First look at £25m plans to redevelop Piccadilly Gardens pavilion

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The first phase of plans to redevelop Piccadilly Gardens has been revealed. The plans which are part of a wider £25m investment to revamp the public space would see the concrete pavilion split into two separate sections.

The canopy would be removed and the two restaurants would be refurbished. READ MORE: The plan to turn around Piccadilly Gardens grot spot known as 'Spice Alley' A new art installation made of metal, glass and LED lighting on the walls would feature thread-like lines and holes in a nod to Manchester’s cotton industry.

New lighting would also be added around the perimeter of the pavilion. A planning application for this phase of the redevelopment has now been submitted by Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (LGIMRA) – the company which bought Deansgate Square's North Tower two years ago.

Senior fund manager Rob Codling said: "This project creates an excellent opportunity to increase the approachability of Piccadilly Gardens and make spending time there a more enjoyable experience for residents and visitors to the city. "We are pleased to be moving these plans forward and to be engaging with local artists to start to create a public space that Manchester can be proud of." Work to rejuvenate the site started in 2020 when part of Tadao Ando’s much-maligned modernist structure - dubbed ‘the Berlin Wall’ - was torn down.