Scheme to improve Manchester’s biggest public square ditched

A scheme to improve one of Manchester’s biggest public spaces has been scrapped more than 18 months after plans were first submitted to the council.

Pension fund Legal & General has pulled out of the scheme to redevelop Piccadilly Gardens.

And Manchester City Council has now promised to redevelop the square which has been blighted with anti-social behaviour in recent years.

Legal & General owns a 250-year lease on the area but has pulled out of plans to redevelop the area.

Plans first emerged in 2016 for a major overhaul of Piccadilly Gardens after constant complaints from the public.

Under the scheme L&G would have bought up some of the square’s unused hardstanding from the council, knocked down the main part of the wall – officially known as the Japanese Pavilion and open a new row of restaurants on a similar footprint.

The final designs were submitted to the planning department in July 2017.

Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: “We know that people have strong views about the need for improvements to Piccadilly Gardens.

“Indeed after begging, the Gardens was the issue which was most raised in last year’s city centre review.

“We are determined to deliver those changes. While the scheme which was previously envisaged has not proved possible in its current form, it is not a case of back to square one.

“The work which was done on that scheme, and the public consultation which established broad support for the principles behind it, will help shape the revised scheme and give us a sound basis to move forwards.”

He added: “As part of the council’s proposals for the Gardens we are looking to see the appearance of the concrete wall to the pavilion improved and softened.

“The council’s ambition to see it transformed into a green ‘living wall’ facing the bus and tram stations. We also propose to remove the free-standing part of the wall, which sits within our ownership.”

Mark Russell, Senior Fund Manager at Legal & General said: “We are pleased that Manchester City Council will be bringing forward proposals that build upon our own ambitions for Piccadilly Gardens, and which will enhance the public realm.

“Legal & General will continue to work in close collaboration with the Council to deliver complementary improvements to the Pavilion, further adding to the existing amenity of the space.”