Now that the go-ahead has been given for work to proceed on the construction of a new tram depot at Heaton Park in Manchester, it is pleasing to report that visible progress is finally being made on this exciting project. Ground works are now taking place alongside the boathouse and café, which will soon be the site of the new Lakeside Depot.
Earlier this week, contractors descended on the park to move some of the spoil which had previously been cleared away, but had collapsed over the winter whilst the project was held up by various red tape. Whilst the workmen were on site, the empty space cleared for the new building was extended slightly, in preparation for the new retaining wall to be built.
More exciting progress occurred on Thursday 20th June, when a dozen wagon loads of spoil arrived at the building site. This has been used to create a suitable hard-standing for the heavy plant which will be required once the actual construction work begins, to use, and by the end of the day all of this was in place and had been levelled out. It is anticipated that machines will arrive at the park on Monday 24th June, when the task of laying the foundations will commence. This will clearly indicate the exact location of the new depot, before the skeletal structure can be erected. After waiting for so long, it actually seems quite hard to believe but the start of proper construction work really is just around the corner after seemingly endless hurdles have all been overcome: a tribute to the tenacity of the Manchester Transport Museum Society members who have been responsible for all of the work which has been going on behind the scenes for many months. To these few people, we owe a great deal!
A general view of the site soon to be occupied by Britain's newest tram depot, close to the boating lake at Heaton Park. (Photo by Joe Savage)
All the people at heaton park tramway are to be congratulated for this superb development. They must be very proud.
How big is the depot going to be? Having visited the park, it’s hard to decipher the actual scale/size of the new building. Are all the fleet going to be housed in it?
The depot will have 3 roads each capable of holding either two Blackpool size trams or a combination of one Blackpool and 2 four wheelers.
It will hold the majority of the fleet but the likes of Manchester 173 and Rawtenstall 23 will have to wait for phase 2 of the building before they can move in.