My brother-in-law Paul Maccabee, who has died of cancer aged 59, left a physical legacy of landscaping and buildings across Greater Manchester.
Paul was born in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, the eldest of the three children of Geoff Maccabee, a probation officer, and his wife, Joyce (nee Granger), a social worker. He went to Carlton-le-Willows comprehensive school, where he captained the rugby team, then studied geography and botany at Liverpool University in 1979.
After a spell living in a London squat he moved to Sheffield University to do an MA in landscape architecture (1984-86), where he met Helen Sharman, who was on the same course, and they were married in 1990. They settled in Manchester, where Paul worked as a landscape architect for Salford council, working on the design of the award-winning Islington Park.
In the late 1990s Paul became a senior landscape architect at Manchester city council, where projects included the renovation of Heaton Park. In 2002 he moved to be physical programme manager in the council’s Wythenshawe regeneration team and coordinated the regeneration of Wythenshawe Forum.
He was later promoted to become development manager of the council’s Building Schools for the Future programme, as part of which he was involved in the design of the innovative Piper Hill school, with its personalised approach to special educational needs. He then moved to work on the regeneration of land around Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, collaborating with the artist Ryan Gander, whose giant steel chess pieces now grace the site.
Paul’s final position was with Manchester University as deputy head of capital projects, overseeing a new green space, Brunswick Park, and working on various building projects at the Jodrell Bank World Heritage Site, which is part of the university.
Outside work Paul was a great craftsman and his carpentry was remarkable, as was the beautiful garden he created with Helen at their home. He also did voluntary work, including redesigning the playground at his daughters’ primary school.
One of his last personal projects was to help the Proud Trust, a Manchester-based LGBTQ support group for young people, to design its new building; the roof garden will be dedicated to him.
He is survived by Helen and their daughters, Lauren and Isabel.
