A world class garden
RHS Garden Bridgewater
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Awarded2022
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CategoryAccess to green spaces
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OutcomeRegional winner
Proof of concept
Bringing back to life the lost historic grounds of Worsley New Hall
This award was received for a project to deliver a new garden in Salford by bringing back to life the lost historic grounds of Worsley New Hall. It was one of Europe's largest gardening projects.
- It has supported 290 jobs in the construction sector.
- By 2029 the Garden is expected to generate £13.8m in additional value for the local economy.
- The scheme indirectly supports 180 jobs in the wider city region.
- By 2025, 160 Salford residents will have benefitted from employment, training and volunteering activities at the Garden.
Key facts
Shifting perceptions of the area
How/why did the project benefit the public?
The project has returned the historic gardens at the former Worsley New Hall into a world class garden and horticultural centre. As a significant tourist destination, it has bought significant benefits to the wider city region including additional revenue and employment, as well as training and volunteering activities at the Garden.
It has also delivered social benefits including getting children involved with gardening and teaching them about the environment and sustainability issues.
The relaxing environment is improving visitors well-being by providing a place of peace, recovery and reflection, in addition to encouraging physical activity.
What were local planners looking to achieve on the project?
- To bring significant economic and social benefits to the region.
- To support the creation of a beautiful garden for people to enjoy.
- To bring health and wellbeing benefits to visitors and encourage sustainable travel to the site.
- To enhance tourism in the Salford area and create new investment opportunities in the region.
How were local planners essential to the project's success?
The complexity of delivering a planning permission for RHS Garden Bridgewater lay in a number of areas, including: its conflict with Green Belt policy; the technical constraints of the development site and the surrounding highway network; and, the challenging timeframe for obtaining planning permission and delivering the garden.
Local planners worked collaboratively with Barton Willmore, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Peel L&P and other key stakeholders to overcome these challenges and to engage the local community in positive way with the planning process.
The delivery of the garden was realised because of a strong vision and masterplan, a successful delivery partnership between the RHS, Salford City Council and Peel L&P, and a planning strategy that brought engagement and community benefits to the forefront of the process.
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