The Meadows before Newlands

- The meander in the River Irwell in Salford was once low-lying meadowland, grazed by cows

This meander in the River Irwell in Salford was once low-lying meadowland, grazed by cows.

With the Industrial Revolution, it became a base for various industries including a chemical works.  Later still it became a landfill site before being grassed over and used as playing fields by local people.

What Newlands did at The Meadows

- The funding from Newlands has helped to improve the access, attractiveness and biodiversity at The Meadows

The Meadows is already the largest green space close to Manchester city centre.  Delivery of a revitalised green space was important in enabling thousands of visitors to access the site and enjoy the riverside.

Following the completion of a new 1.1km footpath made of recycled materials, work moved on to create a new entrance, woodland and meadow planting and the creation of a new wetland.

The funding from Newlands helped to improve the access, attractiveness and biodiversity at The Meadows.  As the riverbanks are well wooded, the river has become cleaner and it's value for wildlife increased substantially.

The Meadows today

The Meadows is a key component of Irwell River Park, a new international waterfornt destination.  Irwell River Park is a sub-regional partnership between Salford City Council, Manchester City Council and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council embracing 280 hectares at the heart of the connurbation.  This has connected over £3 billion of economic investment and created a new traffice free crossroads across three local authority areas.