Withington
Withington Village is a key area of south Manchester. In 2020, we worked with the Withington Village Regeneration Partnership to ask local people what they wanted. This led to a plan called the Withington Village Framework.
What the plan includes
We want to make Withington better, such as:
- Improve the space outside the library (Rutherford Place)
- Make Copson Street better for walking
- Improve the space along Wilmslow Road
- Use car parks as possible public spaces
- Create better entrances to the village
- Improve walking and cycling routes to the centre
- Restore old building features and shop fronts.
What has been done so far
We got special funding from the Government. This helped us transform Rutherford Place and Copson Street. Both spaces were finished in May 2025.
Rutherford Place - a new public square
We made a bigger space outside the library. It’s now a nice place to sit, meet friends, or enjoy small events.
New features include:
- Heritage-style paving
- Rain gardens, planters and new trees
- Circular seating
- A special paving design showing an atom (to honour Ernest Rutherford, a local scientist).
We also:
- Closed part of Wellington Road to make more space
- Made Davenport Avenue one-way to reduce traffic
Copson Street – better for walking
We changed part of Copson Street to make it a safer and more vibrant place to shop.
What’s new:
- Part of the street between Wilmslow Road and Patten Street is now for walking only
- One-way access only traffic to help safety
- Bright, colourful seating, new trees and planters installed
- New lighting and paving
- New artwork by Withington Walls adds colour and connects to a trail of murals.