Plans unveiled to ‘put the gardens back into Piccadilly Gardens’

Manchester City Council has announced multi-million-pound proposals to upgrade the much-maligned public space as part of a two-phase project that will eventually include an overhauled transport interchange.

The city council has pledged to “put the gardens back into Piccadilly Gardens” with a package of improvements to make it more “colourful, vibrant and inviting”.

As well as increased planting to brighten up Piccadilly Gardens, the city council will rip out fountains and increase the amount of grass and flowers.

In addition, the proposals will see a multi-agency base and improved CCTV installed to help tackle and reduce the crime and anti-social behaviour the gardens has become synonymous with.

Better lighting, a new playground, a flexible events space, and an accompanying programme of events also form part of the project. It is understood the investment in the first phase of the Piccadilly Gardens project is in the early tens of millions.

The city council is keen to see which elements of the project work ahead of firming up plans for a more-permanent solution to the Piccadilly Gardens conundrum.

Leader Cllr Bev Craig said the project has been crafted in response to conversations with locals.

“People tell us they want it cleaned up, brightened up, invested in and made to feel safer,” she said. “It’s still called Piccadilly Gardens and we’ve heard loud and clear from Manchester people that they want its appearance to do more to reflect that name.

“We’re going to give them more greenery and more flowers as part of a coordinated range of measures to improve the look and feel of the area.”

The public asked for more greenery. Credit: via MCC

While no doubt a positive intervention, today’s announcement will leave some who had been expecting the unveiling of a more comprehensive redevelopment of the gardens and the wider 10-acre site underwhelmed.

The project includes not just Piccadilly Gardens itself, but also Mosley Street, Parker Street, part of Portland Street, and part of Piccadilly.

It is now more than two years since Manchester City Council appointed LDA Design to map out the £25m regeneration of the gardens. In July 2023, the authority said a planning application for the project was due in 2024.

Today, the city council confirmed it is working on longer term plans – part two of the two-part project – that would be delivered “in the coming years”.

A key element of the two-phase project is a proposed modern transport interchange.

TfGM plans to invest heavily to create a modern transport interchange using some of the £2.5bn allocated to TfGM by government earlier this year, according to the city council.

Work on the interim changes could begin as soon as the Christmas Markets are finished, the council confirmed.

Craig added: “We want Piccadilly Gardens to be a space Mancunians are proud of once again – and that’s what we are determined to do.

“We need Piccadilly Gardens to up its game and play its part in welcoming millions of people into our city every year.”