A raft of improvements for Marje Kelly Park in Gorse Hill is about to get under way after local people gave their views on what they wanted to see.
Trafford Council is spending £50,000 levied from housing developers on upgrading the popular green space.
A developer building 300 new homes on the nearby former Itron factory site, also known as Novus, signed a ‘Section 106 agreement’ under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, providing the funds to improve Marje Kelly Park, bordered by Cranford Avenue and Gorse Lane.
Now contractor Landscape Engineering Ltd has been appointed to carry out the work including:
Work starts this month and will be completed during the spring after over 200 local people had their say on their hopes and priorities for the space.
The park was re-named after dedicated local volunteer Marje Kelly in 2018. Marje is known for her community work such as litter picking and improving local parks.
Marje, pictured, said:
“Having the park named after me eight years ago was such an honour and, alongside the rest of the community, I’m happy to see these improvements taking place. Everyone put forward their ideas for what they wanted to see, and it will be great to see them taken forward, with better facilities for children of all ages, and families.”
Cllr Eve Parker, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Heritage and Culture, said:
“We’re delighted to be able to bring these improvements to the families of Gorse Hill.
“Marje Kelly Park is a lovely place that’s enjoyed every day by many people. New and upgraded facilities will help it to continue to be great spot to visit and spend time in for years to come.”
The Council recently agreed to spend a further £1m of Community Infrastructure Levy, which also comes through development in the area, on improving parks and green spaces, and establish habitat banks including William Wroe Meadows that will benefit from Biodiversity Net Gain contributions, also from developers.