Hoardings go up at Piccadilly Gardens

Part of the much-maligned central Manchester square is being fenced off as surveys take place ahead of an improvement package, for which an initial £15m has been earmarked.

Manchester City Council said the vision behind the project is to make Piccadilly Gardens more colourful, more vibrant, safer and more inviting.

Work started yesterday, and around half of the Gardens – centring on the area around the fountains – will begin to be hoarded off to enable preliminary works including surveys and excavations. The remainder of the space will remain open.

Responding to questions from Place North West, the council said that although costs are still to be finalised, based on factors such as detailed design work, an initial £15m has been earmarked.

This is expected to be enhanced as MCC works with partners and draws on other funding sources as the project develops.

AHR Architects is advising the council.

The scope of the project, as set out by MCC, includes:

• Putting the ‘Gardens’ back in Piccadilly Gardens – more trees, planting and floral displays.
• A new space for family-friendly events - removing the fountains and using the new space created to hold events and activities throughout the year. A new, flexible structure will be built on part of the space to help support events.
• Better use of space - ripping out the low concrete wall and raised planters along the edge of Piccadilly Gardens, close to the Queen Victoria statue.
• Refreshing the existing children’s play area - using the pace created by the above removals to create a new playground for younger children, aiming for the same quality as those at Mayfield Park and Ancoats Green.

MCC is in the process of selecting a contractor and delivery team for the works, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.

The physical redevelopment of the Gardens is being implemented alongside a strengthened police presence and increased CCTV.

In the longer term, the council and partners are working on wider projects including a Transport for Greater Manchester interchange, to be separately funded.

As set out when the project was announced in January, the rest of the gardens will be fenced off at a later date, with works expected to take 18 months.

Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said: “2026 promises to be the beginning of a bright new start for Piccadilly Gardens. We’re determined to see it become an attractive world-class public space which makes a positive contribution to the city centre – somewhere Mancunians can be proud of again. That’s what we’re cracking on with investing in.

“We recognise that the success of this project doesn’t just rest on making the Piccadilly Gardens look better but also on improving people’s experience of the space – whether that’s through tackling crime and anti-social behaviour or putting on exciting events and activities.

“While there’s a lot we can do as a council, and we’re getting on with doing it, we can’t transform Piccadilly Gardens on our own and I’m grateful for the strong commitment to ongoing improvements which GMP,  Transport for Greater Manchester and other agencies have also shown.”

Turf from the hoarded off section of Piccadilly Gardens, which was laid at the beginning of the year, is being donated to community projects.