Ahhh Parsonage Gardens. What a lovely bit of green in a sea of concrete and stone.
I’m sure many of you reading this now will have one or two stories to regale about this place – a garden that’s always been perfect for those long summer afternoons with a few cans of cider and a little Bluetooth speaker.
Well, recent plans have been proposed that will not just give the garden a bit of a much-needed spruce up – but also the whole Parsonage (and St. Mary’s) area itself.
Sitting just round the back of House of Fraser and Deansgate, Parsonage Gardens has always been a rather popular little green oasis for many of the city’s workers in the offices that surround the area – and so giving the space a bit of TLC will certainly be a welcome decision.
It follows hot on the heels of a more extensive regeneration plan for the area, as proposed by Manchester City Council.
The plan proposes improvements to an area that incorporates the garden, Blackfriars, King Street and Albert Bridge. Basically, that entire stretch of land behind Deansgate right up to the River Irwell.
Looking to get things shook up by 2025, the plans include the demolition of Albert Bridge House, re-purposing many of the existing buildings and improving the “under-utilised hidden gem” Parsonage Gardens – improving active frontage and making it much less “unwelcoming”.
Apart from the odd map of the area, that’s all we’ve got so far – but expect a few of those snazzy CGI mock ups to surface at some point over the next few months or so.
Until then, just head down to the gardens on a sunny day and squint and that should give you a half-decent idea as to what it will look like in 5 years.
