Cotton Fields, New Islington
Manchester, UK
We were commissioned as lead designer to create a new urban park, Cotton Fields. The site forms the heart of the New Islington sustainable community; the third Millennium Village to be created. The aim of the park is to bring together people and nature within an urban environment.
The park consists of a new body of water, a 3 metre-wide boardwalk that forms the main pedestrian route, an urban beach and several distinctive islands. The community island is envisaged as the focal point for public events, and the beach offers activities such as paddling, picnicking and rowing boat hire.
Extensive planting includes an orchard island, a protective grove of Scots pines around the beach, and wildflowers and reed beds, all helping to attract wildlife.
A variety of follies, meeting shelters, bird boxes and floating wildlife islands, as well as an innovative lighting scheme, provide a sequence of focal points that are associated with views and routes across the site.
Project Info
- Client:
- English Partnerships, Urban Splash
- Engineers:
- Martin Stockley Associates