'Exceptional' Castlefield Viaduct sky park set to stay in Manchester for another 18 months

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The ‘exceptionally successful’ Castlefield Viaduct sky park is set to stay open until the end of next year. National Trust bosses are bidding to extend the lifespan of the park, which opened last summer on a 12-month trial, by another 18 months.

Should the plan be successful, the facility will remain open until December 2024. Currently, the Viaduct is open on a pilot basis, in order to get feedback from visitors to inform a more permanent installation on the railway structure. READ MORE: Trainer fan 'knocked out cold' as tempers flare in queue for latest Nike Jordans “Since opening in July 2022, Castlefield Viaduct has been exceptionally successful, with demand far exceeding our original expectations, thereby limiting our capacity to accommodate visitors,” a planning statement from the Trust said. “We are therefore of the view that allowing additional time for this initial trial phase of the development would enable us to welcome more visitors, and in doing so obtain a greater depth and diversity of views to inform the Phase Two permanent scheme (which will be subject to a new planning application in the future - work is already underway to prepare for this).” The sky park reopens this weekend (February 18) after its winter closure, complete with two new community gardens.

It’s also made a major change to make it easier to visit. From Saturday, visitors will be able to turn up at the Viaduct between 1pm onwards ‘to explore it at their own pace’ - doing away with the need to pre-book a free ticket due to weight restrictions on the viaduct’s Victorian metal.

Now, however, people can turn up in the afternoons and wait for entry. "By introducing a new way for visitors to explore the viaduct at their own leisure, we