News release

A unique inner city wildlife habitat which is being established right at the heart of New Islington, Manchester’s Millennium Community, has been named as one of the top biodiverse landscaping schemes in the country, in the first ever awards in the UK to focus on the best “green” social housing projects.

Cotton Field is a five acre waterpark with islands, boardwalks and bridges built into the design of a lake framed by a reed bed. The park also features a beach, follies and an area of public open space containing a range of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers that creates a variety of habitats for wildlife.

Nest boxes are designed to attract a range of birds including kingfishers, and innovative low level lighting illuminates the space without impacting on the wildlife. A huge living wall of wire mesh covered with native plants will attract bats and birds while baskets have been installed in the water to provide a habitat for white-clawed crayfish.

The scheme has been shortlisted in the Sustainable Housing Awards, organised by Inside Housing magazine and the first to focus on the best “green” social housing projects constructed in the UK and the organisations responsible for them. The awards will be presented in London on 11 November.

English Partnerships’ Area Director David Chilton, speaking on behalf of the partners, said: “Landscaping work has so often been an afterthought in the past, but here the ecological aspect of regeneration was paramount right from the start. When the waterpark habitat was planned for New Islington it was unique in the UK, and we are extremely proud of the way it has been developed.”

The partners involved in delivering New Islington, Manchester’s Millennium Community are national regeneration agency English Partnerships, developer Urban Splash and urban regeneration agency New East Manchester together with Manchester Methodist Housing Association.

The Millennium Communities Programme has created seven innovative, environmentally sustainable developments in diverse locations across the country. Initiated in 1997 with the launch of a design competition for Greenwich Millennium Village in London, the programme aimed to influence and encourage the wider building industry to embrace innovation and higher environmental standards. The other six communities are: Allerton Bywater near Leeds, New Islington, East Manchester; South Lynn, Kings Lynn; Telford, East Ketley; Oakgrove, Milton Keynes and Hastings, East Sussex. The programme aims to deliver around 7000 new homes by 2014. For further information visit www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/millcomms. Keep up to date on the latest Millennium Communities news by visiting http://mcnetwork.englishpartnerships.co.uk/

English Partnerships is the national regeneration agency helping the Government to support high quality sustainable growth in England by creating well-served mixed communities where people enjoy living and working.

In collaboration with the Housing Corporation, the Academy for Sustainable Communities and Communities and Local Government we are establishing the new Homes and Communities Agency that will begin operating in 2009.

For more information on our work, please visit www.englishpartnerships.co.uk.

Property developer Urban Splash has an established reputation as a pioneer of urban regeneration and advocate of modern design. The company was founded by Tom Bloxham MBE and Jonathan Falkingham in 1993 and since then has received 200 awards to date for architecture, design, regeneration and enterprise. Its mix of award winning residential and commercial projects include Timber Wharf, Box Works, Smithfield Buildings in Manchester and Matchworks, Tea Factory and Collegiate in Liverpool. Urban Splash is now expanding outside its established north west base and now have developments on site or in the pipeline across the UK including, Lister Mills, Bradford; Royal William Yard, Plymouth; Walsall Waterfront; Fort Dunlop and Rotunda in Birmingham and Foster and Partners designed homes at Altrincham, Cheshire. www.urbansplash.co.uk.

New East Manchester Ltd (NEM) is an Urban Regeneration Company - a partnership between Manchester City Council, English Partnerships and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). It is NEM's role to implement the Regeneration Framework, secure the required public and private funding, lead on specific major development projects as well as co-ordinate the range of regeneration and renewal initiatives in the area.

Manchester Methodist Housing Association
MMHA’s ambitious programme of regeneration and urban renewal sets standards that others try to achieve. Winner of the Housing Association Regenerator of the Year Award in 2004 and 2006, the organisation is committed to building cohesive, sustainable communities that have a positive impact on residents and the environment. Housing Corporation partnering status and the Association’s work with more than 25 local authorities affirms its position as a major regional player. MMHA is part of Great Places Housing Group.