IN Focus - Brilliant New Boulevard along Great Ancoats Street

 70 huge new  trees have been planted  as part of a major scheme to create a better route for walking between the city centre and the Ancoats and New Islington neighbourhoods. 

 The £9.1m Great Ancoats Street scheme, which is due to be completed this winter, will improve the look and feel of the area for pedestrians. 

Manchester City Council’s arboricultural team hand-selected the individual trees as excellent fits for the street environment, with the right characteristics to thrive in urban conditions and combat the effects of Climate Change. 

The three species chosen are:- 

Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera fastigiata) 

"Green Pillar” an upright form of the American Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) 

“Regal Prince”, a rare hybrid oak tree (Quercus x wardii) 

 All of the new trees will be planted into specially engineered underground pits, which have been carefully designed to aid the rapid establishment of root systems.  

63 of the trees are being planted on Great Ancoats Street itself, with seven more trees, which were originally planned to be positioned on Great Ancoats Street, relocated to Old Mill Street, after the council detected unmapped underground utilities during surveying work.  

The Great Ancoats Street scheme, which has received funding support from the Greater Manchester Growth Deal, will provide decluttered, wider pavements and redesigned, clearer signage for simpler navigation.  New crossing facilities are also to be installed over the busy road - which is part of the city’s Inner Ring Road and averages more than 37,000 vehicle journeys per day - making it easier to cross and reducing the risk of accidents. 

 This on top of the  £1million is set to be invested in planting thousands of new trees over the next two years.  

 Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport, Councillor Angeliki Stogia, said: “These new trees have been chosen to live long and happy lives on Great Ancoats Street.  We believe that their impressive, upright forms will produce a very special effect for the area and we’re confident that residents and visitors alike will be pleased with their quality and appearance. 

“This scheme to improve the look, feel and safety of what is a busy part of the Inner Ring Road presented us with a unique opportunity, so we’ve carefully chosen three striking tree species, which will really enhance the visual and environmental quality of Great Ancoats Street. 

"The trees are a visible sign of our determination to create a greener city and to help keep Manchester moving towards its ambitious goal of becoming zero-carbon by 2038 at the latest.”