CyanLines a mega project to bring over 100 miles of nature to Manchester revealed

The first steps for the CyanLines mega project – a 100 mile plus network connecting and improving Manchester’s parks, squares, rivers, canals and viaducts have now been revealed

CyanLines is a city wide regeneration project for green and natural spaces which is being led by Manchester City Council and has been co-founded Tom Bloxham of Urban Splash and Pete Swift of Planit.

A huge pipeline of new opportunities, new connections and missing links which will be unlocked through a series of CyanLines projects. These will range from huge interventions like the future phases of Castlefield Viaduct to the idea of a new walkway across the middle of the River Irwell (as depicted on the images released at the launch) to the hyper-local such as food growing planters in housing developments or balcony gardening lessons.

Councillor Bev Craig, leader, Manchester City Council said: “Manchester is on a mission to make our city greener, investing in new parks and green spaces including the likes of Mayfield, Ancoats Green and the Castlefield Viaduct, in addition to our work to celebrate and open up our rivers and canals. We are a city with exciting, and transformational plans for the future. .

“Many of the challenges that we face today are about thinking about our future ambitions while not forgetting our past. Manchester has got a lot of strengths in which we build. We’re not just talking about some flowerbeds here and there. It’s not about pulling shopping trolleys and cones out of canals. We’re talking about something bigger, more special than that. Something that we can only do when we work together. A brand new activation of how we move around the city.

“CyanLines is a bold new initiative over the next decade to imagine and create over 100 miles of connected parks, green spaces and waterfronts. This is just the start of CyanLines and I urge residents, business owners, community groups and leaders to join us on this very exciting journey to truly transform our city.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Last week we launched Greater Manchester’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which sets out our vision for nature over the next decade. At the heart of this is our pledge in the Greater Manchester Strategy to protect and enhance our environment, ensuring nature-rich spaces are part of everyday life.

“The CyanLines project exemplifies this ambition. Over the next 10 years, it will connect Greater Manchester’s green spaces and waterways through 100 miles of walking and cycling routes. Beginning in Manchester and Salford and reaching right across all of our boroughs, Cyan Lines will bring people closer to nature and help us build a greener, healthier and more inclusive future for everyone in Greater Manchester.”

Tom Bloxham MBE CBE, CyanLines project co-founder and chair, Urban Splash and founding Chair Manchester International Festival (MIF) and Factory International said: “We are here in Aviva Studios, when we started with an idea for MIF 20 years ago. With a big vision and with the whole city behind us we were able to grow and build the Manchester International Festival into this building, an asset for all of Manchester.

“Now we have the same ambition with CyanLines – we want to bring the whole city along with us, to help us plan, fund and deliver CyanLines. No idea is too big, too ambitious, too audacious or too small or too straightforward. Everyone wants more green space. Everyone wants to be able to walk to the end of Castlefield Viaduct. Everyone wants to be healthier and happier. Imagine more species and drifts of plants and wildflowers and allotments in the city centre and being able to walk one or 100 miles of continuous paths linking all our amazing spaces. Together we can make it happen!”

Pete Swift, CyanLines project co-founder and CEO of Planit said: “I’ve spent the last 25 years seeing manchester through the eyes of a landscape architect and have had the privilege of designing public realm in the city. But I’ve always said, the city needs a head gardener. One that can help it achieve its climate ambitions and see nature as a neighbour, not just an invited guest.

“The first four CyanLines provide so much more than walkable and wheelable connections linking the existing and planned excellent green and blue spaces across the city, to bring us all closer to nature and nature closer to us. The routes will be the starting point, or spring board, for a whole plethora of CyanLines projects which will bring new opportunities for nature to thrive and to be enjoyed.

“The ambition for CyanLines does not stop at Manchester and Salford city centres. It will ultimately link up all Greater Manchester’s boroughs to bring our citizens and communities closer to nature and help drive a greener, healthier, and inclusive future. From Dunham Massey in the south, to Northern Roots in Oldham; from Leigh via RHS Bridgewater, Media City on to the foot of the Pennines.”

The first four CyanLines across Manchester city centre will act as the foundations from which all CyanLines projects, more routes and activity will spread.

These include:

• CL1 / Victoria Station & NOMA to Queens Park – The Irk Valley explorer
• CL2 / Mayfield, New Islington & Ancoats Loop – From marina to new city park
• CL3 / St Peter’s Square to Whitworth Park – Walking the knowledge corridor
• CL4 / Irwell & Castlefield Loop – Romans, rivers and a park in the sky

The pilot routes connect well known places such as Mayfield, New Islington Marina Park, Castlefield Viaduct, the Canal Basin, Symphony Park, Kampus and Ancoats Green with lesser known pocket parks, canal tow paths and pedestrianised walkways and take in planned spaces such as the Science Museum courtyard, the former Central Retail Park, Victoria North, Holt Town and the Medieval Quarter to name a few.

The CyanLines team has worked with komoot, adding the four initial routes to create the first Manchester Collection on the platform which, with over 40 million users, is the world’s leading outdoor activity app. The Collection can be found here: https://x.bndspn.com/v1/cp-wpniby

The CyanLines team plans to fulfil its purpose by inviting residents, community groups, businesses and charities to collaborate and share their ideas for projects and initiatives with them. The CyanLines team will assess how the ideas could be supported and delivered by drawing on their network of relationships with businesses, public sector agencies, charity, voluntary sector and funding organisations.

There is already significant momentum. Founding partners include: Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, charity the National Trust, Factory International and private sector property developers Landsec, Bruntwood, Renaker, Urban Splash, FEC, Property Alliance Group (PAG) and Allied London, with more in the pipeline.

Mike Innerdale, regional director North of England, National Trust said: “National Trust are firm supporters of CyanLines, not least because its core aim mirrors our own of ensuring more people have access to nature particularly in our towns and cities, and to bring nature to people’s doorsteps wherever they live.

 

“We recently announced we have secured the majority of the £3 million of funding for the Castlefield Viaduct which will allow us to bring Phase 2 of this iconic sky park project to life, enabling us to create a through route at the heart of the city. We look forward to working with the CyanLines team and other partners as both our projects advance, connecting Castlefield viaduct with the other wonderful spaces in Manchester and Salford city centres.”

Martyn Evans, creative director of Landsec, partners with Manchester City Council, LCR and TfGM at Mayfield and the owners of MediaCity in Salford said: “As joint custodians of Mayfield Park and the Dianne Oxberry Rose Garden and the Blue Peter garden at MediaCity, joining and supporting CyanLines is a no-brainer.

“Access to water, nature and quality greenspaces with walking and wheeling at their heart is central to our plans to develop in Manchester and Salford. The River Medlock runs right through the heart of Mayfield Park and MediaCity sits on Salford Docks, looking out at the Manchester Ship Canal. These extraordinary natural resources are front and centre of our plans to build inspiring sustainable places for people to live, work and enjoy themselves.

“CyanLines will connect Manchester and wider boroughs through the beauty of its natural resources, creating immeasurable opportunities for people in our communities to live healthier, more fulfilling lifestyles and offering us a significant boost in our work to deal with the changing climate. I look forward to a long and exciting partnership with CyanLines. This is just the start.”

Hilary Brett, development director, FEC said: “Together with Manchester City Council, FEC is delivering 15,000 new homes at Victoria North across seven neighbourhoods and includes the City River Park – 46 hectares of green and leisure space, which will completely transform this part of the city. Joining with the CyanLines project is only going to support and enhance what we are doing but equally ensure we connect across the rest of the city and beyond.”

The CyanLines project is already underway and in alignment with its vision, Manchester and Salford City Councils have worked together to secure funding from the National Trust, Natural England, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Nature Towns and Cities programme. This funding will enable both councils to dedicate additional resources and capacity to initiatives that complement and support the CyanLines vision.

The support achieved so far will help enable the CyanLines organisation to be formally established and, in the meantime, Manchester City Council is supporting and co-ordinating all CyanLines activity, while it explores the most appropriate governance and delivery options.

Roles and functions of the CyanLines organisation will include developing capital projects, co-ordinating activity and events across the CyanLines, fundraising to support projects and learning programmes, supporting marketing and tourism initiatives and improving wayfinding systems. There are also plans for a ‘Friends of the CyanLines.’