Have your say on the future of Piccadilly Gardens
A public consultation is now open to shape plans for the the area
All Mancunians have something to say about Piccadilly Gardens, now you have the chance to join the conversation which will help shape the design proposal for the future of the area. Manchester City Council is inviting people to submit their thoughts.
On a typical day, more than 150,000 people a day pass through the area centred around Piccadilly gardens including Mosley Street, the bus exchange on Parker Street and Market Street. It’s the busiest part of City and Manchester City Council identifies the need for it to evolve to meet the needs of the city and its inhabitants.
The Council are calling for people to share their experiences of Piccadilly Gardens and the surroundings as well as expressing their aspirations to the area, to help share the design brief which will be used when architects are sought to come up with a proposal.
Manchester City Council has been working with one landscape architects to look at the different functions the area serves – as a route through he city, an interchange for public transport users, shopping and working, a space for events and more – to better understand the opportunities, challenges and limitations.
Wherever possible The Council wants to design out some of the issues, such as crime and anti-social behaviour, and design in more of the elements the public wants.
Small changes have already begun to be made in the area, with the removal of the Piccadilly Gardens wall last year. Now people are being asked to visit a virtual exhibitions outlining the themes for discussion and then take part in the consultation survey which is open until Sunday 21st March.
What ever your thoughts for Piccadilly Gardens, Leader of Manchester City Council – Sir Richard Leese, stressed that: “We don’t want to turn back the clock to a time when there were far fewer people using the city centre. We need to look to the future, not the past.”
“Nor do we have a completely blank canvas – there are things such as tram lines and statues, and the Pavilion building which we do not own, which we have to work around. But we can and will be imaginative and seek to deliver a public space set in a vastly improved streetscape.”