Manchester Update

The Piccadilly area of central Manchester is to receive a £100 million revamp, transforming what is at present a disappointing first point of contact for those arriving by bus, train or tram, into one of the most exciting public spaces in Europe and an attractive and dynamic gateway to the Regional Centre.

Piccadilly Gardens

For many years the hub of a busy and thriving City Centre, Piccadilly Gardens was once home to the Manchester Royal Infirmary, public baths and Central Reference Library. The Gardens lie between the main retail, business and hotel areas of the City and represent an important civic square and green space in the centre of Manchester. For many years, however, they have been in need of investment and concerns over their poor condition and appearance have grown.

The City Council, along with a range of private sector partners, plans to transform the area into an international quality public space in the heart of Manchester which will reflect its standing as a European regional capital. A team made up of EDAW, the company responsible for the City Centre Masterplan; the Manchester office of engineering firm Ove Arup; acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando; Chapman Robinson Architects and Peter Fink Lighting Specialists, are responsible for the re-design of Piccadilly Gardens.

The scheme will include walk-through fountains spanned by a catwalk bridge and new horticultural gardens will be planted next to the Queen Victoria statue. More lawns will be planted, a tree-lined boulevard along Piccadilly created and there are ambitious plans to light the entire area, not only improving the aesthetic quality of the area but also safety at night for users of the Gardens and the public transport interchange.

Another key objective of the scheme is a dramatic upgrade of the bus interchange and pedestrian area. Passenger waiting and information facilities are to be improved with new shelters and buildings. Buses are also to be re-routed and general traffic will be removed from Lever Street to improve conditions for pedestrians on the north side of the gardens. Part of the Metrolink line will be realigned from Market Street to Piccadilly Gardens in order to release more land for the central open space. The design will widen the public realm and improve links between Piccadilly, the railway station, China Town and the Northern Quarter of the City.

Funding for the improvements will come in part from a prestigious new building to be developed on Portland Street which will also act as a shield from car traffic noise. Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese said: “We want to create an improved environment for residents to enjoy as well as creating a positive and welcoming first impression for visitors to Manchester who pass through the area when arriving in the city.”

Piccadilly Plaza

A planning application for the comprehensive refurbishment of Piccadilly Plaza was submitted to the City Council for consideration in May 1999. Built between 1960 and 1965 the Plaza was to form the first stage of a massive development stretching to Oxford Road and incorporating 50 other tower blocks. Although the plan was never realised, the Plaza has still become a major landmark on Manchester’s skyline.

Sunley Tower is the second tallest building in Manchester after the CIS Tower and the Plaza continues to occupy a prime retail and office location. But, as with the Piccadilly Gardens, the Plaza has become run down and poorly maintained. A large proportion of the Plaza’s floorspace has become vacant and, due to its deteriorating physical condition, it is becoming an increasingly unattractive feature of the City Centre landscape.

In 1991 the Plaza went into receivership and low investment levels have led to rapid decline. Now, after assuming control of the Plaza in 1998 for a reported £22 million, Piccadilly Plaza LP is to take the complex into the next century.

When completed, the refurbished Piccadilly Plaza will be renamed the Piccadilly Exchange. With long leases currently being held by NCP, the Government Office for the North West and the Jarvis Hotel Group, the wholesale redevelopment of the site would not be feasible. Instead it was decided to carry out a more realistic but extensive refurbishment programme. The scheme will involve:
- Creation of a new two-level shopping arcade and a link between York Street and Parker Street
- Refurbishment and recladding of Sunley Tower, to be renamed City Tower l Internal refurbishment of City Tower and a new ground floor reception area to create ‘grade A’ office accommodation
- Refurbishment of and improvement of facilities for the Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel
- Removal of Bernard House to make way for new retailing space
- Revitalisation of the current street-scape, featuring three-level retailing
- Enhancement of retail and leisure facilities throughout the entire development.

Refurbishment of Sunley Tower will have a major impact on the City’s skyline. It is to be totally reclad in green tinted solar reflective glass and floodlighting will turn the tower into an important and attractive night time landmark. Internally, there will be a complete overhaul of the buildings services in order to establish the new City Tower as a prime office location.

Access to the tower will be gained through an impressive new ground floor reception area which will reflect its enhanced status. The existing escalators will be removed and replaced by an extension of the lifts to ground floor level. The work programme has been agreed with the Government Office for the North West which will remain in the building during the work

A new two-tier shopping arcade linking York Street and Parker Street will be perhaps the most significant addition to the Piccadilly Exchange. Incorporating the area of the former petrol station and car hire centre on York Street, the arcade will feature dramatic glazed canopies at its two street level entrances and a glazed roof. Greatly improved pedestrian access between the Gardens and China Town was a key element of the City Council’s design brief for Piccadilly, opening up surrounding areas and increasing the number of pedestrians. The new shop units will be let at affordable rents.

As with Sunley Tower, the Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel is to undergo a total external refurbishment, making use of a glass and metal cladding system which will match the rest of the Piccadilly Exchange. A new entrance will be built on Portland Street to enhance the approach to the building, and will be floodlit at night. The internal refurbishment includes the addition of 14 premium quality rooms, taking the total number up to 285, and a new event and meeting room large enough for 250 people.

Bernard House, the third block above the podium, is currently in a state of disrepair. Largely unoccupied, its roof is now supported by temporary scaffolding and the building will be demolished above podium level in the first stages of refurbishment. The existing basement, ground and first floors will be used to create large retail units fronting Mosley Street, Parker Street and York Street.

Piccadilly’s new image will be further enhanced by recladding of the ground floor and piazza levels in keeping with the materials used on the Sunley Tower and Jarvis Hotel. Improved lighting and CCTV will also be introduced to ensure the safety of all people entering the Exchange, particularly at night. The NCP car park will not be substantially altered, though improvements will be made to pedestrian access, lighting CCTV and lift access.

When completed, Piccadilly Exchange will comprise over 31,000 sq m of office space, 17,000 sq m of retailing and a 19,000 sq m hotel. It is estimated that it will employ 1,797 people and is expected to be completed before the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The refurbishment of Piccadilly Plaza reflects other activity throughout Manchester, and it is the renewed confidence in the City Centre, along with the City Council’s objectives for Piccadilly Gardens that made it an ideal time for the developers to act.

Work began in late April at the Stadium site in East Manchester, with Alfred McAlpine Civil Engineering moving on site to begin preparatory groundworks. Work on the Stadium itself, for which the planning application was submitted at the end of May, should start later in the year.

The 48,000 seater stadium will be the centrepiece of Sportcity, which will become one of, if not the most, significant sports facility complexes in the country. The key focus for the Sportcity development will be the sports facilities which will serve to stimulate the regeneration of the Eastlands site and wider East Manchester area. The other sports facilities will comprise the UK Sports Institute, which will be the hub of the UKSI North West and an ITI Tennis Centre. The Velodrome completes the range of sports facilities within Sportcity.

The provisional programme for the Games, which will be held over ten days from July 25 to August 4 2002, has now been proposed by the organising committee, ready for approval by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation in October.

Three team sports and 14 individual events are planned as follows
Team events – netball, rugby sevens and hockey. Individual events
Aquatics, Gymnastics, Table tennis, Athletics, Judo, Triathlon, Badminton, Bowls, Weightlifting, Boxing, Shooting, Wrestling, Cycling, Squash

Manchester has also decided to include sports for disabled athletes, honouring the spirit of the decision made by the CGF to include events for disabled athletes from 2006. Eight events will be selected from a list of 12 recently agreed with the International Paralympic Committee for disabled athletes.

Participants in the Games will be housed at an athletes village at Manchester University’s Fallowfield campus. It has a capacity of 4,850, although there may be potential to include additional accommodation nearby for officials . A second village for participants in the shooting competition at Bisley will hold approximately 400 competitors and officials, bringing the total to 5,250. This compares with 5,065 at the Kuala Lumpur Games in 1998.

Sir Rodney Walker has accepted the post of chairman of Manchester 2002 Ltd, the subsidiary company charged with delivering the Games. He will also be vice chairman of Manchester Commonwealth Games Ltd. The former Rugby League forward and Yorkshire shot-put champion is chairman of the UK Sports Council and since October 1998 has chaired the Financial and Business Review Committee for the Games

At its recent Annual Award Cemony, The Manchester Civic Society made a number of presentations recognising significant developments in the City. The Manchester Renaissance Award was shared by the Northern Quarter Association Public Art Scheme and Manchester Millennium with the City Council for the rebuilding of the City Centre following the 1996 bomb explosion. The Northern Quarter Association was founded in 1993, with an artist in residence appointed. In the last three years some 34 works of art have been produced using funds from the Lottery and Europe.

Quay bar in Castlefield won the Victorian City Award which celebrates a modern development, building on Manchester’s established architectural and urban design character. Judges described the design by Stephenson Bell as “Uncompromisingly contemporary to its age but makes the best use of its location, using strong and robust materials to reflect the industrial heritage of its setting”.

The Manchester Shop Window Award went to 76 King Street, a scheme by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams. Originally designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the architect of Manchester Town Hall, the former Stock Exchange has been converted into shops and offices, with the retail units occupied by DKNY and Jigsaw.

The Manchester Phoenix Award for the successful restoration of a building or area went to the Bright Eyes Child Care Activity Centre on Demesne Road in Whalley Range. The former YMCA sports club provides 33 jobs and 15 training opportunities and offers child care for almost 200 children. Also receiving commendations were 109 Princess Street, Stalybridge Station Buffet Bar, the Malmaison Hotel and CUBE on Portland Street.

The Spirit of Manchester Award was presented to Jim Ramsbottom for his work in the Castlefield area. He was praised as the man with the vision to realise the potential of the area, which has won wide acclaim for its rejuvenation. Ramsbottom set up both the Mark Addy pub on the River Irwell and Dukes 92 in Castlefield and has subsequently been responsible for he modernisation of a series of buildings in Castlefield including merchants Warehouse

The face of Manchester in Malaysia

Caroline Douglas has taken over from Mervyn Stephenson as Manchester’s representative in Kuala Lumpur. Previously with the British Tourist Authority as country manager for Malaysia, she has taken on a two-year contract from April.

Douglas will be building on the growing links between Manchester and Malaysia to secure the greatest economic benefits from the Commonwealth Games coming to Manchester. These include a Manchester Chamber of Commerce & Industry trade mission scheduled for November and other activities which build on last year’s successful Manchester in Malaysia Week

New start for Japan Centre

The Greater Manchester Centre for Japanese Studies is celebrating a new start, with a new name and a move to a prestigious new premises. The Japan Centre officially opened in June at Waterloo Place in Oxford Road. A partnership between the Greater Manchester universities, the Japan Centre’s main activities are teaching Japanese, supporting Japanese students at Manchester’s universities; developing relationships between the North West and Japan and building links with local Japanese communities. They are also agents for the Japanese work placement scheme, Keiken UK.

Funding for the Japan Centre was raised through a campaign supported by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce, Japan Banpaku organisation, BNFL, Manchester University, The Greater Manchester Japan Club (Japanese alumni), Manchester City Council, MIDAS and the Osaka Manchester Forum trade missions and Sharp Electronics For further information, contact Zoe Talks at the Japan Centre on 0161 275 2305/3255, or fax 0161 275 3354 or email: zoe.talks@man.ac.uk.

Manchester champions creative industries at world congress

Manchester City Council took part in the World Bank’s World Competitive Cities Congress in May, held at its Washington headquarters. The City Council presented a case study of innovative work in using information and communications technologies to underpin the City’s economic regeneration. In a paper entitled “Harnessing Multimedia for Economic Development, Public Service Delivery, Education, Cultural Innovation” the City promoted its leading role in the creative and new media industries.

The presentation outlined Manchester’s emerging dynamic supply chain, demonstrated by developments as diverse as the conversion of redundant warehouses by innovative property developers and local architects into accommodation for design, software and multimedia companies; the clubs where many of the UK’s leading music groups have emerged and the cafŽ bars and restaurants fitted out by young designers.

It described Manchester as a “seedbed of youth enterprise and creativity”, citing the presence of strong universities as a major influence and underlining the importance of providing opportunities for students to remain. “Creative industries are important in their own right,” the paper concluded, “but they are also a source of innovative capital investment, of ideas and communication, which is so vital to the future”

North West’s top 100 companies

Manchester TEC has published a guide to the North West’s top 100 companies in 1999, giving a unique insight to the region’s economic base. The guide contains complete profiles of the businesses, including number of employees, trading figures, parent company information and details of web site addresses. In addition, company addresses and contact names can be supplied on disk or labels For further information contact Manchester TEC information department on 0161 237 4000

North West partnership with China

The China Gateway North West Project – approved in December 1995 under a Regional Challenge bid, with a total cost of approximately £3 million – is now approaching a crucial stage in its development. Set up as a partnership with Manchester City Council, Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Business Link, UMIST Ventures/China Technology Link, Chinese Marketing & Communications, Manchester TEC, and Yangtze Enterprises, its remit was to “deliver lasting commercial, cultural, and civic links between the North West of England and China.” The project in its present form has come to an end and agreement has been reached to extend the China Gateway influence and support by closer involvement with the newly-established Regional Development Agency. The model being developed is a North West Trade Company for China, which has as its key objectives:-.
- Maximise trade levels between companies in the North West and China to secure and create local employment.
- Increase the amount and improve the quality of trade support to China available to North West companies. l Attract maximum investment from China to the North West.
- Assist development of Chinese businesses in the region.
- Provide a potent, co-ordinated, and high quality service to businesses.

Leading this initiative is Brian McCann, former chairman of China Gateway North West Advisory Board, – a leading member of the Asia Pacific Advisory Group to the UK Government – and Kath Robinson, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, who has been long associated with Manchester’s special relationship with Wuhan City in Central China. The “new” company will operate across the whole of the North West as a public/private sector agency.

Kath Robinson said the new organisation had the potential to stimulate trade and promote business, cultural, and community to community links with China. “It can become a robust and sustainable organisation with local government support, in the North West, thus strengthening the UK’s overall trading position with China.”

In supporting a new model organisation, the RDA will be building on a secure base. The resident Chinese Community, alongside the endeavours of local authorities, educational institutions and the business community, have given the North West a specific China focus. This unique partnership has already attracted the interest of the UK government and the Local Authorities International Bureau, which is holding a one-day event to promote UK/China links in early September. This will coincide with a China in Britain campaign, to be launched shortly by the Chinese Embassy in London, fitting in with UK National and European Union ventures

Tale of two cities

While Manchester United was winning an historic treble in Barcelona, City leaders were signing an historic agreement signalling the beginning of a strategic alliance between the two cities.

The agreement is the idea of Marketing Manchester, the City’s marketing agency. Professor Bob Boucher, the agency’s chairman, said: “I am delighted we have been able to bring together two great European cities with much in common. Like Manchester, Barcelona is at the heart of a diverse region with great potential.” Indeed, both cities have looked to major sporting events as a route to regeneration. Since the 1992 Olympic Games tourism in Barcelona has doubled, and direct foreign investment increased by 43.7 per cent in 1998.

The two cities will work together in exchanging experiences, encompassing the organisation of key events, public/private sector collaborations, culture, airport management, tourism and city marketing.

A team from Marketing Manchester spent a week in Barcelona’s main tourist information office in May promoting Manchester to both the people of Barcelona and the thousands of people visiting the city for the European Cup Final, the Spanish Motor show and the Formula 1 Grand Prix

Wuhan winners

Manchester City Council led a sport and leisure delegation to Wuhan from this summer to explore cooperation opportunities with Wuhan designers, architects and sport sector companies working on the development of a major sports complex in the city. During the visit, Council representatives met with the Beijing State Sport General Administration Bureau, re-established relationships with the China People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the China Council for Promotion for International Trade. More importantly, the mission provided a first-hand opportunity for British companies to experience the potential and business opportunities of this vast market