A full planning application for the scheme to transform Piccadilly Gardens has been submitted.

The submission – the latest landmark in delivering the proposals to make Piccadilly Gardens more colourful, more vibrant, safer and more inviting – follows public consultation on the plans earlier this summer. Subject to planning permission being granted this autumn, work to make the plans a reality will begin as soon as possible. 

Public consultation on the detailed design built on previous extensive consultation about what people wanted from Piccadilly Gardens and included drop-in sessions and an online questionnaire. Hundreds responded and were broadly supportive of the plans, with more than half (58%) believing they will provide a safe and welcoming new space, 67% saying they provided clear walking routes and almost three-quarters (70%) saying they would create a greener and more colourful space.  

Concerns were raised by some about anti-social behaviour and how the transformed Piccadilly Gardens will be kept inviting. The Council and its partners, including Greater Manchester Police and Transport for Greater Manchester, recognise that creating a better Piccadilly Gardens cannot just be about physical improvements but will also require new ways of managing the space to ensure it is maintained as a safe and inviting space. Work to develop this new way of managing the space is ongoing and improvements are already underway, including a strengthened police presence through GMP’s dedicated neighbourhood policing team. 

In addition to the main consultation, a series of listening and engagement sessions were also carried out with parents and children around the refreshed children’s play area to ensure it reflects their aspirations. New images of how the children’s play area will look have been released as part of the wider application.  

Key elements of the application include:  

• Putting the ‘Gardens’ back in Piccadilly Gardens – more green space including lawn, trees, planting, seating and colourful horticultural displays.      
• A new space for family-friendly events - removing the old, unreliable fountains and creating a new space to hold enjoyable events and activities throughout the year. A new, flexible structure - referred to as The Welcome Pavilion - will be built on part of the space to help support regular activity.  This will be the focus of a separate planning application.  
• Better use of space -Removing the unsightly low concrete walls and raised planters along the edge of Piccadilly Gardens, close to the Queen Victoria statue, and improving the statue’s setting.   
• Refreshing the existing children’s play area – creating a new, larger playground for younger children. This will be of the same high quality as recently-created new play areas such as those at Mayfield Park and Ancoats Green but designed specifically to suit Piccadilly Gardens.      

The plans will also support a safer space through improved sightlines, better lighting and enhanced CCTV.  

Interim Council Leader Cllr Garry Bridges said:

“The moment has arrived when we’re ready to submit our planning application to transform Piccadilly Gardens. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this significant point.  

“Residents have told us loud and clear what they want from Piccadilly Gardens. They want the area to look better and feel safer and that’s exactly what we’re going to deliver. 

“There has already been significant investment in the area – including extra police and council resources – with even more on the way.  

“This application will see a much-improved space: Putting the Gardens back in Piccadilly Gardens, providing a better children’s play area and supporting a more inviting place all round.” 

The application reference is PLA-2026-001348 viewable at: https://arcusbe.manchester.gov.uk/pr/s/detail/a1DSl000009RsaD

Once the physical works are completed, the Council aims to ensure a regular stream of bespoke family-friendly activity and seasonal events to enjoy.   

The new scheme will complement other changes taking place in the immediate vicinity of the Gardens, including the major Rylands redevelopment (of the Grade II-listed former Debenhams building) which is creating a new office, retail and leisure destination, and the recently-approved plans to refurbish and improve One  Piccadilly  Gardens . 

Further planned improvements to the area around Piccadilly Gardens in the coming years will include a multi-million pound investment by Transport for Greater Manchester to create a new, modern transport interchange.   

In March this year Galliford Try were appointed as lead contractor, working with landscape architect and lead designer Planit and civil, structural and highways engineers Civic to deliver the Piccadilly Gardens transformation.  

City of Manchester Chief Inspector Mike Tachauer said:

“We welcome the next phase of the planning application for the new-look Piccadilly Gardens. Senior officers have been involved in consultations from the outset to ensure there is a strong policing input into these plans. Piccadilly Gardens is a space that everyone should feel safe and secure when travelling in and around the area. Our officers have ensured that elements pertaining to public safety have been one of the key focuses in the planning process including better lighting and more CCTV. 

“We have had several experienced police officers who have strong experience around policing Piccadilly Gardens who have given an input to these plans, and there are a number of elements we have learnt from, for example, understanding how planters can be misused by those involved in criminality and how we can deter this from happening. 

“There is also cross organisational understanding that the safety of the Gardens is a multi-agency partnership that we all need to be involved in to ensure everyone is doing their bit to keep our communities safe.” 

Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said:

“These exciting plans for Piccadilly Gardens will bring vast improvements for everyone who passes through it and for the numerous businesses who operate in the vicinity. The Bee Network is already transforming how people move around Greater Manchester and we are developing plans with the local community for a modern transport interchange linking buses, Metrolink and active travel that will help create a city centre that is greener, better connected and welcoming for everyone.”

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