Piccadilly Gardens to get ‘world class’ £25M transformation

After decades of neglect, Manchester’s famed Piccadilly Gardens will be the centre of a £25M landscape and design competition, Manchester City Council announced over the weekend.

According to the council, the competition will invite urban design and landscape teams from across the globe to present their ideas for the regeneration of the ten acre site. 

Mosley Street, New York Street, Parker Street, the section of Portland Street which Piccadilly Gardens runs alongside, and the section of Piccadilly which runs alongside the gardens will also be included in the transformation. 

The new design of the area will be based off 1,700 responses which were submitted by Manchester residents, businesses and organisations at a consultation held earlier this year.

As for their vision of the transformation, the council said it wants Piccadilly to be a ‘special place with a strong sense of identity, welcoming and uniquely-Mancunian, and one that allows for the flexible hosting of events.’

It must be ‘a place for all’ that incorporates space where children can play, while full access and inclusivity will also be integral to the design process.

Described as a ‘prominent gateway location,’ the Piccadilly area already boasts a unique range of functions such as as a major route through the city centre, a transport interchange, a space for markets and events, and a green space to meet friends and spend recreational time. 

Speaking ahead of the competition’s launch this autumn, Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The Piccadilly area has the potential to become an outstanding open space in the heart of Manchester, befitting the city’s international status.

Dave Morton / Flickr

“We recognise that it needs to be transformed to ensure that it can realise its potential as a welcoming and flexible space.  We want to create a place that people are talking about for all the right reasons.

“The publication of this notice is an important step closer to this aspiration and underlines the ambition we have for the area – ambition we know that Manchester people share – and we will of course be seeking further views from the public later down the line once we have a successful scheme to put to them.”

The competition is set to begin this autumn, though no specific date has been announced. For more information, click here.

The Piccadilly area was last redeveloped in 2000, during which time the sunken gardens, lawn and large areas of flower beds were removed to make way for the construction of a pavilion and free-standing wall and installation of a new water feature and landscaping.