Plans to build a new “pocket park” in an underused part of Radcliffe town centre are set to go ahead.
Proposals put forward by councillors aim to transform a small area of land next to the River Irwell and to provide improved green spaces for residents of the town.
Plans for the new park, to be built just off Stand Lane, were approved by the Radcliffe Cabinet Committee at a meeting on Monday and it is expected that community consultation will begin this month.
The project will replace an existing park on the site and improve wayfinding in the area by developing a new riverside walking route.
Funding for the project will come from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a grant which forms part of the government’s levelling-up agenda.
The park will be funded separately from the wider £40m Radcliffe Regeneration effort which is funded with £20m from the government's Levelling-Up Fund with the remainder from Bury Council and external sources.
The full cost of project is not yet known but this is expected to be finalised once consultations are complete.
Radcliffe First leader, Cllr Mike Smith, says the new park will be an "excellent addition" to the town.
He said: “It’s going to provide improved way finding and green space in the centre of town to give people a place to sit, rest and meet.
“The riverside park as it is now ill-maintained and it’s ill-used.
“It needs a hell of a lot of improvement and this scheme is going to give that in the centre of town."
A project overview document published by the council said: “The site is ideally situated at the centre of Radcliffe with furniture, planting and hard surfacing now in poor condition, contributing to its lack of use.
“Ecological features [of the new park] will include opening up access to the River Irwell, planting species along the river and green spaces to improve habitats and engaging the local community with making days and way finding.”
The plans propose three options for the new pocket park, each of which take into consideration space for play, ecology and community.
Consultations will be held with a number of community groups, including businesses, schools and allotment groups before the plans are finalised.
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