A planning application has been submitted to build 120 units of housing (a mix of flats and houses) on the Greenfield space Ryebank Fields in Chorlton.

The history, for those who don’t know it: Ryebank Fields was council-owned land that was given to Manchester Polytechnic, now Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) as a sports facility in the mid 1970s. A hundred years ago, the area was a clay pit for Jackson’s Brickworks; it then became an unregistered tip and was bought by the Council in the 1950s and remediated in 1972 with government funds to make it safe to walk and play on. The University abandoned Ryebank Fields in 1996, since when the land has naturally rewilded into a wildlife haven. Thousands of residents are furious because Ryebank Fields is public land gifted for educational / recreational purposes only and MMU and developers now stand to gain income from its sale at the expense of residents and wildlife.

The fields are a much-loved nature haven, well used by the Chorlton community. Local residents regularly organise events on the fields, including women’s walks, bat-watching, dawn walks, children’s trails, craft events, history talks and singing sessions. The Chorlton Infrastructure Framework referred to it several times in its green infrastructure maps – It’s a significant part of the nature offer and character of ‘leafy’ Chorlton.

The fields are also a precious example of urban rewilding, and a rare space where local children can use their imagination and connect with nature in a way that nearby Longford Park can’t offer. Around 25,000 people (residents of Chorlton and Stretford) live within 15 minutes’ walk from the fields, making them an important local amenity.

The campaign to save Ryebank Fields is supported by thousands of locals. 2,500 followers on Facebook, nearly 2,000 on Instagram, almost 3,000 have signed a petition. In the developers’ consultation, nearly 80% of respondents opposed building on the fields. Of those who were not homeowners, 64% still opposed the plans. Around 4,000 new homes are planned within a 20 minute walk of Ryebank Fields, and Manchester has DOUBLE the amount of Brownfield land needed to meet housing need. South Manchester is acknowledged by the Council to have a nature space deficit – presumably precisely because it’s so popular with developers.

Public statements of support, amplifying the Friends of Ryebank Fields’ social media comms and / or displaying leaflets on how to object to the planning application are effective ways to support the campaign. You can get in touch with them at