Press Releases

March 07 2006

World's oldest municipal park gets makeover

Philips Park, the world's oldest municipal park, located in Clayton, east Manchester is to undergo a major facelift thanks to 350,000 of funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), European Regional Development Fund and East Manchester New Deal for Communities.

The funding will allow major improvements to the 31 acre open space, including repairs and partial rebuilding of the boundary walls and up-grading of entrances to prevent people riding off-road bikes illegally across the park.

The vistas into the historic tulip valley and wildflower meadow will be revitalised with new planting and a new adventure-style play area for older children will be built at the northern end of the park. An interactive website will allow visitors to investigate the park's significant history, in addition to giving up-to-date information on park management and public events. To attract more visitors to the park, brown tourism signs will be erected to make it more visible and accessible from the road.

Councillor Mark Hackett, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council, said: "Manchester is very proud of its green spaces and is constantly striving for excellence. Having won a record number of green flags for the city's parks last year we are building on our success and looking at ways of restoring and renewing open spaces and facilities. I hope residents of East Manchester will be delighted by this news as Philips Park goes from strength to strength."

Sean McGonigle, East Manchester New Deal for Communities Co-ordinator said: "This is one of the oldest municipal parks in the world and the people of east Manchester are very proud of it. The improvements and new facilities will help to bring the park back to its former glory, encouraging more local people to enjoy it and attracting visitors from the surrounding areas."

Maurice Gubbins, NWDA Area Manager for Greater Manchester, said:
"The economic development of East Manchester is a key priority for the NWDA and we are working hard with our partners to transform the area into a place in which people want to live and work.  Providing high quality public spaces is crucial to achieving this, improving the environment and quality of life for local residents and attracting visitors to the area. The NWDA is pleased to support this important project, which will help to restore an attractive open space for local people to enjoy and encourage further investment."

Work will be complete by this summer, and it is hoped further investment will continue the improvements. This funding will build on the park's Green Flag status in 2005.