The proposal for Hulme Street has changed again to keep the work within budget. The details are listed below. The main contractor has been chosen by CSM: Groundwork Landscapes. They will be contacting residents very shortly.
All residents will soon be invited to vote for the artist who will be running workshops to come up with the design for the artworks on Hulme Street. More information about this later.
Explanations of the latest changes to the design HulmeSt_Oct2012 (provided by BCA Landscapes):
- Removal of play/trim trail equipment from the Mancunian way (next to Leaf street) as requested by the community, Focus of trim trail/play equipment more in the centre of Hulme Street including some planting to help define it and provide a buffer to it.
- The 6 proposed orchard trees at the Jackson Crescent end have been relocated to the end of Hulme Street at the Manc Way end, next to Leaf street, where there is more space for them owing to the changes to the play/trim trail.
- It is proposed to only close part of Hulme Street to vehicles. It will now be closed from beyond Procters enabling the existing access arrangements for Procters to continue. Access for deliveries to this end of Hulme St will also be possible. (MCC Highways are exploring possibility of getting parking restrictions extended to ensure no parking can occur on this lower end of the street. Worst case scenario car-wise would be that people will still park on this lower end of the street).
- The proposed cycle lane will be an advisory one and will just use thermoplastic markings rather than the green surface coating. Beyond Procters, there will be no markings for cyclists but the space left behind the central planting will encourage cyclists to follow this route which will be defined by the existing kerb line.
- The proposed raised table at the entrance to Hulme Street has been removed as a result of the changes to the highway’s proposals. Tactile paving will be installed to the footways on each side of the road to create a safe and easy crossing point for pedestrians.
- The number of street tree and planters has been reduced from 16 to 10 as a result of the changes to highways.
- Reduction in the amount of espalier planting (partly due to cost and partly because we had them proposed around the central seating area which is adjacent to the cycle lane – falling fruit/berries littering cycle path not ideal so felt low growing compact evergreen shrubs would maximise clear site lines and maneuverability with no falling fruit etc).
- The additional diagonal path outside no. 221-225 Hulme Street has been omitted.
- The 2 existing trees proposed for removal on Hulme Street will be retained. CSM will address any future maintenance needs for them as part of their tree works strategy they are putting together across all the neighbourhoods.
