Reclaimed wood from Manchester’s historic Velodrome track has been transformed into bespoke planters as part of a new green installation on Deansgate.
A greener Deansgate takes shape
If you’ve visited Deansgate in Manchester city centre in the last few days, you may have noticed some beautiful leafy additions have appeared. Touch Wood is thrilled to have been a partner in this new green installation in the heart of Manchester.
Twelve sweet gum trees, known for their striking autumn colours, have arrived on Deansgate, making it their temporary home before they are planted in the ground in their forever homes around Greater Manchester next year. The avenue of trees has been installed alongside the cycle lane by the Great Northern Warehouse as part of a pop-up scheme created by Cyan Lines and Manchester City Council.
Bringing reclaimed wood into the project
In addition to the trees, Touch Wood was invited to contribute to the ‘greening’ of Deansgate by producing some specially created Manchester bee themed, hexagon-shaped planters using reclaimed wood. The planters have been crafted using wood from Manchester’s Velodrome track, creating a fitting connection to the cycle lane they now sit beside.
If you look closely at the planters, you will be able to see the painted track lines and markings on the velodrome track wood. You can read more about this historic wood here. Deansgate will play a significant role in the Grand Depart for the Tour de France next year, as the finishing line of the Tour de France Femmes in one stage of the race.
Creating space for nature in the city
It’s hoped that the trees and plants which have been introduced to this urban landscape will encourage biodiversity bringing insects and birds to the area. Urban trees can serve as green corridors between larger areas of green space, giving pollinators a safe path to travel through. They will also improve air quality by removing pollutants from the air by absorbing them through their leaves.
Plants designed to support biodiversity
The plants in the Touch Wood hexagonal planters include:
Pollinator-friendly plants: Lavender, Blazing Star, Thyme, Sedum, Dianthus.
Evergreen planting: Juniper, Mahonia, Nandina, Sacococca, Euonymus.
Perennial planting: Hosta, Blazing Star, Sedum, Gladiolus.
Supporting active travel
Along with the planters and trees, two new brightly coloured cycle ports have been installed. Each one will allow eight bikes to be parked safely in an area the size of a single car parking space. The cycle shaped ports are painted in Tour de France colours – one yellow and one polka dot – in anticipation of the Tour de France Femmes coming to Manchester next year with a stage finish on Deansgate.
Connecting Manchester to nature
Cyan Lines plans to link and transform Manchester’s green and blue spaces. Green and blue spaces are its squares, pocket parks, rivers, canals and viaducts. The aim of the organisation is to enable residents and visitors to enjoy, understand and better connect with nature and each other.
Giving Manchester’s resources a second life
Mike Taylor, Commercial Director for Touch Wood says; “It’s been a privilege to support such a prestigious project bringing biodiversity to the streets of central Manchester using rescued wood that was otherwise destined for incineration. An added bonus is that we’re supporting the ambition of active travel with a piece of Manchester cycling’s heritage.”
Photo credit: All photos used in this article were taken by Nathan Whittaker @manc_wanderer