Manchester should get a new get a new ‘New York-style’ city centre park, say experts.

They are urging residents and town hall bosses to back a new green space based on the Big Apple’s popular High Line - a 1.45-mile-long park built on an elevated section of a disused rail line.

Consultants Barton Willmore say the bridges and embankment at Castlefield, linking Manchester to Salford, could be transformed into a green public space dubbed Manchester’s Maze.

Dan Mitchell, from the firm, said: “The High Line in New York has successfully transformed a disused and elevated freight railway into an amazing public space. With year-round activities such as dance and street performances to children’s art workshops, cafés and public art, it is a hive of social activity.

“The bridges and embankment at Castlefield, linking Manchester to Salford, could be a wonderful location.

“We’d call it Manchester’s Maze. It would include cafés, cycle hubs, public art trail, water, natural play and a community garden, but I’m sure together we could get even more creative.

“We can have our own city park to love and be proud of, a park that puts Manchester on the map.

“These green spaces put cities on the world map. These are the spaces where city life, sport and recreation collide in busy, often grey cities.

“They provide important places to play and learn - places to socialise and exercise. They are tranquil places people can become lost in and enjoy in an otherwise frantic working day.

“Piccadilly Gardens, St Ann’s Square, Cathedral Gardens and Spinningfields all provide good amenity space in Manchester, but they are hard, urbanised areas. Heaton Park is on the fringe of the city.

“Manchester is a city of growth and ambition. Workers and residents will soon demand greater access to proper green spaces as the traditional lines between life, work and play become even more blurred.

“A new city park should be an equivalently important piece of Manchester’s infrastructure as new rail connectivity.”

As well as a High Line style park, Barton Willmore also suggest the possibility of a more traditional park, possibly in Lincoln Square.

They say there are plenty of places a park could be built - and want residents to share their ideas for a new green, public space.

Dan said: “There are opportunities and we must have an ambitious and deliberate plan for Manchester’s green spaces going forward.

“River corridors spring to mind as the starting point. They could be opened up and a consistent signage strategy could link them to the city’s public buildings, public squares and museums.

“New buildings should allow public access along green leafy waterfronts, with iconic bridges.

“As the city grows, there is a also a real opportunity to redesign our existing spaces as green pocket parks. Why shouldn’t squares and gardens be rediscovered as green oasis’ in the heart of the city?

“Take Lincoln Square for example, an ignored space in the heart of the city.

We'd love to to it, but we don't have the money, say town hall bosses

City centre councillor Kevin Peel, who visited New York to meet those behind High Line, has backed a number of green space campaigns in the past few years.

He said: “I’ve been calling for something like this for four years. Anybody who wants to come forward with ideas, or money, are welcome.

“We’re all supportive of this - councillors and residents. But it would cost millions of pounds that we just don’t have. We’d need government and private investment.”

Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell said: “Manchester owes much to its industrial past and much of the public realm reflects that in its architecture, waterways and mills.

“This makes Manchester a unique and attractive destination. However, there now isn’t enough green space and there’s a growing demand for more.

“The city centre and the area surrounding it has increasingly become a popular residential area with an increasingly stable population, including young families. As this trend increases, we need to ensure there are plans in place for more green and more community space.”