St Peter’s Square redesign leads council’s £165m plans

Manchester City Council has released details of its temporary arrangements for staff and services while a £165m refurbishment of the Town Hall complex and St Peter's Square takes place.

The plans approved today by the council's executive includes:

• International design competition to remodel St Peter's Square. Library Walk also to be included in the proposed design competition
• The Town Hall Extension, Central Library and St Peter's Square all refurbished by 2014
• Spinningfields is the preferred location for the majority of temporarily relocated staff
• Customer Service Centre to be created on the ground floor of the Town Hall extension, piloted at Quay House first
• Green space behind Quay House to house a temporary creche and play area
• Elliot House on Deansgate, belonging to Bruntwood, used for front-of-house library services during refurbishment
• Town Hall Extension to be "used more effectively, ultimately enabling the council to vacate office space elsewhere in the city"
• Transform Library Walk – the curved walkway between St Peter's Square and Mount Street bordered by the Central Library and Town Hall Extension into a semi-enclosed 'galleria' with a glass roof