AN ambitious scheme to boost visitors and turn Heaton Park in Prestwich into one of the North West’s major attractions has been revealed.

A masterplan has been drawn up for the historic park which is home to one of only 10 Grade I-listed buildings — Heaton Hall — in Manchester.

The aim is to see visitor numbers increase from two million to three million.

These include staging three concerts a year, restoring and reopening the hall, staging more musical events and providing quality food for visitors by opening up the Stables Cafe and Orangery once again and making them profitable.

There is also a plan to have a dedicated activity area within the Sport Zone development situated near the park’s St Margaret’s entrance.

This started with the construction of the Commonwealth Games Bowls facility, but had to be halted after a Village Green application was submitted. That has since been unsuccessful and now there is scheduled to be tennis and netball courts, five-a-side pitches and a climbing wall.

Manchester City Council is hoping to secure Lottery funding to restore the hall to its former glory.

A bid in 2008 for £9.4 million was unsuccessful, but councillors are hoping to secure money from English Heritage to make the building weatherproof. Tours around the “most influential 18th-century building” are also on the agenda.

The business plan also includes the introductuion of daily parking charges.

This is expected to bring in £80,000 which is likely to increase to £100,000 in the coming years.

To make the plans viable, the council is hoping to host weddings and other events, as well as the possibility of introducing schemes such as a adopt-an-animal and selling produce.

Three concerts or large events will be held every year to bring in money and raise the park’s profile following 2009’s hugely successful Oasis concerts. Later this month, the Stone Roses will be the centrepiece of three similar gigs.

A Manchester City Council report states: “With effective marketing and promotion, the park will become better known. There will always be something to see and do and in this way footfall will increase creating more opportunities for income generation.”

It added: “The development and improvement of Heaton Park that started over a decade ago, with major investment in its infrastructure, has now reached a point where the new management and staff structure, working to a robust Business Plan, will raise the quality of visitor facilities so that the Park can finally reach its potential to be one of the region’s favourite destinations.”