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.