Do our short survey.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SURVEY
Why we're asking
Our parks and open spaces need the safe, well-cared-for future that you and your neighbours want for them. But that will take some planning and some new ways of doing things. We have some new ideas and approaches that we want to share and get your views on. As with all public services, we believe that giving communities more power and responsibility over their parks will unlock new possibilities that we can't deliver alone, and some possibilities that we've not even thought of!
What we're asking
We've got questions about what you think our long-term approach to parks should be (the 'themes' of our strategy) and more interesting questions like how often you visit parks and what you do there. We want to know what you'd like to see in parks in future and how you would run and fund them.
Background
We've got more parks and green spaces than you may think. Twenty per cent of our city is tree-covered - the UK average is only 8%. So, lots of green spaces. But this consultation is just about our 140-plus public parks.
We know parks matter. When we asked Manchester people about how their 'dream Manchester' would look in 2025, thousands pointed to the parks and said, "we need these spaces to relax, exercise and step away from the busy city".
People want to live near parks. They make us healthier and happier. They keep us active and encourage walking and bike rides. They reduce carbon pollution. They can help make Manchester a top-flight world city for business and tourism.
Things have improved over the last 10 years. Despite cuts we've continued to invest in parks. More people use them now. More people help look after their park through 'Friends' groups and volunteering. Look how locals have given Alexandra Park, Moss Side new life.
We want the next ten years to be better still for Manchester parks. There's loads of potential, but it will need new kinds of active involvement from local people, voluntary groups, businesses and anyone who cares about a neighbourhood. They could be volunteers doing hands-on tasks, or ideas people - advising, managing and coming up with fresh thinking. There could be new ways of funding parks that involve local business and organisations. We've set out our approach in a council report. See a summary of the Update on Parks report.
This survey is about Manchester's 140-plus parks - but not other public areas such as Spinningfields and Piccadilly. Check that your park's on the list of Manchester's parks.
