Work begins on Manchester Piccadilly’s first community garden

Monday 2 Mar 2026

Work begins on Manchester Piccadilly’s first community garden

Region & Route:: North West & Central

Passengers travelling through Manchester Piccadilly are set to benefit from an exciting new garden project, bringing colour and life to the station’s entrance.

From Monday 2 March, travellers will see work underway on the approach to the North West’s busiest railway station.

The Station Sanctuary project will see the grey, underused outdoor space just outside of the station evolve into a vibrant, biodiverse garden to welcome people and wildlife.

The garden will be open to the public in spring 2026, for commuters, visitors, and city residents to enjoy amid the bustle of Piccadilly station.

The scheme has been created through an innovative partnership between Network Rail, the National Trust, Sow the City, and Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH). It has also benefited from the support of Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester, alongside funding from United Utilities.

The space has been designed to offer a moment of calm and relaxation, with 40 modular rainwater planters, pillars, and seats that will be made by local community groups and volunteers.

The charity MASH offers support to women who are involved in sex work and have experienced homelessness. Through participation in the Station Sanctuary project, women have come together to co-design and co-create the garden. This initiative has inspired women to express their creativity and provides an opportunity to learn about nature and urban conservation.

Through nature-led design and pollinator-friendly planting, the garden will enhance urban biodiversity, contributing to a healthier local ecosystem. The garden will have information panels that will encourage visitors to explore the city’s other accessible green and blue spaces, as well as information on urban ecology.

Rebecca Foy, Network Rail’s regeneration and placemaking specialist, said: “Manchester Piccadilly is both the welcome and farewell to our city, and through Station Sanctuary we’re shaping it to better reflect Manchester’s character and creativity.

"This project marks a new creative and collaborative approach for Network Rail. Together, we’re transforming an underused space into a greener, more colourful and more welcoming place where our passengers, visitors and local communities can relax and enjoy.”

Natalie Daring, Greater Manchester urban senior programme manager at the National Trust, said: "We’re so proud to celebrate the opening of this beautiful new garden, which has been shaped by the creativity and voices of the women from MASH. It’s a real reflection of what’s possible when communities are supported to make their brilliant ideas a reality. Here in Greater Manchester, the National Trust is working closely with local partners like Network Rail and Sow the City to connect people, nature and heritage in meaningful ways, and to understand and remove the barriers that too often stand in the way. This garden is a joyful example of that vision coming to life."

Jon Ross, the founder and chief executive at Sow the City said: “As a Manchester-based organisation, we are incredibly proud to be transforming Piccadilly Station into a vibrant, green oasis. This garden will reconnect people with nature in one of the busiest parts of the city, and show that even the most unexpected places can support biodiversity.”

Rachel Shore, project engagement coordinator at MASH, said: “The Station Sanctuary project engages women who are often marginalised, empowering them to connect together and collaborate creatively.

“Together, we feel proud to be using our skills to transform an underused site in the station area into a thriving, nature-rich space that embodies the vibrant spirit of our city. Alongside the plants and flowers, we hope to grow awareness around the importance of inclusive, welcoming spaces for everyone in the community”.

A spokesperson for the women supported by MASH, said: “I feel that it’s important that we show we have skills and use them to make a safe place. From my homeless times around the station area, it’s a positive reflection that I can use my experiences for good.”

Details on how the public can get involved in tending and enjoying this unique urban oasis will be shared on the project partners’ websites as the opening date approaches.

For more information on Manchester Piccadilly station’s facilities, visit: Manchester Piccadilly - Facilities, Shops and Information.

Notes to Editors

Partners:

Network Rail: As the owner and infrastructure manager or Britian’s railway, Network Rail is committed to improving station environments and integrating sustainable practices and placemaking into its operations.

Transport for Greater Manchester: The public body responsible for coordinating transport services across Greater Manchester, overseeing buses, trams, cycling, walking, and road networks.

Sow the City: A Manchester-based social enterprise helping urban communities create greener cities and connect with nature. Sow the City is responsible for project management, design, installation and community engagement delivery.

National Trust: Europe's largest conservation charity, caring for historic places and green spaces forever, for everyone. The National Trust provides project management and evaluation support, and expertise in green space development.

MASH: Manchester Action on Street Health is a charity that provides non-judgmental, confidential support to women involved in sex work or who have experienced homelessness, helping them to improve their health, safety, and wellbeing.

About the garden:

Sow the City’s landscape designer has curated a planting scheme which uses drought tolerant plants, that are tough enough to thrive in city conditions, while supporting local wildlife. In early spring, bright crocuses will bloom and offer food for bees when they are waking up from winter.
As the seasons change, herbs like thyme, chives, and oregano will add colour, scent, and attract pollinators. Into autumn, flowers like Mexican fleabane and verbena will keep the garden buzzing with life. Grasses such as Mexican feather grass and quaking grass will bring movement and structure, while tough, drought-tolerant plants like cotton lavender help the garden cope with warm summers.
Together, these plants will create a beautiful, low-maintenance space that supports people, pollinators, and the planet.
The hexagonal planters and other features in the garden will be made by community groups including women from MASH and Boiler House woodworking groups. Following its launch, the garden will be used as a space to host community gardening sessions for local groups, volunteers, and schools, ensuring it remains an active part of the city for years to come.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.