All Saints Park & Public Realm

Project overview

Following extensive improvement works, the park has been transformed into a vibrant, green, and biodiverse space, providing a welcoming environment for students, university staff, and the local community.

One of the most exciting aspects of the park’s transformation is the focus on biodiversity. New tree specifies are set to support over 200 species of animals and plants, including insects, birds, mammals, fungi, lichen, and mosses.

Beyond the environmental benefits, the newly renovated park offers numerous amenities designed to enhance the experience for everyone on campus. The park and surrounding public realm features new seating areas and outdoor workspaces making it easier for students and colleagues to enjoy the outdoors. The campus has also been made more walkable and inclusive, with clear pathways and accessible routes that encourage active travel, such as walking, running, and cycling.

The project was viewed extremely positively by the client, student community and other city centre stakeholders. Not only did it improve the aesthetics of All Saints Park and surrounding areas, it created a more accessible campus with the introduction of walking and cycleways and developed a biodiverse space for students and colleagues to enjoy the outdoors.

 

Scope of Works

Public Realm & Highway Works

The aim of the surrounding highway works was to provide priority to pedestrians and cyclists on Lower Ormond and Cavendish Street. Work began with the removal of the existing tarmac surfacing which exposed a concrete slab on Lower Ormond Street and stone setts and tram lines of Cavendish Street. The concrete slab was removed and crushed to produce reusable aggregates and excavation to formation level was completed.

Sustainable drainage systems with attenuation and hydro brick manholes into the main United Utilities system were laid and backfilled to formation level and tree cell structures were installed to Lower Ormond Street. Granite kerbs were then laid to de-mark the walkways, allowing the concrete sub-bases to be installed. On Cavendish Road, two attenuation tanks were installed.

The street had a vast number of cables, ducts and chambers which required detailed coordination with all parties. High voltage cables were installed involving coordination with Electricity North West.  Bitmac surfacing and granite paving was then laid to complete these areas.

S278 works were undertaken to Oxford Road, a main through road in Manchester City Centre. This required complex Traffic and Pedestrian Management Plans which were developed in collaboration with MMU, Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester.

 

Park Works

Central to the scheme was the restoration and refurbishment of All Saints Park, named from the former church All Saints Church which once stood at the centre of the park. Over 16,000 individuals were buried within the ground prior to its demolition in 1949 after being ruined by the Blitz.

Our works involved reconstruction of park-wide paths and entrances to create a central campus hub and outdoor workspace making it easier for students and colleagues to enjoy the outdoors.

Works commenced with site clearance including cleaning and jet washing of the existing Yorkstone flagging around the park perimeter, this was safely stored for future use within the central park feature. Drainage and ducting was then installed under an Archaeologist Watching Brief from the Salford Archaeological Department and our UXO specialist. Headstones were discovered and alternative drainage methodologies adopted to minimise disturbance.

This was followed by the installation of a slab foundation to support the new central podium bench feature, installation of the resin coated new diamond formation pathways through the park, re-laying of the Yorkstone paving, laying the first areas of turfing (a combination of natural and wildflower turf) and planting of trees and shrubs.

New street furniture, lighting and wayfinding signage was installed throughout the park and public realm areas to encourage use of these newly refurbished area as social and learning spaces and to ensure safe pedestrian and cyclist movements during the evening hours.

 

A Focus on Sustainability

With the University celebrating 12 years as a top three sustainable university in the UK, this was high on the agenda form the outset. We worked with the Client, our Design Team and our Supply Chain Partners during the Design Development period to identify how we could make the project more sustainable.

To embed this in our approach, our Design Team and Supply Chain Partners were selected based on their commitment to net zero, for example our Landscape Architects, Planit, are B Corp accredited and our landscaping materials supplier, Hardscape are advocates for Ethical and Responsible procurement.

Re-use & Recycling – 550m3 of excavated materials including cobbles uncovered beneath the existing roadway were crushed and screened using our in-house plant and machinery to generate usable aggregate for the project. In addition, 500sqm of existing York Stone flags were lifted, cleaned, stored and incorporated into the finished works.

Procurement – We assessed all specified materials to understand the embedded carbon within them and made recommendations for alternatives which would reduce the associated carbon emissions. We worked with the University and our supply chain partner to specify Portuguese granite paving, instead of cheaper Chinese granite, which (because of reduced travel time) created a reduction in carbon of 153,099 kg CO2.

 

Project Challenges

Burial Site

The project was delivered within All Saints Park, named from the former church All Saints Church which once stood at the centre of the park. Over 16,000 individuals were buried within the ground prior to its demolition in 1949 after being ruined by the Blitz. An archaeological watching brief was required during the groundworks to prevent damage or disturbance to human remains present within the site.

During the early stages of the project, two unexpected existing graves were discovered at formation level. We immediately sought advice from the Salford Archaeology Department and developed revised drainage designs to avoid disturbance of the headstones. We worked collaboratively with the client and design team to ensure there was no impact on the overall project.

Excavations also resulted in the incidental exposure of human remains which was immediately reported to the client and Archaeology Department for investigation.

 

City Centre Location

The project was delivered in the city centre of Manchester with the site bound by University buildings, a church and retail units. This required a detailed Stakeholder Management Plan and implementation of Pedestrian Management Plans to ensure the safety of all members of the public.

The volume of students during term time required detailed consideration when programming works close to the building entrances. Works with a close interface were carried out during the holiday periods allow segregation of works to be maintained.

We programmed the scheme to take advantage of breaks in the university semester to carry out works around the extremely busy campus library which involved 15 different organisations working in a 20m² area!

 

Design Features and Innovation

Bishops Hat Detail - The hard landscaping was designed on a 45-degree angle across Lower Ormond and Cavendish Street. Working collaboratively with our design team, we proposed a revision to the build-up to a rigid bitmac base enabled a simplified approach to expansion joints, resulting in a clean and uninterrupted expanse of paving. To achieve a tidy edge detail, a bespoke ‘bishop’s hat’ feature was developed. This not only provided a refined interface but also complemented the historic character of the listed building.

 

Feature Benches - The feature benches were all custom-made to match the on-site levels. This process required the hard surface to be installed and surveyed before coordinating updates with the fabricator. This ensured the benches could be seamlessly integrated, fitting snugly against the kerb detail to create a built-in, cohesive appearance.

Integrated lighting for the benches was designed using laser-cut patterns, developed during fabrication to achieve a soft, ambient glow. This thoughtful detailing enhances the evening atmosphere, enriching the experience for visitors to the space.

Drainage Revision - Footway drainage within the park had to be re-engineered due to the discovery of graves at shallower depths than anticipated. To minimise excavation, and disturbance of the graves, a ‘deckdrain’ mat system was introduced in place of conventional pipework, accommodating the limited available depth while still providing effective drainage.

 

Social Value

Social Value formed a key part of our initial bid for the scheme. Our company purpose of “Improving Lives” aligned with the Universities commitment to transform lives through the power of education. Social Value was embedded in all project meetings, our supply chain orders and our operative inductions, making it an integral part of our service delivery.

Our initial social value target was £789,000 in socio-economic benefits however, following measurement via the Compliance Chain portal, our actual output was £1.47m as demonstrated by the testimonial below.

“This protect is another example of Casey’s excellent social value delivery, as at 36%, the social value achieved comes in at almost double the target” – Social Value Advisor – Procure Partnerships Framework.

 

Our social value outputs included:

• Provision of three, eight week internships for University students, all of which have led to full-time employment, one with Casey and the others with the support of refences from our team.
• Welcoming 32 Landscape Architecture students to site to introduce them to the techniques of surveying and levelling.
• Donation of £2000 worth of plants, planters and 40 hours volunteer times to help local nursery, Martenscroft create a Wellbeing Garden for their families.
• Supporting the Brotherhood Peace Garden project with 40 hours volunteer time to create space for local community members to grow food.