Works starts on Piccadilly Gardens pavilion revamp
Legal & General Investment Management has commenced the redevelopment of the concrete structure, one small part of the proposed £25m transformation of the maligned public space.
Plans to overhaul the Piccadilly Gardens pavilion – designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando – were approved in April 2022. The project includes the installation of new lighting and the removal of the roof that connects the building’s two commercial units, currently let to Bunsik and Blank Street Coffee.
Alongside the change to the pavilion, a feature art installation comprising metal, glass, and LED lighting designed by SpaceInvader Design and Mancunian artist Lazerian, with lighting specialist Artin will be completed by end of June 2024.
Rob Codling, senior fund manager for LGIM, said: “We are pleased to begin work on the site and hope that we achieve our combined aim with Manchester City Council in making the space a more enjoyable place for residents and visitors to the city.”
The redevelopment is designed to complement the city council’s wider ambition to transform Piccadilly Gardens and the surrounding area, according to LGIM.
LDA Design was appointed to draw up designs for the new-look Piccadilly Gardens last year. A planning application is expected later in 2024.
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Piccadilly Gardens is a prominent location that we want to become an outstanding public space for residents and visitors alike.
“Later this year we look forward to sharing with the public our significant plans to transform the gardens and the surrounding area. In the meantime, it’s great to see this scheme – which will complement the wider plans – begin on site as the first stage in the transformation of the gardens.”
Colliers has provided project management and commercial management services for the project.
About time! Still a lot more to do. However slowly slowly hopefully we will get there.
By Anonymous
Manchester’s priority needs to be fixing the mess and dereliction in Piccadilly, NQ and Chinatown, and a clean up of Castlefield is needed next
By Gilly
£25m. A ridiculous amount of mis-spent public money by the council yet again.
By Darren
blah blah something council, something eyesore, buses, something something.
By Victoria Queen
Has the final plans been released for the re design?
By Anonymous
@ Gilly agree pagoda in Chinatown looks dire.
By Anonymous
OMG…! for once I agree with Gilly…but also this.
By Anonymous
Grand monument to The Chartists, Pathways, Benches, Flowerbeds, Everygreen Bushes, and a Fountain. 10m pounds fee please. PS: Mr Gorbatchow … Knock down that wall!
By Capability Brown
Will we actually see some sort of ‘Gardens’ ie flower beds, proper benches etc etc? And have security around to ensure it’s maintained?!
By Anonymous
Would be a more cohesive and open space if that wall was removed all together and a simple design implemented based on all the good aspects of the great European squares. Add a Police Station, tart up the surrounding buildings, add a few screens and a cleaning regime and this would be a great public space.
By GetItBuilt!
You only need to look back at photos of the gardens in the 1950s and 1960s to see how pleasant and attractive they were, and how pleasant and attractive they should be again. In good weather, they should be the perfect place to chill out from all the madness going on elsewhere.
By Francis
£25m to knock down a bit of concrete and slap up some LEDS.
Ballpark – about 12,000 residents entire council tax contribution.
Criminal.
By Fred
The 25m is for the longer term development not this work, which is funded privately by legal and general. That’s quite obvious from the article if you read it properly…
By Anonymous
I can remember (granted it was nearly 40 years ago) but Summer trips into Town in the mid -80s included some chilling out time in Piccadilly Gardens.
When did it all go wrong? I agree with one of the comments above, police station and a redesign would work wonders
By SBT
For Godsake sort it out. Put it back to how it was. This was the biggest example, of unnecessary urban destruction in my lifetime. Perhaps use Fletcher Moss as a guide. An actual park.
By Elephant
The initial LGIM development will have been wrecked by the denizens of the ‘Gardens’ [sic] by the time the Council get round to launching their proposals for consultation. Piccadilly had been a disgraceful eyesore for years and for the life of me I just don’t get why it takes so long to tidy it up. Not just the physical space but the hangout for all the layabouts who are attracted to the delights it has to offer. £25m to spend. Not a clue on what to do!
By Bewildered Mancunian
The Town Hall often likes talks big numbers, and take the credit for things, but they should perhaps make it clearer that this isn’t £25 million of taxpayers’ money that could just be spent elsewhere.
Not that there won’t end up being a big contribution from us all to try to put right MCC’s last lot of expensive mistakes, while officers and councillors refuse to admit having got anything wrong previously.
The wall/”pavilion” just needs to go now, rather than being given the lipstick on a pig treatment, and having to be dealt with during the next expensive revamp c.2035. L&G must be in a very strong position not to have to take any notice of anyone…
By Rotringer
Fred – No read the article. A) the £25m is the estimate for the whole area; and B) this scheme isn’t part of that and is paid for by Legal & General.
By Local Interest
Those business premises pay enough to keep a green wall to cover the concrete, at least partially. You can also fence the lawns, so they are only for decoration and not basking/stepping on them. The events also generate money for maintenance. There’s no excuse. This place doesn’t need a refurbishment; it needs constant maintenance, cleaning and vigilance. If MCC refurbishes it and keeps neglecting it as it does now, the money for revamp will be wasted. It doesn’t matter how expensive it’s the refurb, if they don’t apply maintenance it’ll look horrible anyway.
By Anonymous
But what does MCC’s famed “City Centre Chief” Councillor Pat Karney have to say about all this? He’s been saying for years he is going to sort all this and give everyone what they want, even when contradictory.
Did they pack him away with the Christmas Market stalls?
By Pigeon Feeder
The light installation design looks like it will prevent the wall from being cleaned effectively, so within a few months, it will be back to being covered in diesel soot from the buses and look terrible. Let’s hope the wider re-design of the area is focussed on being a paved square with planting rather than grass. The area is far too busy for it to stay as parkland and will be the same mud bath it is today otherwise. Those harping back to the sunken gardens need to take their rose tinted glasses off. The area was frequented by drunks and prostitutes and covered in litter back then, just as it is now.
By Anonymous
Not another concrete monstrosity with shops that close every other week. Can’t we just have a large open public square like any other European city where the markets can go and other events/festivals? So much of Manchester is built up, it would be good to have a square that rivals Albert square so we have more large vistas in the city
By Saxon Whittle
When Piccadilly gardens project is finished hoping Manchester council keeps the alcoholics away.
By PARKER
How much money spent every year renewing grass needs hard surface, flower beds,trees and plenty of seating when finished needs to be maintained and looked after.
By Craig