Disused landfill sites re-invented as urban park for community outdoor activities and environmental education

Youngsters from Salford have helped turn a new outdoor community events venue into a giant, 450 square metre work of art, as part of one of the country’s biggest green regeneration programmes.

St. Mark’s Primary School in Swinton and ‘Swinton Families’ teamed up to put their own stamp on the stone amphitheatre, which forms part of the Lower Irwell Valley Improvement Area (LIVIA) Community Woodland - one of Europe's newest and largest urban parks.

Over 60 children aged 7 to 14 years took part in a series of art workshops or planning workshops, led by Northwest sculptor Michael Disley and Groundwork Manchester, Salford and Trafford, to create their own stone plaques and benches. Their designs have now been built into the stone structure, which is situated overlooking City Walk close to Clifton Green.

£4.75 million of funding is being provided for the 199 hectare LIVIA Community Woodland via the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Forestry Commission partnership programme, ‘Newlands’, to regenerate the area’s disused landfill sites, former power station and derelict canal.  

A number of local partners, including Groundwork Manchester, Salford and Trafford, Red Rose Forest and Salford City Council are also involved in the project.

The events space will now be used by the local community throughout the summer for outdoor activities and environmental education.

Peter White, Executive Director of Development at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), said: ‘Through the Newlands project, the NWDA is delighted to be able to support the LIVIA community woodland initiative, which will dramatically improve the quality of life for those who have helped transform their own local area.

‘Items designed by pupils and families will be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike – all those involved should be proud of their efforts, which will inevitably lead to a boost in tourism and encourage further investment.”     

LIVIA will create access to new areas of woodland, grassland and heathland.  Once completed, it will offer fantastic opportunities for outdoor recreation for people across Greater Manchester and beyond, with 3 kilometres of new footpaths, play equipment and multiuse tracks.  

The site will link up to other existing green corridors, such as Prestwich Forest, Clifton Country Park, and the developing Irwell City Park project, completing the backbone for the Croal Irwell regional park.

There are also plans for informal play areas.  Already complete is the Queensmere Dam, which is one of the largest man-made fishing lakes in the England, benefiting people with all abilities under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

The local communities adjacent to the LIVIA site, including Prestwich, Pendlebury and Swinton, and the businesses located in and around the area have been consulted by Manchester, Salford and Trafford Groundwork about what they would like to see take place.

Claire Tomkinson, Senior Community Link Officer for Groundwork, said: ‘There has been a huge amount of community interest in LIVIA, with local residents being actively involved from the start of the project.

‘It’s especially nice to see the number of young people that have been involved in improving the site, either through attending events and activities, taking part in art workshops or participating in woodland management task days. Last year alone 114 adults and 210 young people attended meetings or activities that we organised, with hundreds more using the site informally.’

The plans are part of Newlands, a £59million NWDA-funded land regeneration scheme, which is rejuvenating around 900 hectares of the region's brownfield land to encourage economic growth, while creating new opportunities for leisure and recreation. Newlands, which stands for New Economic Environments Through Woodlands, is a partnership scheme involving the NWDA and the Forestry Commission.

As a gateway into Greater Manchester, LIVIA will significantly enhance the land alongside the M60, which dissects the site, making the area more attractive to visitors and investors, as well as increasing local land and property values.

It will also improve the local environment for nearby communities, especially the Clifton Green Estate, where recreational facilities are virtually non-existent.

The entrance to LIVIA is off the A666 between the M60 and Pendlebury around the junction with the B5231.

‘Swinton Families’ is a community organisation which supports and encourages parents, carers and the wider community in the development of skills that will enhance their experience of family life.  They promote positive life changes for young people and children through the constructive use of play and leisure time.



Background
The Newlands long-term investment for LIVIA is £4.75million.

Community Woodlands are multi-purpose open spaces that can be easily accessed by the local community, and can include a series of small woodlands, footpaths, cycle and bridleways, football pitches, wetland habitats and a wildflower meadow. Each site is designed in partnership with the local community to help improve and enhance the economic, environmental and social value of the local neighbourhood to work towards a sustainable environment for everyone.

Woodland cover across the North West of England currently stands at just 6.5% compared with the national average of 8% and a European average of 33%.

The Forestry Commission is the largest provider of countryside recreation in Britain, with responsibility for more than one million hectares (2.4 million acres) of forest, woodlands and open countryside. Its North-West England Forest District covers the Lake District in Cumbria, the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The forests are managed for conservation, wildlife, landscape and recreation as well as providing a valuable source of timber.