Garden city on the Rochdale

MANCHESTER City Council are hoping to turn the rather uninviting Piccadilly Basin at the junction of the Rochdale and Ashton canals into a garden city centre.

Work has already started on the scheme at the basin, that is better known to boaters as Dulcie Street Basin, which hopes to bring dragonflies, butterflies and bees to the area, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Haven

Once the area is cleared, the North side will be planted with  wild  flowers and the South side of the basin planted with  herbs and garden flowers, which it is hoped will become an haven for insects.

The council would like local business and people living in the area  to volunteer to help with the transformation.

Create a brand

Steve Merridew, a founder of the scheme relates in 'bio-speak':

"We are trying to create a brand which can provide the vision, expertise and framework under which individuals and organisations can deliver Greening initiatives in the city centre."

The area around the basin is very well known to boaters for its activity with prostitutes and the like, that use the adjoining car park and others that use the footbridge.