£1 million grant funding approved for Community Greenways Project

The City Mayor in consultation with Cabinet (26 August) approved the formal acceptance of £999,476 in revenue grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund under the Nature Towns and Cities programme.

The grant will fund eight new roles (four in each council) and enable a programme of commissioned micro-projects with eight specialist partner organisations. These include the RHS, Sow the City, City of Trees, GM Environment Fund, Groundwork, the Canal & River Trust and two consultancies to be appointed.

The project will cover five main areas of work:

1. Empowering communities – supporting local groups to take ownership of green spaces, with accredited training and support for community lead management schemes and improved input into how green spaces are designed.
2. Upskilling volunteers – building on current accredited training schemes and resources to enhance local capacity and sustainability.
3. Mapping connective green space routes – identifying, mapping and assessing links between existing green spaces and opportunities for new developments. Working in parallel with Cyan Lines (Manchester) and Irwell River Park (Salford).
4. Innovative financing – developing sustainable funding models for long-term project success. The project will produce a Greenspace Connectivity Strategy, providing a framework for future investment in urban nature recovery.
5. Improving knowledge sharing – a new community forum will be established to provide a platform for local groups across both cities and beyond to share best practices, knowledge and opportunities for connection. 

The project is designed for long-term transformation, which will provide a strategic framework for future green infrastructure investment, a network of trained community leaders and volunteers, sustainable models for financing nature recovery and promote stronger partnerships between local authorities, voluntary organisations and the private sector.

Councillor Barbara Bentham, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety at Salford City Council said: “This funding is a fantastic opportunity to work closely with local groups to bring parks, canals, rivers and neighbourhoods to life and ensure people living in their areas can enjoy nature and green spaces, close to home.

“As part of our commitment to creating a fairer, greener, healthier and more inclusive city for all, we want more people to experience nature in their daily lives, particularly those places and communities currently lacking access to quality green space.

“Aligning with ambitions in the Greater Manchester 5-Year Environmental Plan, Salford and Manchester will work together, linking parks, urban waterways and industrial heritage sites into vibrant corridors that enhance biodiversity while improving residents' quality of life.”

The project supports delivery of ambitions identified in Salford’s Irwell River Park Movement Strategy, Manchester’s Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy; Our Rivers Our City and the emerging City Centre Movement Plan.

Recruitment and procurement will begin in August / September 2025, with project delivery commencing in late September 2025. The work will be phased over three years.

Salford City Council will act as the accountable body and hold the entirety of the grant funding on behalf of Manchester City Council.

Additional resource: A greener future for the North West as £2.6m in funding announced. Information can also be found on the Nature, Towns and Cities website.