Controversy over redevelopment plans threatening historic Manchester hill
Residents in North Manchester are voicing concerns that a historic green space could be lost due to the city’s largest regeneration scheme.
Barneys Hill, near Collyhurst and just North of Manchester city centre, is a former quarry that has become a valued area of green space for the community. The site, marked by six standing stones, known as Egghenge, sits within Irk Valley, and is regarded by residents as environmentally significant.
The development
Photo: Far East Consortium Development company
The green space is under threat due to the £4bn Victoria North development, a joint project between Manchester City Council and the Far East Consortium development company. The scheme plans to deliver 15,000 new homes across 155 hectares and seven neighbourhoods over the next twenty years, alongside new schools, healthcare facilities, transport links and a new park known as City River Park.
Barneys Hill falls within the Vauxhall Gardens area of the project, where around 5,000 new homes and a Metrolink tram stop are proposed.
What campaigners say
Photo: Baradey Mcbrades
Campaigners say that the project threatens one of Manchester’s only semi-natural green spaces in the city. A representative from the Friends of the Irk Valley group said: “The biggest threat that this area is currently facing is proposed residential development on this green space. While we support the building of a tram stop for connectivity, and the building of residential housing when it is affordable, social housing, we are concerned about the construction of housing on a local green space which has rich social heritage and ecological significance.
“For the community, this remains to be one of the only semi-natural green spaces in North Manchester, an area of the city that has less green canopy and fewer parks. Local walking groups, local schools and youth groups all regularly use the space. For the last few years, we have hosted annual Spring, Summer and Winter events for local families in the space, including an Easter Egg hunt, Teddy Bears Picnics and Christmas Carol Concerts.”
Friends of the Irk Valley say that planning documents for the Victoria North project, treat Barneys Hill as a separate site to that of Sandhills Park, which is being retained and improved, rather than built upon, despite their ecological connection. The representative said: “Nature does not discriminate between these two areas. Planning boundaries mean nothing to the deer, birds and diverse wildlife species that call this area home”.
The group warned that removing mature tree cover would damage habitats and increase pressure on the Harpurhey ward, which the council has already identified as needing significant extra tree canopy.
The group has applied for Local Green Space designation as part of Manchester’s local plan consultation. If granted protected status, the group has proposed an alternative plan for the site including nature and heritage trails.
They said: “You will see the many local stakeholders that support our application for this to be designated as a local green space because of the significance of the site for all age groups.
“With careful land management and support, the environment will continue to flourish and become a haven for wildlife”.
What the council says
A council spokesperson said: “Barneys Hill is within the Vauxhall Gardens neighbourhood of Victoria North, where it is envisaged that a new Metrolink tram stop at Sandhills will create an anchor for a new neighbourhood centre and new homes, integrated alongside existing properties and improved green spaces.
“The potential for housing development on Barneys Hill was set out and consulted upon in the Strategic Regeneration Framework approved in 2019, and any future development would be subject to further consultation with local people. As part of the long-term investment in Collyhurst, the existing Sandhills Park will also be protected and enhanced”.
Campaigners say they will continue to push for the hill’s protection as consultation over the future of the area continues.