Avanade Intelligent Garden at Mayfield Park, Manchester
23 September 2026
Location: Mayfield Park, beside Manchester Piccadilly Station
Architecture Design: Studio Egret West, led by Duncan Paybody, with Tom Massey and Studio Weave
Photos by Alister Thorpe
Mayfield keeps on growing as expanded public realm strengthens connection to Manchester’s Piccadilly Station and supports next phase of transformation
- 1-acre extension now complete including RHS Chelsea gold medal winning Avanade Intelligent Garden, extending Mayfield’s green public realm towards Piccadilly Station
- Talking tree AI technology responds to growing climate emergency following the UK’s hottest summer on record
- New coffee shop, White Label, now open led by the team behind Freight Island
The continued transformation of Mayfield has reached another milestone, with new public realm, enhanced connectivity and the opening of a new café reinforcing the district’s emergence as one of Manchester’s newest mixed-use neighbourhoods.
Central to this latest phase is the expansion of Mayfield’s landscape-led approach beyond the boundaries of Mayfield Park, bringing greener, more welcoming public space closer to Manchester Piccadilly Station and strengthening the gateway into the district.
Avanade Intelligent Garden completes
The Mayfield Partnership has this week completed the installation of a major extension to the much-loved Mayfield Park which includes the Avanade Intelligent Garden – a new urban garden installed on a former traffic island between Mayfield and Piccadilly Station. Originally created for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 by garden designer Tom Massey and Studio Weave, the Intelligent Garden has been reimagined for its new home by Studio Egret West, led by Duncan Paybody, the landscape architect behind Mayfield Park, in collaboration with Tom Massey and Studio Weave, and features ‘Tree Talk’ technology developed by Avanade.
The garden represents an important extension of Mayfield’s public realm, bringing new planting, biodiversity and environmental innovation to a prominent arrival point for people moving between Piccadilly Station and the neighbourhood.
Featuring 19 new trees, the garden reuses most elements from the original Chelsea installation alongside locally sourced materials and site-specific planting. Seven of the trees are equipped with sensors linked to Avanade’s Tree Talk technology, enabling real-time environmental monitoring. Up to 30% of trees planted in UK towns and cities do not survive their first year. Data collected from the trees is therefore analysed using AI to help identify potential signs of drought, disease and environmental stress, supporting their long-term health and resilience.
Public realm improvement works
The installation completes a broader programme of threshold improvements designed to strengthen the connection between Manchester Piccadilly Station and Mayfield Park. The Mayfield Partnership is investing £12 million into these works which include the pedestrianisation and repaving of Baring Street, creating a greener, calmer and more welcoming route into the district. Together, the improvements enhance the experience of arrival at Mayfield and reinforce the role of public realm as a foundation for the neighbourhood’s continued evolution.
New café opens at ticket office
Further evidence of the district’s continued growth can be seen in the activation of heritage assets and progress on future development. White Label – a vinyl listening lounge and coffee shop operated by the team behind Freight Island and the Depot, has opened within the former 1910 station ticket office building at the entrance to Mayfield, bringing a previously inactive heritage space back into use and adding to the area’s growing mix of independent businesses and amenities.
Henrietta Nowne, Development Director at Landsec, said:
“The success of Mayfield Park has shown the transformative impact that high-quality public realm can have on a part of the city. These latest improvements are about building on that success and continuing to grow Mayfield as a connected, welcoming and sustainable district.
“The Avanade Intelligent Garden, the improvements to Travis and Baring Street, and progress on future development plots all demonstrate the momentum behind Mayfield. Together, they create a stronger gateway into the city, enhance the everyday experience of a new part of the city where thousands will one day work and live.”
Councillor Garry Bridges, Leader of Manchester City Council said:
“We are delighted that the latest improvement and expansion of Mayfield Park will benefit communities across the city centre. Enhancing and investing in parks while improving access to green spaces across the city is a key commitment for us. The next phase of Mayfield Park is particularly exciting, bringing together the latest innovation in green technology and sustainability to future proof our landscapes as our climate conditions change is something to be welcomed.”
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Mayfield Partnership
The Mayfield Partnership comprises Platform4, wholly-owned by Network Rail; Manchester City Council; Transport for Greater Manchester; and regeneration specialist Landsec.
Mayfield
Mayfield is creating a new kind of city district for Manchester, one built within a park.
Transforming 24-acres of former industrial land next to Piccadilly Station, the neighbourhood brings homes, workspaces, culture, food and drink around the much-loved Mayfield Park and the restored River Medlock. Home to Manchester’s first new public park in more than 100 years, the destination is already reshaping this part of the city.
Since reopening the former Mayfield Depot in 2019, it has welcomed more than five million visitors, while the first phase of Mayfield Park opened in 2022. As the park continues to grow, Mayfield will deliver around 2,000 homes, 1.6 million sq ft of office space and thousands of jobs, creating one of the UK’s most distinctive park-centred neighbourhoods.
Photos by Alister Thorpe
The Avanade Intelligent Garden at Mayfield Park images / information received 220926
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