Member Article

Castlefield Forum crowdfund for Roman garden project

Voluntary group, The Castlefield Forum, set up to improve the Castlefield area of Manchester city centre has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £38k to submit plans Manchester City Council.

The project is supported by Manchester-based architects BDP and includes a plan to improve access and lighting in the area.

BDP have pledged £18k and the remaining £20k has to be found in less than 70 days according to the rules of the Spacehive crowdfunding site.

Key elements of the plans include:

• Opening up the site and make it fully accessible, 24 hours a day (currently it has wrought iron fencing surrounding the gardens with limited access points)
• Clearing away the scrubby areas but retain the healthy trees
• Lighting the area appropriately at night
• Introducing a rain garden, new trees, wildfllowers, Roman plants, a rain garden and raised community grow boxes
• Creating new landscaping and sculpting of some grassed areas; gentle slopes will invite children to play
• Replacing the broken and muddy pathways with recycled York stone from the site
• Marking out the pathway of the Roman road with a timeline etched into the surface
• Introducing some more formal relaxation spaces for the adjoining public houses

The cost of the entire project is estimated at £2m and should take 3 to 5 years to complete.

Castlefield resident, Calum McGowan, who is leading the project for the Castlefield Forum, said: “We want to deliver a world-class green space that ties together the 2,000-year-old Roman heritage of the site with the modern day city.

“We want to delight people who use the gardens, whatever their age, whatever month they visit and whatever time of day they happen to meander through.

“This will be a beautiful space to walk through, to relax in, to read a book, take in some sunshine, pick some growbox herbs, meet your friends for a drink in the dappled summer sun or walk your dog on a crisp winter morning.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver an amazing, inspiring urban retreat for Manchester.

“Being located at the entrance to the Roman North Gate, the site is also of great historical importance. We want to do the Gardens justice. At the moment, they are sad and tired.”

If planning is approved, the Forum will work with Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service to hold a series of community digs to uncover more about the Roman heritage of the Gardens.

Once the work is complete, Forum members will work with a network of community volunteers and the National Trust to maintain the gardens.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .