Photos | National Trust to build ‘sky park’ on disused viaduct

The National Trust has appointed contractor MC Construction to build a new ‘urban sky park’ on a disused railway viaduct in Manchester.

Work on the £1.8m scheme, in the Castlefield area of the city, is due to start soon and the sky park is set to open in July.

It will sit on a 330m-long steel viaduct, 17m above the Castlefield canal basin, and has Grade II listed status.

Engineering firm Heenan & Froude, which also worked on Blackpool Tower, built the viaduct in 1892. It carried heavy rail traffic in and out of the Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester.

Since the station’s closure in 1969, the viaduct has remained unused. National Highways is undertaking essential repairs and maintenance to keep it safe.
The park will allow visitors to explore part of the structure and it will be open for 12 months.

The pilot phase of the park in the sky project will create a green space to stretch halfway across the elevation of the viaduct. Trees, flowers and shrubs will be planted to attract wildlife.

When the first phase opens in July, 100 people a day will be able to visit. Entry onto the structure will be free.

Russ Forshaw, group operations director at Salford-based MC Construction, is overseeing the construction of the pilot. He said: “We are delighted to be a pivotal part of the regeneration of Castlefield Viaduct. This project will transform this unused historic space into a green oasis and support the economic growth and social well-being of the local community of Castlefield and beyond.

“As a local SME which has just celebrated our 50th year in business, we view this as a landmark project, adding to our legacy of works within the city of Manchester.”

Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust, said: “The pandemic showed us the importance of our local parks and gardens, but it also highlighted significant inequalities in access to green space in urban areas like Manchester.”