Manchester Reveals New Vision for Piccadilly Gardens 2026

Key Points

• Manchester City Council has put forward proposals to redesign Piccadilly Gardens.
• The proposal designed by Planit involves the current 2.3 acres large public park.
• The size of the children’s play area would increase by 280 percent to 4,900 square feet.
• There would be 49 trees, including 15 different types, planted according to the plan.
• The amount of ornamental planting would increase by 800, which includes 48 different species of flowers.
• It is expected that the design will yield a 10.47 percent biodiversity net gain.
• A wheelchair-friendly roundabout and a trampoline will feature in the new playground.
• The Piccadilly Street Food Market will have to move to some other, unnamed city-centre site.
• The current fountains will have to go.
• According to the proposals, 32 extra benches will be provided, as well as improved lighting, better sightlines, and CCTV.
• Greater Manchester Police is working together with Manchester City Council to provide enhanced policing and management.
• All this comes after over 400 responses obtained as part of the public consultation in early 2026.
• The project is one of many parts of a wider programme which includes further developments at the listed statues, Welcome Pavilion and the transport interchange.
• Planit, Galliford Try, and Civic

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) August 17, 2026, setting out proposals to increase greenery, enlarge the children’s play area and introduce measures intended to improve safety in one of the city centre’s most criticised public spaces.

The proposal, led by landscape architecture practice Planit, covers the 2.3-acre gardens. It seeks to change the character of the space delivered in 2000, which has faced criticism from residents, visitors and workers over its limited greenery and reported anti-social behaviour.

As reported by Julia Hatmaker of Place North West, the plans include more than doubling the size of the children’s play area, planting 49 trees and relocating the Piccadilly Street Food Market. The scheme also proposes removing the existing fountains and reorganising the gardens around a central oval lawn divided by a pedestrian pathway.

The submitted plans form one phase of Manchester City Council’s wider programme for Piccadilly Gardens. Separate proposals are expected to address the restoration and cleaning of three listed statues, the creation of a flexible events structure known as The Welcome Pavilion and the future redevelopment of the transport interchange.

How large would the new play area be?

The proposed play area would measure 4,900 square feet, representing a 280% increase on the existing provision. It would be moved from its current location beside the Queen Victoria statue to the southern end of Piccadilly Gardens.

According to the submitted plans, the southern end has the lowest pedestrian passing footfall. The relocation is intended to provide a larger area for children while helping to create clearer movement routes through the gardens.

Technical play specialist Massey and Harris led the playground design. The equipment would be aimed at children aged 10 and under, with accessibility incorporated into the proposals.

The planned facilities would include a wheelchair-accessible roundabout and trampoline. The design is intended to allow children with different mobility needs to use parts of the play area alongside other visitors.

The larger playground would be positioned within a redesigned landscape that also includes more seating, improved planting and a central lawn. Together, these elements are intended to make the southern end of Piccadilly Gardens more active and welcoming.

How much greenery will be added?

The proposal would substantially increase the amount of planting across Piccadilly Gardens. Planit’s design and access statement says ornamental planting would rise by 800%, with plants selected to flower throughout the year.

The landscaping would include 49 trees from 15 different species. A further 48 species of flowering plants are proposed. The planting strategy is expected to produce a biodiversity net gain of 10.47%.

The plans also propose retaining rainwater for use in watering the planting. This approach is intended to reduce the amount of maintenance required while supporting the plants during drier periods.

The proposed planting is central to the council’s stated aim of restoring a stronger garden character to the space. The current design has been criticised for its lack of greenery, and the new scheme is intended to address that concern through year-round planting, additional trees and a larger lawn.

The central oval lawn would be bisected by a pedestrian pathway. The arrangement is designed to provide space for relaxation, informal gatherings and movement across the gardens without creating a single uninterrupted area.

What safety measures are included?

The redesigned gardens would use improved sight lines to help reduce hidden or poorly observed areas. Enhanced lighting and integrated CCTV are also proposed.

Manchester City Council is working with Greater uk/police/">Manchester Police to increase the force’s presence in the park. The council is also developing a stronger stewardship and management strategy for the space.

These proposals respond to concerns about anti-social behaviour in Piccadilly Gardens. The plans do not present physical redesign as the only response. Instead, the council’s approach combines landscaping and lighting changes with policing, operational management and increased oversight.

The proposal also includes 32 benches, which would increase seating provision across the gardens. Additional seating could encourage people to spend more time in the space, although the overall effect will depend on how the area is managed and used after the works are completed.

Interim Manchester City Council leader Councillor Garry Bridges said residents had made clear what they wanted from Piccadilly Gardens.

“Residents have told us loud and clear what they want from Piccadilly Gardens,”

Bridges said, according to Place North West.

“They want the area to look better and feel safer and that’s exactly what we’re going to deliver.”

Bridges added that the council had already invested in extra police and council resources, with further measures planned.

“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,”

he said.

What will happen to the street food market?

The Piccadilly Street Food Market is not included in the redesigned gardens. Traders are due to be relocated to another location in the city, although the proposed destination has not yet been named.

The relocation would remove the market from the current public-space layout and allow the submitted landscape proposals to proceed without incorporating the existing market arrangement.

The plans also propose removing the existing fountains. The fountains are not part of the new design described in the application.

The effect of these changes will extend beyond landscaping. The market currently contributes to the identity and daily activity of Piccadilly Gardens, while the fountains form part of the space’s existing physical infrastructure. Their removal will therefore change how the gardens are used and experienced.

The application does not identify the replacement location for the food market. That detail will be important for traders, visitors and the wider city-centre economy because it will determine whether the market retains a visible and accessible position.

Why has the project team changed?

Planit was appointed to the project team in March 2026, alongside main contractor Galliford Try and engineer Civic. Enabl led the planning process, while the wider project team includes Hoare Lea, Arbtech, Arup and Counter Context.

LDA Design had previously led the redevelopment of Piccadilly Gardens after being appointed in 2023.

A Manchester City Council spokesperson told Place North West that the context and scope of the scheme had changed significantly between LDA Design’s appointment in 2023 and Galliford Try’s appointment in March 2026.

The council said Transport for Greater Manchester had secured multi-million-pound funding for a new modern transport interchange. However, that project is expected to take several years to deliver.

The planned interchange changed the scope of the original Piccadilly Gardens redevelopment. The council and partner agencies concluded that improvements to the gardens should not wait for the longer-term transport project.

The council said it had therefore invited design-and-build tenders through the North West Construction Hub in January 2026 for a revised improvement scheme. The procurement process resulted in the appointment of Galliford Try, Planit and Civic in March.

The spokesperson said the council valued LDA Design’s earlier work. That work, together with previous consultation and efforts to understand public views and aspirations for Piccadilly Gardens, helped inform the revised proposals.

The planning application can be found through Manchester City Council’s planning portal under reference PLA-2026-001348, according to Place North West.placenorthwest.co

What other Piccadilly Gardens projects are planned?

The submitted scheme is not the complete programme for Piccadilly Gardens.

Manchester City Council is also considering the restoration and cleaning of three listed statues. The monuments depict Queen Victoria, James Watt and Robert Peel.

A flexible events structure called The Welcome Pavilion is also planned. That element will be brought forward through a separate planning application rather than being included in the current redesign proposal.

The existing transport interchange is also due to be reconsidered as part of the wider city-centre plans. Transport for Greater Manchester’s funding for a new interchange is one of the factors that led to the revised scope of the current gardens scheme.

This means the present application is intended to deliver more immediate physical and operational improvements while the longer-term transport work is developed. The gardens may therefore undergo further change as the interchange project progresses.

How did public consultation influence the plans?

The proposals follow a consultation exercise that received more than 400 responses earlier in the summer of 2026.

The consultation responses helped identify public concerns about the appearance and safety of Piccadilly Gardens. The submitted design reflects those concerns through additional planting, more seating, a larger children’s play area, clearer sight lines, enhanced lighting and integrated CCTV.

The council’s stated priorities are to improve the appearance of the gardens, make the space feel safer and provide a more useful public environment. The final outcome will depend on planning decisions, construction and the management arrangements put in place after completion.

The consultation responses also sit within a longer history of attempts to improve Piccadilly Gardens. The council has been working on changes to the site for several years, while the current layout has attracted criticism since its delivery in 2000.

Background: Why is Piccadilly Gardens being redesigned?

Piccadilly Gardens is a 2.3-acre public space in Manchester city centre. Its current design was delivered in 2000, but the area has subsequently faced criticism over limited greenery, the condition and use of public facilities, and anti-social behaviour.

The proposed Piccadilly Gardens redesign is intended to address those issues through a combination of physical improvements and operational measures. The main changes include more trees and flowering plants, a larger accessible playground, increased seating, improved lighting, better visibility and integrated CCTV.

The city council has also linked the project to wider investment in policing and council resources. Greater Manchester Police is expected to have a stronger presence in the park, while a more robust stewardship and management strategy is being developed.

The scheme is being advanced separately from the longer-term transport interchange project. That future project, supported by multi-million-pound funding secured by Transport for Greater Manchester, is expected to take several years and has significantly changed the wider redevelopment context.

Prediction: How could the redesign affect Manchester visitors and families?

If approved and delivered, the Piccadilly Gardens redesign could make the space more attractive to families, particularly through the larger accessible playground and the introduction of more year-round planting.

Visitors may also experience a clearer and more open layout, additional seating and improved lighting. These changes could make the gardens more suitable for short breaks, informal meetings and city-centre events.

For residents and workers, the success of the project is likely to depend on more than the physical design. The council’s planned policing, CCTV, maintenance and stewardship arrangements will influence whether the space feels safe and remains well cared for.

Food-market traders may face disruption because the Piccadilly Street Food Market is due to move to an unnamed alternative location. The impact on traders and customers will depend on the accessibility, visibility and operating conditions of the replacement site.

The redesign could also be temporary in some respects because the transport interchange is expected to bring further changes in the coming years. The current scheme may improve the gardens in the shorter term, while the full character of the area will ultimately be shaped by the separate interchange, Welcome Pavilion and heritage-related projects.