Designs for the rejuvenated Piccadilly Gardens will be submitted to the council this week, the Manchester Evening News has learned.
Six firms are in the mix to win the contract to reshape the city centre plaza, which has long divided the opinion of both residents and visitors alike. Initially, 10 designs were put forward back in autumn of last year.
That stage of the design competition whittled down the field to six, with those firms now delivering proposals by the end of this week (Friday, July 15). The project is expected to cost £25 million in total.
READ MORE: Woman dead and two injured after bus crashes into shelter near Piccadilly Gardens
Council city centre spokesperson, Pat Karney, said this was the authority’s chance to ‘get it right’ with the square. He told the MEN : “We are now in a position to plan the new Piccadilly Gardens and we have this major opportunity to get it right so that Mancunians can be proud of this central part of the city.
“Mancunians have very strong views on Piccadilly Gardens so we are determined to get it right. We won’t be able to solve some of the people-problems overnight because we need government support for homelessness and addiction services but we will do the best we can.”
Once the final submissions are handed in, each bid will be analysed by council officers, before being presented to all councillors in October. A design panel — including council leader Bev Craig and chief executive Joanne Roney — will then select some of these proposals for further consideration by officers.
After that, it is understood that ‘stakeholder engagement’ will be conducted with landowners local to the area — among other bodies — before final submissions are made in March 2023.
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