The first steps for the CyanLines mega project – a 100 mile plus network connecting and improving Manchester’s parks, squares, rivers, canals and viaducts – were revealed with its team outlining the scale of its ambition, the first four CyanLines routes and inviting everyone to get involved.
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. .
“But there’s more that we can do together. 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.”
CyanLines is a city wide regeneration project for green and natural spaces. A huge pipeline of new opportunities, new connections and missing links 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 to the hyper-local such as food growing planters in housing developments or balcony gardening lessons.
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!”
The first four CyanLines across Manchester city centre will be the foundations from which all CyanLines projects, more routes and activity will spread.
The initial CyanLines are:
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.
Pete Swift, CyanLines project co-founder and CEO of Planit said: “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 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.
Lorenzo Piovani, general manager, komoot said: “At komoot, our mission is to connect people to adventure, regardless of their location or previous experience. We’re delighted to partner with CyanLines to develop a series of routes around Manchester to empower the community to explore new and existing green spaces in their neighbourhood.
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. At the launch, the founding partners will be announced and they are: from the public sector 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 teamand other partners as both our projects advance, connecting Castlefield viaduct with the other wonderful spaces in Manchester and Salford city centres.”
