Piccadilly Gardens is a heavily-used public space in Manchester with a footfall of around 310,000 people a week. After a number of protests and online petitions, the local council has started to listen to peoples complaints.
Piccadilly Gardens is an unsightly place that seems to be a gathering point for drug users and trouble causers, under new proposals there would be a GBP10 million investment by Legal & General Investments Managements who have teamed up with Manchester City Council. L&G has a proven track record of working alongside local authorities to improve open public spaces. GBP2 million of the investment is set to be spent on the Piccadilly Gardens project.
The changes to be made to the area include family restaurants, coffee outlets and new green spaces, all of which hope to act as an anti-social behavior deterrent.
The new design is hope to bring a new vibrant atmosphere to the area that has been slammed in recent media reports published by the Manchester Evening News
Sir Richard Leese, who is the current leader of the Manchester City Council, had this to say “For all the debate it has generated in recent years, Piccadilly Gardens remains an incredibly well-used public space. But we recognize that there are aspects which have proved unpopular and others where there is scope for improvement, including design improvements to deter anti-social behavior and enhancing our own ongoing maintenance of the space. These proposals will provide both real and sustainable improvements which are compatible with Piccadilly Gardens’ role as a major thoroughfare used by hundreds of thousands of people a week as well as a destination where people can meet and relax.”
The new design changes include the following;
· Removing the existing Pavilion building and feature wall and replacing them with two new Pavilion buildings.
· Improving lighting and the design of the current Pavilion building and Gardens to deter anti-social behavior.
· Creating extra seating, introducing extra ‘soft landscaping’ including new shrubs and plants.
· Addressing damage to pavements and grass by raising the grassed areas and re-laying pedestrian thoroughfares.
· Bringing family-themed restaurants and a new coffee outlet to the new Pavilion buildings.
· Maintaining the pedestrian route from the Metrolink stop and bus station through the Gardens to other parts of the city.
C D Designs Ltd hope to see the introduction of Pattern Imprinted Concrete used in the new design of the gardens.