Salford sewage works and industrial sites to be transformed into nature reserves

Former industrial sites in Salford are set to be cleaned up and transformed into three new nature reserves as part of a £10 million project.

The plans have been announced as part of Salford council’s updated Salford Greenspace Strategy which sets out spending on natural spaces for the next decade.

In Swinton, the wastewater treatment works and Campbell Road playing field will be decontaminated and restored to encourage animal habitats. In Walkden and Little Hulton, the Ellenbrook Brickworks will see similar reclamation.

Previous projects have included the creation of a wetland and a 558 acre country park bordering Salford, Bolton and Wigan.

Salford’s new wetland is now open to the public. 13 acres of nature and bird friendly greenspace right in the heart of our city off Littleton Rd/Cromwell Rd as part of new flood basin. And the weather’s looking good for the weekend! pic.twitter.com/vIcQiS1b4G

— Salford City Council (@SalfordCouncil) May 4, 2018

Councillor Derek Antrobus, lead member for planning and sustainable development, said it was an ambitious vision which would take a long time to realise.

He explained: “It lists many of the improvements we want to see such as providing new parks and play areas.

“We’ve also secured funding to revitalise the Bridgewater Canal and restore Peel Park back to its Victorian glory.

“It will take decades rather than years to achieve the high standards we have set out in this plan, but the scale of development planned for Salford in the next 10 years provides a significant opportunity to make our city even greener.”

Existing parks across the city will also be fitted out with new seating, signage and footpaths. Renovations have been promised to sporting and play areas to bring facilities up to new standards.

Urban areas, including the Quays and surrounding areas, will also receive funds to improve public spaces. However, no large-scale green developments are planned for these parts.

The Manchester City of Trees campaign has been working since 2015 to improve city spaces by planting and maintaining trees in built-up areas.