for a site on the banks of the River Medlock, close to Piccadilly station in the city centre.

The 6.5-acre (26,000 sq m) public space is part of a £1.4bn plan to regenerate a run-down area south of Fairfield Street with hundreds of new homes.

Work is expected to start in 2020 and will take up to 15 years to complete.

The regeneration of Mayfield will create 1,500 homes, 75,000 sq m of office space and a 650-bedroom hotel

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council said the project had "potential to transform an unloved and largely unused part of the city centre".

The site already hosts Depot Mayfield, a new 10,000-capacity performance venue in an old railway building that opened in September with a gig by Aphex Twin.

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "These plans have the potential to transform an unloved and largely unused part of the city centre into a world-class gateway area creating thousands of new jobs and housing to support our growing city."

Plans also include a number of new bridges across the Medlock, river walkways, a 70,000 sq ft office building and a 545-space multi-storey car park.

Richard Upton, Chief Development Officer at U+I, said the proposal had "re-introduced Mancunians to a forgotten corner of the city with huge social and economic potential".

If approved, Mayfield Park will be Manchester's first public park since Wythenshawe Park was given to the city in 1926.